Shocker

With the untimely passing of the underrated horror creator Wes Craven, the release of Shout Factory's latest Blu-ray, "Shocker," couldn't be more appropriate. The terror master tried to kickstart a new franchise with this campy and bloody film; it wasn't successful, but one can see many items in "Shocker" that helped make Craven's films so enjoyable.

Mitch Pileggi plays the menacing and violent cable company worker Horace Pinker, a serial killer sent to death row who becomes more powerful after his death by electrocution. Pileggi looks larger than life in Craven's film, and the same can be said 25 years later in his "Cable Guy" interview.

As per usual, Scream Factory's disc gets packed to the hilt with many other extras, and features one of the best high-definition transfers in their catalog. "Alison's Adventures" talks to actress Cami Cooper about her supporting role in "Shocker," and we also learn why she quit show business.

Former head of Alive Pictures, Shep Gordon, discusses his involvement on "Shocker" in the featurette "It's Alive," while Desmond Child and other musical artists appear in "No More Mr. Nice Guy: The Music of Shocker." The hair metal band soundtrack has late 1980s written all over it.

The most bittersweet bonus materials are the ones featuring Craven, including a thoroughly entertaining audio commentary and a vintage documentary. His excitement with the project was apparent back in 1989 and again on his audio track.

R.I.P., Wes.

"Shocker"
Blu-ray Collector's Edition
$29.93
www.shoutfactory.com