The best 4K and Blu-ray releases coming out in September

Available September 3

Alex Cox’s directorial debut captures the weird (complimentary) underground subculture of Los Angeles in the ’80s like no other. Repo Man is a punk-infused tribute to disaffected youth and a satire of consumerism that hasn’t lost any of its edge 40 years later. Emilio Estevez stars as Otto (get it?), a newly recruited repo man who quickly gets a taste for the thrill of the job. But it’s Harry Dean Stanton who really steals the show as his surly mentor Bud. Cox also throws in a sci-fi side plot about a mysterious Chevy Malibu with something otherworldly in the trunk, a handful of wacky characters, including actual punks (Zander Schloss of The Circle Jerks has a minor role), and oh so many quotable lines. Criterion released Repo Man on Blu-ray in 2013, and this new DigiPack carries over the many comprehensive features originally included in that one, along with a director-approved 4K digital restoration.

Available September 10

A little more than a year after premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, All Of Us Strangers is getting a Criterion release, with a 4K disc presented in Dolby Vision HDR and a Blu-ray disc (also available as a standalone edition). The critically acclaimed and award-winning film was written and directed by Andrew Haigh and stars Irish indie kings Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. Scott plays Adam, a lonely writer living in London who goes to visit his abandoned childhood home and discovers his dead parents living there, exactly as he remembered them. Around the same time he begins a relationship with his party-boy neighbor, played by Mescal. Is it a coincidence or are the two connected? Is Adam losing his grip on reality or just processing his grief? The mystery gently unravels throughout the film, leading to an emotional climax. Extras in this set include interviews with the filmmaker and cast, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and an essay by film critic Guy Lodge.

Available September 10

One of our favorite horror movies of 2024 so far, Late Night With The Devil blends found footage and a documentary filming style to present the fictional events of a shocking live TV broadcast. David Dastmalchian gives an intense performance as Jack Delroy, host of the late-night talk show Night Owls With Jack Delroy. Most of the film takes place on Halloween night in 1977, during the filming of a special occult-themed episode of Night Owls With Jack Delroy that goes horribly wrong. Besides the killer cover art, the standard steelbook comes with a commentary by Dastmalchian, an interview with the filmmakers Cameron and Colin Cairnes, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. There’s also a limited edition steelbook available with some collectibles like an autographed photo of Jack Delroy, a bookmark, and an air freshener with the Night Owl logo. And if you really want to go all out, Umbrella Entertainment is offering a Night Owls fan club edition that includes a VHS containing the 1977 Night Owls original broadcast cut, a replica TV Guide press kit, a copy of the book Conversations With The Devil created the production team, art cards, and a reversible poster.

Available September  10

There may be someone out there, perhaps an aficionado of late 20th-century satanic horror, who could withstand a double feature of Late Night With The Devil and Longlegs, but we’re not sure we’d want to meet them. Still, there’s sure to be no small number of fans who have both of these discs on their wish list. Longlegs became the surprise hit of the summer when it premiered in July, beating all other indie films at the box office so far this year and surpassing Parasite as Neon’s highest-grossing film to date. At least some of that interest has got to be due to Nicolas Cage’s bonkers performance as the title character, a suspected serial killer and the subject of an FBI investigation led by Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe). Available in a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack or standalone Blu-ray, the new release includes audio commentary with filmmaker Osgood Perkins, interviews with the cast and crew, and three featurettes.

Available September 17

Between Longlegs and Bringing Out The Dead, Nic Cage fans have a few treats coming their way this September. Paramount Presents, the studio’s premium home entertainment line aimed at collectors, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s gripping masterpiece with a new collector’s edition. The film, written by frequent Scorsese collaborator Paul Schrader, stars Cage as a paramedic on the brink of madness opposite Patricia Arquette as the daughter of a man he tried to save. The newly remastered 4K print was created from the original camera negative and reviewed by Scorsese, cinematographer Robert Richardson, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. There are also new interviews with Scorsese, Cage, Schrader, and Richardson, plus archival on-set interviews with the cast and crew.

Available September 17

The big-budget sequel to the indie sci-fi sleeper hit Pitch Black is getting a comprehensive release on 4K and Blu-ray, courtesy of Arrow Video for its 20th anniversary. In 2004, director David Twohy and star Vin Diesel reunited for The Chronicles of Riddick, an expansive and ambitious follow-up that took their eponymous antihero to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Keith David, Judi Dench, Colm Feore, and Karl Urban are also along for the ride. Both the theatrical cut and the director’s cut have been restored in 4K with Twohy’s approval. It comes in a handsome package with new cover art by Dan Mumford. Inside, you’ll find an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Walter Chaw, original production notes and the “Chronicles Compendium,” an overview of the characters and planets featured in the film. Among the hours of bonus material is a new feature-length documentary on the film and new interviews with Twohy and storyboard artist Brian Murray. 

Available September 17

Criterion released The Long Good Friday on DVD in 2018, so an update of this landmark 1980 British crime saga is long overdue. Bob Hoskins gives a genuinely fearsome performance as Harold Shand, an ambitious London mobster on a ruthless quest to find out who’s responsible for a string of attacks on his empire. The film also features Helen Mirren as Harold’s smart, tough damsel, long before she became an actual Dame. The new edition features a 4K digital restoration, plus the original Blu-ray, with all its bonus content intact. There are a few new extras too, like the 2019 documentary An Accidental Studio, about the early years of Handmade Films, the production company behind the film.

Available September 17

Helen Mirren was quite busy in 1980. In addition to appearing in The Long Good Friday, she also played Caesonia in the infamous soft-core extravaganza Caligula, alongside Peter O’Toole and Malcolm McDowell as the debauched Roman emperor. Now, fresh off its theatrical release, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is coming home as an exclusive limited edition from Unobstructed View. The new version of the cult film, originally financed and supervised by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, was re-edited scene by scene (without the approval of director Tinto Brass, who was none too happy with it) and premiered at the 2023 Cannes festival. It will soon be available in a 4K restoration with a new commentary by Ultimate Cut producer Thomas Negovan and editor Aaron Shaps. The four-disc UHD set is loaded with additional bonus features like a CD of the score composed specifically for the Ultimate Cut by Troy Sterling Nies, as well as a new animated title sequence by graphic artist Dave McKean.

Available September 24

John Carpenter’s 1995 remake of the 1960 British horror film Village Of The Damned was a box-office failure, but like many films that weren’t appreciated in their time, has earned a following in the last decade or so from cult horror fans. Set in the remote village of Midwich, it tells the story of a mysterious event that leads to the birth of a group of creepy kids with psychic powers and malevolent intentions. In addition to a new 4K transfer, this edition features new commentary with filmmakers Jackson Stewart and Francis Galluppi, an interview with screenwriter David Himmelstein, another interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger, and a bunch of vintage extras as well. If you order directly from Shout Factory you can also get two exclusive 18” x 24” posters with the original theatrical artwork and a new design, plus a 7” vinyl record containing the original score by Carpenter and Dave Davies.