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When Jim Henson passed away in 1990, the creator of the Muppets left us with only a few, fleeting glimpses into his potential as a purveyor of fantasy projects beyond the scope of Kermit and Miss Piggy. Henson only directed three theatrical features in his career: the second, and best, Muppet movie (1981’s “The Great Muppet Caper”); the epic fantasy “The Dark Crystal” (1982), which he co-helmed with Frank Oz; and “Labyrinth” (1986), a live-action fantasy, produced with George Lucas, that flopped at the box-office. Both THE DARK CRYSTAL (93 mins., 1982, PG; Shout!) and LABYRINTH (101 mins., 1986, PG; Shout!) have been newly reissued this month as 4K UHD Steelbooks by Shout!, which has entered into a new distribution agreement with The Jim Henson Company. Each are certainly worthy of gift-giving this holiday season.

THE DARK CRYSTAL was and remains Henson’s directorial magnum opus — a visually striking tale of a pair of human-like Gelflings who attempt to put their fragmented, fairy-tale world back together by restoring a broken crystal that resides in the dark catacombs of a castle belonging to the lizard-like Skeksis.

Unrelentingly serious and packed with imagination in virtually every frame, “The Dark Crystal” is an ambitious film that shows Henson at his most creative and audacious. Artist Brian Froud worked with Henson in creating an entire mythic universe with its own living beings, set against real-life English backdrops that establish a world that’s familiar yet foreign, from the marvelously detailed Mystic and Skeksis puppets to excellent special effects that have lost none of their magic.

David Odell’s script is straightforward fantasy stuff, but it serves as the perfect template for the work of Henson, Oz, Froud and their teams of artists, who breathtakingly transport the viewer into another time and place, with Oswald Morris’ widescreen cinematography and Trevor Jones’ outstanding score adding to the adventure. At a time when so much of genre cinema looks the same, watching a handcrafted film like “The Dark Crystal” in 4K makes – as Lisa Henson mentions in her liner notes – the filmmakers’ achievement all the more impressive.

“The Dark Crystal” made its 4K debut from Sony, which previously distributed Henson’s product, back in 2018. Shout’s new Steelbook essentially reprises that entire package in a 2-disc UHD/Blu-Ray set with one major advantage: the 4K restoration (2.39) offers Dolby Vision HDR capability, whereas the Sony release was restricted to HDR10 only. The underlying scan is the same but the Dolby Vision HDR better conveys high contrasts than the Sony release, giving it an advantage for fans who have DV capability.

Otherwise, this is the same restoration and it still looks gorgeous, including the opening Universal logo, enhanced detail and a wider color gamut that stands out even more on UHD through the use of Dolby Vision. The work of Henson, Oz, Morris and their production team is even easier to appreciate here thanks to this restoration, one which carries an even higher bit-rate in Shout’s UHD than Sony’s previous disc. Audio options include the same Dolby Atmos remix as was heard on the Sony disc, which actively channels the original Dolby Stereo mix for rear activity and 7.1 systems as well, while Shout has included a 2.0 Dolby Stereo track which wasn’t contained on the previous UHD.

A brand-new half hour “fan featurette” includes Lisa Henson taking Q&A from invited guests at the Henson offices – she offers some interesting and honest insights into the film’s legacy – while Shout has included all the supplements found on the previous UHD. These include a 10-minute Lisa Henson interview shot in 2018, while carried over from the 2009 Blu-Ray is a superb commentary from Brian Froud, who discusses the five years he worked on the film alongside Jim Henson, plus the innumerable challenges the filmmakers faced in making their fantasy world come to fruition. Froud is relaxed and spins many anecdotes that “Dark Crystal” fans will love to hear throughout the course of the film’s 93 minutes.

Also from that release is “Reflections of the Dark Crystal,” a two-part, 40-minute retrospective on the picture’s production. Featuring never-before-seen test footage and fresh interviews with Brian Froud, Brian Henson, David Odell and others, this is an excellent look back on the movie’s production, as well as a nice compliment to the original 1982 Making Of program, “The World of the Dark Crystal,” which is also on-hand here, offering ample backstage footage of Henson and the filmmakers at work.

The deleted funeral sequence and original language workprint scenes are also carried over from previous releases; David Odell’s introduction and storyboard tracks reappear as well (Odell’s intro in HD this time); and two theatrical trailers are also on tap, making for a highly-recommended package – one especially worthy of a purchase if you have Dolby Vision HDR capability.

Though it was initially tagged as a commercial disappointment, “The Dark Crystal” did well at the box-office. Still, if the picture had a failing, it was due to the fact that the movie had so many colorful, memorable creatures, its most human-like creations – the story’s central protagonists, the Gelflings – seemed plastic and bland by comparison.

It’s a problem that was magnified in Henson’s follow-up, LABYRINTH, where Henson, Brian Froud, executive producer George Lucas and writer Terry Jones attempted to go a step further and add actual human beings into their storytelling pallet. Jones’ script (based on a story by Henson and Dennis Lee) follows the adventures of young American teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) as she tries to rescue her toddler brother in a fantasy kingdom presided over by the wicked Goblin King (David Bowie).

A variant on “Alice in Wonderland” with several original songs performed by Bowie, “Labyrinth” is a great deal more upbeat than “The Dark Crystal,” with brighter visuals and a more comical tone on-hand. It’s also, unfortunately, a lot less satisfying, with a lethargic pace and predictable script accentuated by the fact that Connelly’s heroine and her journey are never very interesting. It’s clear Henson attempted here to parallel Connelly’s quest with her passage into adulthood, but since it’s difficult to take the somewhat fey Bowie seriously as a potential male suitor, that entire element of the film falls flat.

More over, “Labyrinth” feels downright static at times. There’s no dramatic pull, no tension to be found, and even Trevor Jones’ mostly electronic and thematically unmemorable score feels like a comedown from its predecessor. Aside from a couple of bouncy Bowie songs that intermittently bring the film to life, it’s not hard to see why audiences were underwhelmed by it, leading to the film’s initial commercial failure.

Nevertheless, between Bowie’s presence and Henson’s artistry, “Labyrinth” has still managed to cultivate a strong cult following over the years, and Shout’s 4K UHD Steelbook preserves the picture’s visual assets in a highly satisfying package all around.

Sony had brought “Labyrinth” to UHD not once but twice previously, first with HDR10 and then again in an Anniversary box with Dolby Vision; Shout’s Dolby Vision (2.35) transfer is the same as the latter, with the benefit of a notably higher bit-rate than the Sony release. Audio options likewise remain the same: an Atmos remix is included along with the original 2.0 DTS MA (Dolby Stereo) mix, plus another new “fan Q&A” half-hour featurette (this one featuring Brian Henson, who interestingly describes the movie as a move back to a “Muppet Show” type of model, complete with a “guest star”), and otherwise the same run of special features – with one major exception.

Those extra features include deleted workprint scenes with optional Brian Henson commentary (a longer “Magic Dance” sequence among them) and ample archival goodies. Among the latter are the 2016-shot “Reordering Time: Looking Back at Labyrinth,” “The Henson Legacy,” and “Remembering the Goblin King” segments, which offer interviews with Jennifer Connelly, Brian Henson and others, and total just under a half-hour. There’s also a 40-minute “Labryinth Anniversary Q&A” featurette, all included along with several trailers. Carried over from an even earlier release is a commentary by Brian Froud that’s highly satisfying and filled with recollections about his work on the picture. The track is complimented by the two-part documentary “Journey Through the Labyrinth,” which offers comments from Froud, Brian Henson, puppeteers Dave Goelz, Karen Prell and others. The original, archival Making Of documentary, “Inside the Labyrinth,” rounds out the disc alongside the previously-available “The Storytellers: Picture-in-Picture Track.”

The sole missing supplement – a fascinating hour-long assembly of screen tests – was previously found on the 2021 4K UHD Sony Anniversary edition. Those included actresses like Molly Ringwald, “Back to the Future”‘s Claudia Wells, Jill Schoelen, Tracy Gold, Maddie Corman and Trini Alvarado, giving a fascinating glimpse into Henson and his team’s creative process.

That one disappointment aside, this is another superior Shout UHD that packs in a great array of supplements and the same sparkling 4K restoration as its format predecessors, here backed by a more robust bit-rate. Fans should take to the Steelbook artwork on both movies, which for now remain exclusive to Walmart (links here and here) and come highly recommended for Henson fans of all ages!

Another Jim Henson Company production, FRAGGLE ROCK: BACK TO THE ROCK (338 mins., 2022), premieres on Blu-Ray in a Season 1 package this month. This revival of the ‘80s HBO series finds the Fraggles and assorted friends returning for a new series of adventures set in the world just beyond Doc’s workshop walls. Special guests like Cynthia Erivo, Patti LaBelle and Ed Helms pop up with Sony’s Season 1 Blu-Ray boasting 1080p (1.78) transfers, 5.1 DTS MA sound, three episode commentaries with long-time puppeteers John Tartaglia and Karen Prell, a blooper reel and assorted sing-alongs.

BILL & TED’S MOST TRIUMPHANT TRILOGY 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (Shout! Factory): All three Bill & Ted comedies starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter arrived earlier this year on 4K UHD in a marvelous Shout anthology well worth a look for fans.

BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (90 mins., 1989, PG-13) remains one of the more improbable box-office hits of all-time considering its pedigree – shot in 1987 by DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, the studio went bankrupt during production. In fact, DEG was going to sell the film to HBO until Nelson Entertainment saved the day, investing cash in special effects and obvious reshoots before selling it to Orion Pictures. After a near two-year delay, the movie – hugely uneven as it is – opened in 1989 and became one of the biggest hits of the winter months, establishing Keanu Reeves as a star (not so much for Alex Winter) and generating a bigger-budgeted sequel in 1991. That sequel, BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY (94 mins., PG), is a good-natured if strikingly unconventional follow-up that finds Bill & Ted being replaced with evil robot twins and relying on help from the Grim Reaper (a game comic performance from William Sadler) to save the day. Though not nearly the commercial success of its predecessor, “Bogus Journey” is, in some ways, a (much) more refined cinematic vehicle, and just as, if not more, entertaining, depending on one’s sense of humor.

Both movies are contained here on 4K UHD (2.35/1.85) with Dolby Vision HDR and 5.1/2.0 DTS MA soundtracks, while example extras include hour-long documentaries on both films sporting interviews with producer Scott Kroopf, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves (though Winter does most of the talking), composer David Newman and basically everyone else you can imagine. Extras carried over from the MGM DVDs are an older Making Of (running a half-hour) and interview with the writers, a talk with guitarist Steve Vai, an archival EPK and more. The separate film discs also boast commentaries with Alex Winter and Scott Kroopf, and another commentary with scribes Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson.

Wrapping up the trilogy is the belated – and sadly disappointing – follow-up BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC (91 mins., 2020, PG-13), a weak reunion for Reeves and Winter, who this time get wrapped up with their failed/unrealized dreams for both themselves and their respective offspring. Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon returned to write this follow-up which Dean Parisot directs with little enthusiasm; it’s good natured but just wholly unnecessary. Shout’s 4K (2.39, 5.1/2.0 DTS MA) looks great while the supplements are decidedly lightweight – much like the film itself.

HUSH 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray (82 mins., 2017, R; Shout!): Deluxe Collector’s Edition of Mike Flanagan’s 2016 breakout offers not one but two cuts of “Hush,” a straightforward but effective thriller about a deaf bestselling author who has to combat a wordless masked killer in her secluded forest home. In addition to a new 4K restoration (2.35) of the theatrical cut, Shout! here premieres Flanagan’s “Shush” cut, which offers the movie in B&W. These two versions are spread across both UHD and Blu-Ray discs, with 5.1/2.0 DTS MA sound options and extras including new commentary by Flanagan, actress/co-writer/wife Kate Siegel, and other cast/crew members (theatrical cut); Flanagan and Siegel on the “Shush Cut”; a picture-in-picture commentary on the Blu-Ray; and ample behind-the-scenes interviews.

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (82/85 mins., 1984, R/Unrated): Remember all the controversy that spiraled out of control due to Tri-Star Pictures’ 1984 “Killer Santa” slasher film? This new Scream Factory 4K offers the original movie that started it all in a superior, remastered, Dolby Vision HDR-enhanced transfer – but it’s still junky ’80s horror at its pulpiest, a cheapjack tale of a traumatized young man who vows revenge on Christmas after he recalls his horrifying experience with a costumed St. Nick as a child.

In the annals of yuletide horror movies, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is fondly remembered by some genre fans but it’s a tasteless, poorly executed affair, far inferior to the likes of “Christmas Evil” and “Black Christmas” among macabre holiday offerings, and pedestrian in both its performances and script.

Shout’s UHD, does, at least, include a dynamite new 4K restoration (1.85) with Dolby Vision HDR and its original 2-channel stereo soundtrack. It also has numerous new extras: commentary with Amanda Reyes and other podcasters, plus interviews with producer Scott Schneid, editor Michael Spencer, plus Schneid with producer Dennis Whitehead. Like its format predecessor, it also recycles supplemental content and does an excellent job by touching upon the original’s back story, by including a phone interview with its director, Charles E. Sellier, Jr. I distinctly recall the movie opening locally in Rhode Island just days prior to Christmas ’84, and critic Mike Janusonis ripping its tasteless Christmas setting (sure enough, Mike’s review is excerpted in the the disc’s critic comments, dubbed “Santa’s Stocking Of Outrage”). There’s also the 2017 doc “Slay Bells Ring,” featuring interviews with writer Michael Hickey and assorted cast/crew; a locations featurette; and another commentary with Hickey and composer Perry Botkin. Trailers and TV spots round out the release.

BONES AND ALL 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (131 mins., 2022, R; Shout!): Talented young star Timothee Chalamet typically chooses interesting projects but this adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’ book about “hot young cannibals” is an arty misfire under the direction of Luca Guadaginino. David Kajganich’s script tries to move off the horror and favor moody character scenes between Chalamet’s drifter and a young girl (Taylor Russell) abandoned by her father, but the movie’s bursts of grizzly blood ‘n guts play at odds with the storytelling approach, making for an attractively lensed but otherwise unsuccessful effort. Shout’s debut 4K UHD (1.85) of this MGM production includes Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound plus the Blu-Ray as well as several featurettes.

Fun City New Releases

Fun City goes back to the ‘80s with a pair of extremely entertaining new releases, kicking it off with the amiable – and little-seen as the years have progressed – “Blue Lagoon” knockoff PARADISE (101 mins., 1982, R).

Phoebe Cates is the whole show here as a teenager traveling through the desert with her upper-crust companion when circumstances force her and a fellow teen – the moppy haired Willie Aames from “Eight is Enough” and later “Charles in Charge”– to fend for themselves. They eventually find an oasis – and one another – in a movie that pretty much plods save for the scenes where the couple “get it on” (scenes mostly enhanced with body doubles, allegedly). Stuart Gillard’s direction is serviceable and Adam Greenberg captures the Israeli locales vividly but the big story beyond the contrived and mostly dull story is Cates’ natural beauty, present and accounted for in a movie released around the same time her career took off with “Fast Times At Ridgemont High.”

Released through Avco Embassy, “Paradise” has been scarcely distributed over the decades since. Fun City’s restoration offers a cut that’s slightly longer than the version that played in U.S. theaters with two different soundtracks: one which includes (too many) drops of Cates’ (horrific) pop ballad “Paradise,” and another “pre-release” mix that offers more of Paul Hoffert’s original score before the song was inserted into the film (note an isolated score track is also included). The transfer (1.85) is beautifully detailed and pleasing across all fronts, typical for Fun City, with promotional materials (radio spots, trailers, image gallery) and a commentary by Nathaniel Thompson included on the supplemental end.

Also new from Fun City is HEAVENLY BODIES (90 mins., 1984, R), a Canadian-lensed production from Producers Sales Organization and MGM/UA which looked to cash in on the “Flashdance” craze. In reality, this modestly-budgeted movie is a cheerful little “inspirational drama” involving secretary and single mom Cynthia Dale, who wants to become a local workout queen. Her efforts pay off, but when a nasty developer decides to usurp her blossoming business, she challenges him and his group to a dancing competition that offers shades of “They Shoot Olivia Newton-John Wannabes, Don’t They?”

“Heavenly Bodies” is one of the most benign R-rated films possibly ever made. Outside a couple of “steamy montages” this is a squeaky-clean film – shot in under three weeks – that offers scant dramatic development of its plot or stylized visual trappings. What it does offer is an upbeat “underdog story” with heroine Dale, who’s quite fetching here, doing all she can to maintain a level of high enthusiasm from start to end. Loads of musical interludes help the movie hit the 90-minute running time, and you might be searching for dusty old Jane Fonda/Richard Simmons workout videos in your parents’ closet before it’s all over.

Another picture that’s been barely seen since its mid ‘80s theatrical run and home video release (on the CBS/Fox imprint label “Key Video,” the artwork of which is paid homage to here), “Heavenly Bodies” makes a most welcome return to the world of the cinematic living with Fun City’s Blu-Ray. Not to be confused with the much worse “Hard Bodies,” the movie offers a new 1080p (1.85) transfer with a wide 2.0 DTS MA stereo mix and extras including an interview with Cynthia Dale, image gallery, and a commentary by Millie De Chirico and Jeffrey Mixed.

Both Fun City releases also contain booklet notes housed in a replica of a typical ‘80s pay-cable TV magazine.

New From Imprint

Australia’s Via Vision is back with a brand-new Imprint limited-edition Blu-Ray box-set, TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK COLLECTION 1, housing the HD premieres of three early ‘70s TV movies produced by England’s ITC, although two were shot stateside with all three boasting American stars.

In the case of BAFFLED (96 mins., 1972), a British-shot pilot involving Leonard Nimoy as a racing car driver who develops ESP powers after surviving a near fatal crash, ITC released the movie to theaters in the UK, adding 10 minutes of material in the process. This entertaining affair is on tap in a new 2K scan of both versions: the version that played originally on NBC (in 1.33) plus the extended cut in a good-looking 1.66 framed presentation. Extras include a commentary from restorer Jonathan Wood and ITC expert Rick Davy; a featurette on the restoration process, plus additional segments looking at the aspect ratio and run time discrepancies; the trailer; and Richard Hill’s groovy “Baffled” theme in stereo!

The other two outings in the box-set were shot by ITC in L.A.: SCREAM, PRETTY PEGGY (74 mins., 1973) boasts yet another variation on “Psycho” with Sian Barbara Allen as a college student who takes a job at a mansion where fellow artist Ted Bessell lives with his mother (“Special Guest Star” Bette Davis) and his psychotic sister. Gordon Hessler directed this decent thriller with plot twists you can see telegraphed from a mile away in the script co-written by Hammer vet Jimmy Sangster. Imprint’s Blu boasts another 1080p (1.33, mono) transfer with a commentary by historian duo Steve Mitchell and Howard S. Berger.

Finally, the set is capped by THE DEADLY DREAM (73 mins., 1971), a by-the-numbers tale of a scientist (Lloyd Bridges) having visions of a court accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit (or has yet to realize that he has). Janet Leigh co-stars with Dave Grusin providing the score; another fine 2K scan of the original 35mm negative (1.33, mono) is on-hand here with a commentary from “Made for TV Mayhem Show” podcasters.

Yuletide Premieres & Quick Takes

DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS 4K UHD (26 mins., 1966, Warner) is a classic holiday special making the move to UHD this month, this time in a HDR10 transfer with DTS MA sound that offers a really nice enhancement over Warner’s previous Blu-Ray (which offered only lossy Dolby Digital audio). With strong source material, Warner provides a lovely 4K rendering of the holiday perennial from Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones, its wonderfully memorable songs punctuated by the unmistakable vocal talents of Boris Karloff.

Warner’s UHD also includes the later animated specials “The Grinch Grinches The Cat in the Hat” as well as the late ‘70s “Halloween is Grinch Night,” which sports music by Joe Raposo and is worthy of a look. A full slate of extras has been ported over from the prior disc as well, including commentary with animator Phil Roman and voice artist June Foray, a number of featurettes and supporting specials, including the late Phil Hartman hosting a TNT lookat the show’s production.

A SUDDEN CASE OF CHRISTMAS DVD (91 mins., 2024, Not Rated; Shout!): Not-bad holiday movie benefits from Italian location shooting and direction by Peter Chelsom, one-time indie movie darling (my mom still loves his early ‘90s hit “Hear My Song”). Danny DeVito plays a hotel manager in the Italian mountains who finds out his son and daughter-in-aw are going to divorce, resulting in the family staging one final Christmas in the middle of summer instead. Four Italian screenwriters are listed alongside Chelsom and Tinker Lindsay with DeVito playing off Andie MacDowell, Wilmer Valderrama and his own daughter Lucy – it’s maybe not much more substantial than typical Hallmark fare from this time of year, but it is a cut above for the genre. Shout’s DVD (2.35, 5.1) is now available sporting a behind-the-scenes segment and trailer.

THE FORGE Blu-Ray (123 mins., 2024, PG; Sony): Alex and Stephen Kendrick’s faith-based drama traces the evolution of an aimless high school graduate who takes a job for a successful businessman, soon transforming his life. Moving and well-acted across the board, this inspirational picture earned strong reviews for its genre and comes to Blu-Ray sporting a 1080p transfer (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) with a Digital HD code, Making Of, commentary, deleted scenes and bloopers on the supplemental side.

1992 Blu-Ray (97 mins., 2024, R; Lionsgate): Snoop Dogg is one of the producers of this suitably tense period piece involving two sets of fathers and sons (Tyrese Gibson and Christopher A’mmanuel; Scott Eastwood and Ray Liotta) attempting to forge new bonds while playing out against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles riots – and a heist being pushed by the latter duo on the Gibson’s workplace. Ariel Vromen helmed “1992” which bows from Lionsgate featuring Dolby Atmos sound, a 1080p (2.39) transfer, deleted scenes, the trailer, a Digital HD copy, and commentary from Vromen and T’Shaun Barrett.

NEXT TIME: OCN New Releases, Eureka spins and more! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!