> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://deadformat.email/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Dead Format — Issue 4: The Halloween Slate - URL: https://deadformat.email/dead-format-issue-4-the-halloween-slate/ - Published: 2026-10-08T13:00:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T13:00:11.000Z - Description: American Werewolf London gets its US 4K debut. Little Shop brings both cuts for the first time. Henry: Portrait ships Oct 27 from Dark Sky only. - Author: Dead Format - Tags: Newsletter, issue-4 ## Release of the Week ![An American Werewolf in London 4K UHD — Universal 45th Anniversary Edition](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e6/46/e6461554-2524-47a1-9ee4-c1bc5554c627/content/images/2026/10/awil_45th_disc_art.jpg) An American Werewolf in London (1981) — Universal 4K UHD, $24.96 ### An American Werewolf in London (1981) Universal 45th Anniversary Edition | 4K UHD | [$24.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=american+werewolf+london+4k+universal+2026&ref=deadformat.email) | Steelbook: [$29.96](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=american+werewolf+london+4k+steelbook+universal+2026&ref=deadformat.email) The greatest werewolf film ever made. John Landis holds the tonal balance between comedy and body horror all the way through, and neither cancels the other out. Rick Baker's transformation sequence won the first Oscar the Academy ever gave for makeup, and it deserved it. David Naughton and Griffin Dunne have genuine chemistry in those early moors scenes, which makes what follows land harder. The transfer question matters here. Universal used the same 4K master Arrow produced for their 2022 limited edition. Confirmed across blu-ray.com forum threads (pages 27 through 34, August 2026), not speculation. What Universal adds: Dolby Atmos (forum members flag the howls in the surrounds as particularly effective), Dolby Vision, and HDR10\. What Universal dropped: the original English DTS-HD mono track Arrow included, the loudest collector complaint by a clear margin. Arrow's new supplements are absent as well. First-time 4K buyers: $24.96 is the right price for the right transfer on the right title at the right time of year. Arrow LE owners: skip unless Dolby Atmos is genuinely a priority for you. Same transfer, mono traded for Atmos, no new extras. The Arrow does not need replacing. [Buy at Amazon ($24.96)](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=american+werewolf+london+4k+universal+2026&ref=deadformat.email) | [DeepDiscount ($24.99)](https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?keywords=american+werewolf+london+4k&ref=deadformat.email) | [GRUV ($24.99)](https://www.gruv.com/search?q=american+werewolf+london&ref=deadformat.email) --- ## Quick Hits **Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Warner Bros. 4K |** [$24.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=little+shop+of+horrors+4k+2026&ref=deadformat.email) | Steelbook: [$29.96](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=little+shop+of+horrors+4k+steelbook+2026&ref=deadformat.email) BUY. Both the theatrical cut and the full director's cut in 4K for the first time, newly remastered for the 40th anniversary. The director's cut restores the original dark ending where Audrey II wins. That is a meaningfully different film, not just a longer one. Forum consensus on the transfer is strong. One of the best values this week. **The Addiction (1995), Arrow Video 4K |** [$24.99 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+addiction+1995+arrow+4k&ref=deadformat.email) BUY. Abel Ferrara's black-and-white NYC vampire film, brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision. Lili Taylor and Christopher Walken. First time this title has had a proper 4K scan. Arrow spec: lossless 5.1, reversible sleeve. Essential for Ferrara collectors. **Pet Sematary (1989), Paramount Scares 4K Steelbook |** [$29.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pet+sematary+1989+4k+steelbook+paramount&ref=deadformat.email) BUY (with a caveat). Halloween packaging, strong collector presentation. The transfer is likely a repackage of the existing Paramount 4K master, which runs solid in Dolby Vision and underwhelming in HDR10 per Criterion Forum notes. The film is a Halloween essential and the steelbook is worth having. Know what you are buying. **Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998), Paramount 4K |** [$23.99 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=halloween+h20+1998+4k+paramount&ref=deadformat.email) BUY. Paramount master scores around 80/100 on mightychroma.me, proper aspect ratio, consistent color. No new restoration. Solid franchise entry at exactly the right price for the final week of the Halloween window. **Godzilla Minus One (2023), Warner Bros. 4K Steelbook |** [$34.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=godzilla+minus+one+4k+steelbook+warner&ref=deadformat.email) BUY. Native 4K with a Dolby Vision grade blueprintreview.co.uk called breathtaking. A modern classic in its best format. The steelbook at $34.96 is the version to own if you do not have it yet. Not a close call. --- ## Skip of the Week **Magic (1978), Shout! Factory 4K Steelbook |** [$39.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=magic+1978+shout+4k+steelbook&ref=deadformat.email) Anthony Hopkins ventriloquist thriller priced like a boutique release without boutique specs. Shout's press materials say nothing about the master source, and the existing elements for this title are genuinely troubled. $40 for an unconfirmed transfer on a title with limited collector demand is the wrong call. Hold and wait for actual transfer reviews before committing anything here. --- ## Limited Edition Alert ### Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Dark Sky Selects | 4K Steelcase | October 27, 2026 | Exclusive to darkskyfilms.com John McNaughton's 40th anniversary 4K release is exclusive to Dark Sky's own site. No Amazon, no retail. Michael Rooker's performance is one of the most unsettling in American horror, and the film holds up as a landmark. A theatrical re-release runs October 14 before the disc ships October 27\. No price announced yet. This is precisely the kind of release that sells out fast at a boutique label and hits secondary market premiums within weeks. Check darkskyfilms.com now and set a reminder for October 27. [Pre-order at darkskyfilms.com](https://www.darkskyfilms.com/?ref=deadformat.email) --- ## Back Catalog Pick **Christiane F. (1981), Criterion Collection 4K |** [\~$39.99 at Criterion](https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse/list?q=christiane+f&ref=deadformat.email) | [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=christiane+f+criterion+4k&ref=deadformat.email) Criterion's October slate brings this harrowing German drug drama to 4K in North America for the first time. Uli Edel's direction, the unsparing depiction of addiction in 1970s Berlin, David Bowie's concert sequences shot with the presence of a live document. One of the essential European films of its era. A blu-ray.com Criterion forum user flagged the framing correction from 1.78:1 to proper ratio and suggests Criterion may have accessed a cleaner version of the master before DNR was applied. Long overdue for a proper US release. --- This week's paid section includes the $50 Pick, the Upgrade List, and five Best Buys. Subscribe to read them. ## $50 Pick **Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Warner Bros. 4K |** [$24.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=little+shop+of+horrors+4k+2026&ref=deadformat.email) | Steelbook: [$29.96](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=little+shop+of+horrors+4k+steelbook+2026&ref=deadformat.email) For $24.96 you get both the 1986 theatrical cut and the full director's cut in 4K for the first time, from a newly remastered 40th anniversary presentation. The director's cut is not just a longer version. It restores a completely different ending where the plant wins, the conclusion Frank Oz intended before test audiences rejected it in 1986\. Forum consensus on the transfer is strong, and this is the kind of release that warrants owning in its best form. The Steelbook at $29.96 is worth the extra $5\. Either way, this is the cleanest value on this week's slate. --- ## The Upgrade List Releases worth holding off on — something better is coming. | Title | What Exists | What's Coming | Label | Release | Action | | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Complete Kubrick | Individual 4K titles | 30-disc 4K box set | Criterion | October 20, 2026 | **WAIT** — do not buy individual Kubrick titles | | Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025) | Theatrical only | 4K + Blu-ray | Criterion | October 27, 2026 | **Pre-order now** | | Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Existing standard editions | 4K Steelcase | Dark Sky Selects | October 27, 2026 | **Pre-order** at darkskyfilms.com | | Miami Vice: Director's Final Cut | No prior home video | 5-disc 4K + Blu-ray | Shout Select | December 15, 2026 | **Wait** | | Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) | Digital only (Oct 6) | 4K UHD Steelbook CE | Sony/Marvel | December 15, 2026 | **Wait for physical** | | An American Werewolf in London | Arrow LE 4K (no Atmos, has mono) | Universal 45th 4K (Atmos, no mono) | Universal | NOW AVAILABLE | **BUY** if first-time 4K; **HOLD** Arrow LE if you own it | --- ## Best Buys **1\.** Little Shop of Horrors 4K, Warner — [$24.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=little+shop+of+horrors+4k+2026&ref=deadformat.email). Both cuts in 4K, newly remastered. Buy this week. **2\.** An American Werewolf in London 4K, Universal — [$24.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=american+werewolf+london+4k+universal+2026&ref=deadformat.email). Best-priced entry for a definitive horror 4K if you do not own the Arrow LE. **3\.** Godzilla Minus One 4K Steelbook, Warner — [$34.96 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=godzilla+minus+one+4k+steelbook+warner&ref=deadformat.email). Native 4K, Dolby Vision, outstanding transfer. **4\.** The Addiction 4K, Arrow — [$24.99 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+addiction+1995+arrow+4k&ref=deadformat.email). New 4K restoration, Dolby Vision, first proper scan. **5\.** Christiane F. 4K, Criterion — [\~$39.99 at Criterion](https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse/list?q=christiane+f&ref=deadformat.email). Long-overdue US 4K debut of a landmark film.