Feature by Kathie Smith: Halloween might be over, but it's not too late to delve into the many holiday-themed offerings on DVD. Continue the Halloween party with one of six new horror releases, ranging from the good (“Orphan”), the bad (“Night of the Creeps”) and the ugly (“Wrong Turn 3”). Or, if you want to put the nightmare behind you and simply concentrate on more serious home viewing, scroll down to my last five selection of the month, which include three of the best films released in the US this year (“Munyurangabo,” “Il Divo” and “Fados”) plus two amazing reissues (“Black Rain” and “Z.”)

Much has been made about Sam Raimi's journey from horror cult hero to blockbuster salary man, but Raimi marches to his own drum whether it's huge or small, classy or schlocky. Ironically, “Drag Me to Hell” seems to be the amalgamation of all those things in the best possible way. If it feels like a return to “Evil Dead” territory it’s because the balance between scary, funny and completely offensive is perfect. Raimi, fully aware of genre expectations, throws the handbook out the window. While most horror films these days get by on gore, torture, nihilism or some combination of the three, Raimi does more with good old-fashioned mucus, maggots and nose bleeds than Eli Roth can shake a baseball bat at. Throw in an evil curse, a kitten sacrifice, a girl fight, and an old woman with a penchant for biting without her dentures and you have one of the most fun horror films of the year. REVIEW.

The most frightening creations are those born of an active imagination. The animated French omnibus “Fear(s) of the Dark” pulls together six artists who clearly understand the fantastical and personal nature of fear. Opting for psychological scares instead of physiological thrills, ‘Fear(s)’ is composed of five shorts directed by world-renowned graphic artists Bluch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Lorenzo Mattotti and Richard McGuire, all linked together by the drawings of Pierre di Sciullo. The film is effective in maintaining cohesion between individual stories through its monochromatic style and eerie soundtrack. Sinister and mesmerizing, ‘Fear(s)’ lingers in the dark recesses of your mind long after the lights go up.

If “Paranormal Activity” hadn’t popped up out of nowhere, I would have crowned “Orphan” the smartest horror film of the year. But where ‘Paranormal’ excels in low-budget creativity, “Orphan” exceeds in clever storytelling and solid filmmaking. When the Colemans adopt 9-year-old Esther as the third child into their family, they get more than they bargained for. Inexplicably wise beyond her years, Esther is a child psychologist’s nightmare and the audience’s puzzle to solve. “Orphan” is expertly paced and brilliantly acted, especially by the three kids in the cast. But don’t get the idea that this film takes itself too seriously—the last fifteen minutes is nothing but classic horror film fodder that has little to do with logic and everything to do with adrenaline. Horror films tend to be throwaway money machines, hardly ever allowed the space to be crafty without being overly crass. “Orphan” belongs in a class with “Them” (aka “Ils”) and “The Descent”—films that offers an intelligent punch. REVIEW.

BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (2009) / Chris Nahon [Sony] Blu-ray

This film is best approached as an entertaining romp than a serious action-horror film. Adapted from the stunning 2000 animated feature by Production I.G., the live-action version falls short of the original, but rallies on its own as a satisfying, stylish, adrenaline-inducing vampire thriller. REVIEW.

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986) / Fred Dekker [Sony] Blu-ray

A blast from the past receives a Halloween resurrection on DVD and Blu-Ray. “Night of the Creeps” is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, from when horror films were fun and outrageous. Frat boys, sorority girls, and hard boiled cops fight for their lives against a strange combination of slugs, zombies and aliens that threaten the very existence of humanity. Heads explode only as they could in 1986.

WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD (2009) / Declan O’Brien [Fox] Blu-ray

Out to mine its franchise for a third time, ‘Wrong Turn 3’ recycles the same material of its two predecessors. If you’ve seen those installments, expect more of the same, but in the vein of a watered-down, straight to video release. Quality viewing it is not. The perfect party nightcap? Maybe.

Definitely in the running for one of the best films I’ve seen this year, “Munyurangabo” is a powerful visual tome that gains its power through silent intensity and honest emotion. It contemplates the collective history of the Rwandan genocide ten years after and its lasting effects on individuals. The film chronicles the journey of two friends (one a Hutu and one a Tutsi) on the verge of adulthood. Representative of the collective unconscious, both seek resolution to a personal restlessness. Lee Isaac Chung makes the most out of a small budget for his first feature film, tapping the natural talents of his Rwandan film students in an 11-day shoot. Chung spends over an hour pulling back his bow and finally lets his arrow fly in the form of a powerful 7-minute poem that will leave you stunned. (For Film Movement subscribers, this DVD was delivered months ago, but made public this month.) REVIEW.

This formal yet enthralling celebration of the melodramatic musical tradition of fado is less about education than it is about enjoyment. “Fados” is Carlos Saura’s final installment in his musical trilogy, which also includes 1995's “Flamenco” and “Tango.” Fado is Portuguese soul music, born on the streets of Lisbon in the 19th century. Saura lends a keen cinematic eye to the musical set pieces in the film, but ultimately puts his trust in the power of the performers of fados, or fadistas, to carry the documentary to a place where only music can go. “Fados” features performances by Amália Rodrigues, Mariza, Camané, Maria de Nazaré, Vicente da Camara, Carmo Rebelo de Andrade, Pedro Moutinho, Toni Garrido, Ricardo Ribeiro, Ricardo Rocha, Miguel Poveda, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Ana Sofia Varela, Lura and Lila Downs. Each interpretation adds a new dimension of passion and melancholia.

Yet another one of the best films I’ve seen this year, “Il Divo” is not what you expect from a political biopic. Director Paolo Sorrentino takes the story of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti—a notorious political figurehead elected seven times to Parliament who welded unbelievable power despite his impish physicality—and turns it into a dazzling, fast-paced analytical thriller. Actor Tony Servillo plays Andreotti with physical specificity and emotional guile that is unsurpassed. Regardless of your knowledge of Italian politics, this film is thoroughly engrossing and highly entertaining.

Shohei Imamura’s sobering 1989 “Black Rain” receives an its-about-fuckin-time DVD release courtesy of the unlikely heroes at AnimEigo. Based on Masuji Ibuse’s novel of the same name, this luminescent black and white film finds Imumura returning to the family drama motifs of his teacher Yasujiro Ozu. Although the film recalls the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima—with surreal and shrewd detail—the majority of the drama takes place in 1950 when the more subtle effects of the war and the bomb take firm hold of the daily lives of the world-weary characters. As the entire country tries to train their eyes toward the future, so does Yasuko, who hopes to find a husband despite the fact that she has been turned down three times due to her exposure to the bomb’s ‘black rain’ fallout. Handled with sensitivity and restraint, “Black Rain” is less of a pointed accusation than it is a humanitarian document that falls perfectly in line with Imamura’s oeuvre. The DVD includes an alternate color ending and interviews with actress Yoshiko Tanaka and assistant director  Takashi Miike.

Costa-Gavras’ “Z” may not have the same impact it had when it premiered in 1969, but, like “The Battle of Algiers,” it is a testament not only to the political times but to the burgeoning power of filmmaking. Based on the 1963 assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis, “Z” was a very personal protest for Costa-Garvas against what was happening in his country. At the aide of nouvelle vague cinematographer Raoul Coutard, “Z” takes on a street-level immediacy that's hard not to get caught up in. Criterion offers a restored version of the film as well as a handful of special features including new interviews with Costa-Garvras and Coutard.

And check out...

• Feature: Home Movies: September

• Feature: Home Movies: August

• Feature: Home Movies: July

• Feature: Home Movies: June

• Feature: Home Movies: May

• Feature: Home Movies: April