With Halloween just around the corner, the time grows near to start picking up a few great horror flicks to set the ghoulish holiday mood. You've got to have dashes of paranormal activity, gushing blood, witchcraft, psychotic characters, and at least a handful of flicks based on pure terror to really grab the essence of good ole' October 31st. But what if you want to nail down all of the above on a strict budget - something we can all relate to nowadays? Staff reviewer and cautious penny-pincher Thomas Spurlin has a few recommendations for those looking to squeeze the most out of their hard-earned cash with his list of Essential Horror DVDS for Under $15, a rundown that can be used either during the month of October or any other time of the year that rustles up the desire for a quality, inexpensive night of spills and chills.

A George W. Bush bio-pic directed by Oliver Stone? Amazingly, the sparks fail to fly in the placid drama W. Mark Wahlberg and director John Moore ruin the fun of video games in the actioner Max Payne. And the teen sex comedy genre is given an unenthusiastic workout in Sex Drive. Also in theaters: Racism and heartache are touched by the healing hands of sisterhood in the melodrama The Secret Life of Bees. Hollywood feels the flames of satire and bitter truth in Barry Levinson's What Just Happened. And the contentious issue of gay marriage is explored in the sympathetic documentary Saving Marriage. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Quarantine, RocknRolla, Body of Lies, City of Ember, Rachel Getting Married, The Express, The Duchess, An American Carol, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Religulous, Appaloosa, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Blindness. Eagle Eye, and Flash of Genius. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include: Quark - The Complete Series - a neglected little gem of a spoofy sci-fi comedy, created by the nicely twisted mind of Buck Henry; Brothers and Sisters - The Complete Second Season - still one of the strongest dramas on television today; and The Sarah Jane Adventures - The Complete First Season - wonderful, thoughtful, imaginative children's entertainment that's sharp enough to wow grown-ups with equal measure. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Peanuts Holiday Collection including the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, Ghost Whisperer: The Third Season, and Full Circle with Michael Palin.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

One of the summer's best movies is finally up for preorder, but that's not the only disc to get excited about. Recently announced DVDs and Blu-ray discs of note include: The Dark Knight DVD and Blu-ray a magnificent tour de force from director Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. 12-9-08; Warner Bros. and the Homefront Collection features three all-star, song-filled extravaganzas made by the studio’s finest talents during the tumult of WWII including Irving Berlin’s This is the Army, Thank Your Lucky Stars, and Hollywood Canteen. 11-11-08; and The 4400: The Complete Series comes to DVD on 10-28-08. Keep track of all the upcoming DVDs with the DVDTalk Release List.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: John Carpenter's The Thing - Savant digs into this terrific Sci-Fi horror remake, that scores on every count and then settles for a frustrating finish. It looks fantastic in Blu-ray, but why is Universal so stingy with the extras? We're grateful for our riches where we can find them; Rodan & War of the Gargantuas - Classic Media finishes its Toho fantasy series with contrasting Kaiju Eiga crowd pleasers. Rodan is a 50s classic and War of the Gargantuas a kooky 60s thriller with a catatonic Russ Tamblyn in the starring role. Also included is a new docu, Bringing Godzilla Down to Size, about the effects men behind, and inside, Toho's rubber-suited city wreckers; and Beetlejuice - Tim Burton cemented his claim on the director's chair with this horror comedy that's really a ghost-oriented film blanc. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis do the haunting, while Winona Ryder makes the goth look fashionable and Michael Keaton goes nuts in a the showoff title role. Great Danny Elfman score, Sylvia Sydney, Harry Belafonte -- it's almost perfection. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Another week, another blockbuster makes its way to DVD and Blu-ray. This week's top title is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [DVD review, Blu-ray review] - a beautiful journey through some exotic locales with characters a lot of us have loved for what seems like a lifetime. Other titles coming out this week include: The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray] [review 1, review 2] - if you're wondering if this is worth the upgrade from the standard DVD's, then the answer is an astounding yes! and Icons of Horror: Hammer Films [DVD review], including The Two Faces Of Dr. Jekyll, Scream of Fear, The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb, and The Gorgon. Other releases of note include: War, Inc. [review], Chaplin [review], and The Universe - The Complete Season Two [review]. Be sure to check out our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

This week we have a special giveaway - the complete four hour masterpiece, Ludwig, now on DVD from KOCH Lorber Films. Director Luchino Visconti brings his famed majestic style to this lavish and operatic portrait of Ludwig II (Helmut Berger), the 19th century 'mad king' of Bavaria. Tormented by his unrequited love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Romy Schneider), coupled with his obsession with the music of Wagner (Trevor Howard), the troubled monarch retreats into a fantasy world - building fairytale castles and ultimately losing his already-fragile grip on his sanity. Newly restored and re-mastered, the 2-disc release of Ludwig also featuring over two hours of bonus features. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of Ludwig - now on DVD for the first time ever!