The holidays are finally in the rear view and you probably have yourself a few gift cards tucked away that you are wondering what exactly you can spend them on? (sidenote: am I the only one who LOVES getting gift cards?) Well guess what, I have some ideas for you. More than a few movies, some TV, and even a fantastic vinyl release, and maybe more. Who knows?
Let’s jump into it starting with a great bunch of movies!
One of my favorite labels, which regular readers of this site undoubtedly know, has been on fire lately with their two specialty labels Shout Select and Scream Factory, plus the regular main Shout line. They’ve put out a ton of excellent titles that your gift card is well spent on. Here is a quick peak at a few of them:
Just Shoot Me: The Complete Series – This was one of my favorite shows when it was on the air. Great cast, super funny, and collected in its entirety!
Studio Ghibli Miyasaki Titles – These amazing films are being rereleased in great bluray sets. I’ve just recently started diving into these and I can’t wait to see them all. These are some truly amazing storytelling and some timeless classics of animation.
Shout Select: Shout’s newer line of titles features some really great films from numerous genres. You’ll get Bill and Ted collection, Buckaroo Bonzai, and more. Some recent highlights you should check out?
Home for the Holidays
Mr. Mom
Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis
Dudes
Carwash
The horror awesomeness from Scream just keeps coming. It’s hard to pick just a few titles to highlight because I love everything they put out. They put real care into their releases and are fans first so I’m in for whatever they put out.
The Paul Naschy Collection 2 – Includes 5 films from the legendary actor/writer/director!
American Gothic – Perfect late 80s horror movie with a crazy cast. This is a weird one and one of those VHS covers that I always remembered from wandering video stores growing up.
Hell Night – One of the most requested titles is finally here. A great release of a great horror cult classic!
68 Kill – One of the latest IFC Midnight releases. This one is bonkers and great fun.
Silent Night Deadly Night – The dirty cult classic in a great blu-ray collector’s edition. Get it now so you can have it for next christmas! Or anyday really.
Off the Beaten Path:
Here are a few titles that you may not have heard of but that you should definitely give a look to.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 – Vastly underrated. Vince Vaughn is fantastic in this and you would do well to check it out. Another win from Bone Tomahawk director S. Craig Zahler. Not for the faint of heart.
Mayhem – This is what The Bilko Project should have been. Steven Yeun is great and I hope his star continues to rise. Great fun from a great director.
The Houses October Built 2 – The sequel to the underrated Houses October Built is here. It continues the creepy story of the extreme haunted house hunters but it’s not as good as the original. Still worth seeing how this story continues, especially if you enjoyed the first one.
Main stream hits:
You don’t have to browse the cult classics, our friends at Warner Bros. have some excellent titles you can add to your 4k or blu-ray collection including two of 2017’s best films!
Dunkirk
Harry Potter 4K Collection
The Lego Ninjago Movie
Annabelle: Creation
Looking for stuff that isn’t film related? Here are a couple ideas you might be thrilled to use your gift card on including a couple spectacular vinyl releases.
Box of Souls: A Nightmare On Elm Street Collection: Featuring some gorgeous artwork and the vinyl soundtracks from A Nightmare on Elm Street through Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. This is a gem of a set for fans of the series. It’s pricey but man is it a nice set to have.
Star Wars: A New Hope 40th Anniversary Box Set – This is a gorgeous set honoring one of the most famousscores in cinema history and it is a terrific tribute for sure. It sounds great, the hard cover book is excellent and the hologram death star is pretty nifty to see. This is really a must own for fans of Star Wars and vinyl and it’s currently under $100 on Amazon.
Lastly, how about some board games for your playing pleasure? Here are a few different games you can have a blast playing with your friends.
Axis and Allies Anniversary Edition – A massive game with hours of gameplay at your finger tips. The war is on.
Chthulu Wars – Another monster of a game. Think Risk with Ancient ones. It’s a total blast and comes with some great figures to use in play.
Betrayal at House on the Hill – One of my all time favorite games. This is so fun. Lots of variety in game play and no game is the same. Don’t forget the Widow’s Walk expansion AND the new D&D Baldur’s Gate themed version Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate!
One more bit of horror love before I go. This one being a great book featuring some awesome artwork from the long storied history of horror.
The Art of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History by Stephen Jones
A really wonderful collection of art that is so fun to look through as a life long fan of horror. It’s great to see how the art of these films evolved. This is a real treat for any horror fan and I would encourage you to pick it up for yourself or for your favorite horror nerd!
That’s it gang. All of these titles, vinyls, games, and that awesome art book, would make excellent ways to spend those gift cards. If you pick any of them up, let us know what you think in the comments below!
Happy spending!
Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.