January comes to a close and we see the horror genre is still alive and well. Last night The X-Files returned to television in a triumphant return to form. Tonight we get the second episode in the 6 part series. Good times. The rest of the week is populated by a nice collection of DVD releases. One of these releases is Goosebumps which ranked as #3 on the HorrorBuzz top 10 horror films of 2015. There are also some wonderful releases aside from that including the James Spader film, Jack’s Back, David Caradine’s Sonny Boy and the coasting along on the release of the the 80’s schlock fest Side Show.
We then round things out with a collection of notable dates in Horror History.
Here is what you can expect this week in horror.
Television
| The X-Files (Jan 25th) 8pm | ||
| RATING: | TV-14 | 
Founder’s Mutation Mulder and Scully return to television in a 6-episode special event. The second part of the two-episode premiere has the
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| Network: | FOX | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr | |
Film
| Goosebumps – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | PG | 
After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets next door neighbor Hannah, the daughter of bestselling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine. Stine is very strange and mysterious and it turns out for good reason. He is a prisoner of his own imagination – the monsters that his books made famous are real, and Stine protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their books. When Zach unintentionally unleashes the monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it’s suddenly up to Stine, Zach, and Hannah to get all of them back in the books where they belong.
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 44 min. | |
| Directed By: | ||
| Written By: | Darren Lemke, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski | |
| Jack’s Back – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  One hundred years ago, Jack the Ripper slashed his way through London’s red light district. Now, a modern-day maniac is honoring the event by mutilating L.A. ’s ladies of the evening. Has Jack the Ripper been reborn? The police are stumped and the prostitutes of L.A. are scared. The only person with a chance of solving the murders has a problem of his own: he’s the LAPD’s number one suspect.
James Spader (The Blacklist, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron) and Cynthia Gibb (Death Warrant, Youngblood) star in this taut mystery-thriller written and directed by Rowdy Herrington (Road House). Special Features Include: -High Definition Transfer from the Original Negative-Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington
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| Genre: | Crime, Horror, Mystery | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 37 min. | |
| Directed By: | Rowdy Herrington | |
| Written By: | Rowdy Herrington | |
| Sonny Boy – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  A shattering, unforgettable performance from David Carradine (KILL BILL) powers this wickedly off-beat tale of family love gone berserk. Paul L. Smith (MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, CRIME WAVE) and Brad Dourif (CHILD’S PLAY, THE EXORCIST III) are also featured in powerfully moving supporting roles.
In a remote desert town, a psychopathic petty crook (Smith) and his transvestite girlfriend (Carradine) kidnap and raise an orphaned infant, cage it like an animal and train it to steal and kill on their command. Years later, when the half-wild Sonny Boy escapes and embarks on a bloody rampage, the couple’s monstrous attempt at “child development”, provokes the local populace into vengeful retaliation. Unlike any film you’ve ever seen, SONNY BOY is an unsettling, wildly bizarre allegory on the devastating effects of child abuse and the violent consequences that follow. Special Features Include: -Audio commentary with director Robert Martin Carroll
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 30 min. | |
| Directed By: | Robert Martin Carroll | |
| Written By: | Graeme Whifler, Peter Denberg, | |
| In the Hell of Dixie- Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  A Blood-Drenched Southern Shocker in the Tradition of Battle Royale and The Most Dangerous Game Every town has its secrets. During one terrifying night, Gloster, Louisiana, lets its darkest one out. Deep in the woods of southern Louisiana, a masked killer stalks members of a local hunting club. As blood trails begin to connect the victims, police deputy Ned Annison finds himself caught in the middle, pursued by both the killer and the town sheriff, who believes Ned is the man responsible. Always one step ahead, Ned works to stop the killer and clear his name, only to find that some friendships end in blood.
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 90 min. | |
| Directed By: | ||
| Written By: | Eric F. Adams | |
| Survival Knife – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  The lone survivor of a serial killer’s attack tries to cope with the death of her friends and her mutilation at the hands of the maniac – but she fears the trauma has awakened a dark side within her as she slowly becomes something possibly even worse than the man who scarred her forever.
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| The Thrill of the Kill – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  Kim has a fight with her mother and runs off into the woods. A chance meeting with a local photographer sons turns into a living nightmare as Kim is captured and run through a series of gruesome tortures, one worse than the last. Graphic and disturbing.
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 25 min. | |
| Directed By: | Lars-Erik Lie | |
| Written By: | Lars-Erik Lie, Kirsten Jakobsen, Arve Herman Tangen, Camilla Vestbø Losvik, Toril Skansen | |
| Mansion of Blood – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  Millionaire Mason Murphy renovates the haunted Mayhew mansion. He moves his family to the estate with his creepy servant Zacharia (Gary Busey). He plans a tremendous lunar eclipse viewing party to celebrate his return to his hometown of River Ridge Iowa. At the party, a witch casts a spell to summon the spirit of her dead boyfriend. The magic runs out of control under the eclipse and a series of deadly accidents lead to revenge killings and then all the monsters come out as the party guests are murdered one by one. Each murder and death is unique, macabre, and horrifying at the Mansion of Blood. Who, if any, will survive? Bonus features include: trailers
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 39 min. | |
| Directed By: | Mike Donahue | |
| Written By: | Mike Donahue | |
| Mansion of Blood – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  A group of beautiful Internet models are trapped inside their recording studio and hunted down by a mentally unstable fan they insulted live on the air. Now the girls must join together to escape and face their murderous stalker, or be picked of one by one. Beauty may only be skin deep, but revenge cuts to the bone.
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 39 min. | |
| Directed By: | Mike Donahue | |
| Written By: | Mike Donahue | |
| Mansion of Blood – Blu Ray/DVD (Jan. 26th) | ||
| RATING: | R |  This horror story from exploitation auteur Fred Olen Ray gets a stripped-down presentation in this DVD release. Step right up…and pray for your soul! A group of teens get more than their money’s worth at the local SIDESHOW when the evil ringmaster, Dr. Graves, grants them their wishes. However, deepest wishes can – and sometimes do – backfire. Just one visit isn’t enough, so come back often. New freaks are arriving nightly at this SIDESHOW! We guarantee it! If we can’t find enough freaks, why not just make them? Welcome to the FREAKSHOW, the place where terror is the main attraction! Bonus features include: Trailers
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| Genre: | Horror | |
| Runtime: | 1 hr. 30 min. | |
| Directed By: | Fred Olen Ray | |
| Written By: | Neal Marshall Stevens, | |
This date in Horror History
January 25
- 1943 – Tobe Hooper (director of numerous horror films) born
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2013 – Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters released.
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2013 – John Dies at the End released.
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2013 – Resolution released.
- 2013 – Zombie Night released.
January 27
- 2005 – Resident Evil 4 released for the Nintendo GameCube in Japan
January 28
- 2005 – Creep released theatrically
- 2005 – Hide and Seek released theatrically
January 29
- 1998 – Resident Evil 2 released on the PlayStation in Japan
January 30
- 1976 – Salo o le 120 giornate di Sodoma released theatrically
- 2015 – Fear Clinic released
January 31
- 1998 – Ringu released theatrically in Japan
- 1999 – Silent Hill released on the PlayStation in North America
- 2003 – Final Destination released theatrically
Some pretty good stuff this week to be sure. be sure to return next week for another weekly forecast of horror happenings.
