The first installment of Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino's hyper-violent revenge epic makes its DVD debut courtesy of Miramax Home Entertainment. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image sports even skin tones and bright, vivid colors, offset by deep, solid blacks. Some unfortunate evidence of moderate edge-enhancement seems to be the only drawback to an otherwise near-flawless visual treatment. Sound is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS, and an alternate French-language track, with optional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish subtitles. It is in regards to sound that this disc truly excels, with Tarantino's exhausting, eclectic soundtrack offering an ideal auditory backdrop to the onscreen mayhem. Limbs are detached and swords clash with resounding fury and clarity, while the roar of motorcycle engines and airplanes push the low-frequency capabilities of one's home-theater system. As The Bride makes her final decent into the House of Blue Leaves, it's hard for viewers not to be seduced by the slick sound editing and driving score that accompanies the eye-popping battle. If there's one aspect of the disc that disappoints, it has to be the lack of extra features. Though the promise of a massive special edition DVD release when Kill Bill Vol. 2 hits the home-video market looms on the horizon before the concluding chapter has even hit theaters, it's hard not to feel slighted with the sparse offerings here. Despite the offering of the occasional interesting tidbit, "The Making of Kill Bill Vol. 1," when all is said and done, is little more than a cog in the ever-present hype machine -- an extended, 20-minute commercial for the film that is similar to the brief previews shown in-between movies on pay cable. A pair of bonus songs by infectious House of Blue Leaves rockers the 5.6.7.8's at least entertains, though it's all-too-brief, and aside from the intriguing "Bootleg Trailer" for the film (also included on the soundtrack CD), the trailers offered here are nothing that Tarantino fans haven't already seen a million times before.

The wait is over, and thankfully there's no more need for fans to plunder their local video stores in search of the elusive, long out-of-print VHS edition of The Hills Have Eyes with the arrival of Anchor Bay's impressive, double-disc release of horror auteur Wes Craven's nerve-wracking masterpiece. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, it's a no-brainer that this is likely the best print many fans of The Hills Have Eyes will have seen to date. Lovingly restored from some noticeably gritty source materials (an interesting restoration demonstration is a telling bonus feature), the image is still slightly grainy, though that is likely the result of the original film stock being blown up from 16 mm to 35 mm. Largely free of any apparent debris, the sharp color balance also looks pleasing, with natural skin tones and solid blacks in the film's many night scenes. Of course, if they were going to take so much care in presenting the best image possible, it's a given that they would take just as much care to make this disc the best auditory experience possible. Remixed (and closed captioned) in both DTS 6.1 and Dolby Digital EX 5.1, the newly mastered audio offers an experience that's likely better than that experienced by theatergoers during the film's original run. Though it's not consistently dynamic, both remixes without question offer a good handful of effective highlights that are sure to rattle viewers' nerves. As fantastic as the actual film transfer itself, what's a special edition without some truly satisfying extra features? Thankfully Anchor Bay has realized this, and the bonus disc is sure to offer a few exciting new details to even the most knowledgeable of Craven fanatics. Beginning with a lively and informative commentary track in which Craven and producer Peter Locke reminisce about the film's cut-and-run shoot in detail, it's obvious that a lot of care went into crafting a tightly wound and brutally effective shocker. From his notorious battles with the MPAA to using bacon to achieve an effective dog attack and hot tips on guerilla filmmaking (never ask permission to burn a Joshua tree), the soft-spoken director sentimentally recalls the production in loving detail. The all-new featurette "Looking Back on The Hills Have Eyes" (which runs nearly an hour) offers a detailed recollection of the production from the director, producer, cinematographer, and much of the cast, with especially memorable anecdotes from stars Dee Wallace and Michael Berryman. From detailing Craven's origins as a filmmaker to recalling the harsh shooting conditions and humorous stories of how the actors attempted to lighten the mood on set, this featurette is a fine companion piece to the film. Though it has been released on DVD previously, The Directors: The Films of Wes Craven offers a career retrospective featuring numerous interviews and a detailed history of Craven's cinematic history. As if all of this wasn't enough, the inclusion of an alternate ending (which ends the film on a curiously upbeat coda), theatrical trailers and TV spots, impressive galleries of behind-the-scenes photos and advertising art, original storyboard art, a detailed Craven bio, the ability to access the original shooting script and some screen savers via DVD-ROM features, and some well-written liner notes that view the film from a historical standpoint make this disc both a must-have for fans of the film, and a great introduction for those who have yet to experience the sheer terror of this horror classic.