Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

A down-on-their-luck family inherits a wealthy relative’s home — and its ghostly occupants — in 13 Ghosts, directed by William Castle and included in the upcoming DVD set titled “The William Castle Film Collection.”

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The William Castle Film Collection Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has collected eight films on five discs — The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Mr. Sardonicus, Strait-Jacket, and, making DVD debuts: Zotz!, The Old Dark House and 13 Frightened Girls! — from, arguably, Hollywood’s greatest showman. William Castle knew how to sell a film, as evidenced by the unlikely success of some of his slasher-horror-suspense blends. He introduced moviegoers to such bizarre concepts as buzzing chairs (marketed as Percepto), nurses on stand-by in the lobby, hearses pulling up in front of theaters and even a Coward’s Corner. Castle began life in New York, where he worked in various theater roles before moving to Los Angeles. There, he worked behind the scenes before eventually directing and even producing films. He found his niche with his well-crafted but outré films made during the era of this collection, from 1959 to 1964. He loved putting himself in front of the cameras, often in his own films, resulting in a brand name synonymous with over-the-top gimmickry. Viewing the present highly entertaining set should begin with the ninth film in the collection, the documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story. It gives detailed information on Castle as well as background on his films and prepares the viewer for the films in the collection, all directed by Castle.

Each disc holds two films, along with many supplements, including alternate openings for various countries, wardrobe tests, original footage of Castle attending his openings, Joan Crawford’s axe test for her appearance in the lurid Strait-Jacket, two episodes of the Castle-produced TV show Ghost Story, and much more.

None of the films are rated and all run about 85 to 94 minutes.

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Natural Born Killers — Unrated Director’s Cut Maybe now, 15 years since the theatrical release, it might be possible to view with cool detachment Oliver Stone’s outrageous film (which he deems a satire). Its initial notoriety for its violence overshadowed Killers’ dense composition — in particular, Stone’s use of about 18 different film types (35mm, 16mm, 8mm, videotape, etc.) to convey the fluctuating psyches of his main figures, Mickey and Mallory (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis), two mass murderers who take delight in slaughtering their numerous victims. The chaotic work quickly jumps from black and white to color to animation to every imaginable pallet.

The new edition comes on two discs, with the first containing the director’s cut, including the four minutes Stone removed to receive an R rating (122 minutes). The second disc holds a 26-minute featurette with reflections on the film by Stone, Harrelson and others. A 22-minute segment examines how the film might have turned out if made today.

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Adoration (***) Critical favorite Atom Egoyan wrote and directed this somber film about a teenage boy who searches to discover his parents’ true identities. His quest ignites a school controversy over terrorism as well as questions about his guardian (Scott Speedman). Egoyan prolongs the air of mystery while we get to know his tortured characters and their fascinating stories.

Rated R, 101 minutes.

The DVD includes six deleted scenes, a 23-minute interview with Egoyan, a “making-of” featurette and three other featurettes totaling about an hour.

*

Gnaw (**) British horror looks American in this routine story of a group of young people who go to a farmhouse for the weekend, only to find a creepy slasher on the loose.

Not rated, 90 minutes.

The DVD holds commentary and a 10-minute “making-of” featurette.

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It looks like another full week for kids:

Two Dr. Seuss titles now arrive: Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

These two specially packaged two-disc sets offer Blu-ray debuts along with a separate digital copy. They also both hold comprehensive “making-of” featurettes, along with several additional Dr. Seuss animated stories.

Neither set is rated and both run 26 minutes.

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And two from the Peanuts canon also arrive: A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Peanuts: 1970s Collection Vol. 1.

Christmas comes in a two-disc set of Blu-ray and digital copies and is the 1965 Emmy and Peabody Award-winning favorite in which Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. It also offers several bonus animated stories and a “making-of” featurette. The Peanuts collection holds six Peanuts specials originally seen on TV from 1971-74.

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Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases — Volume 3 Fourteen animated cartoon shorts from the great William Hanna and Joseph Barbera during their 1941-56 prime have been assembled for this nostalgic collection. Show the grandkids what they missed.

Not rated, 101 minutes.

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Dinosaurs Alive Michael Douglas narrates this look at dinosaurs, which mixes CGI animation and documentary as well as recent footage. The adventure — which originally appeared on enormous IMAX screens — conveys the terror and awe of these ancient beasts.

Not rated, 40 minutes.

The DVD includes a dinosaur quiz, and the additional full-length “making-of” feature Meet the Creatures.

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Frosty Friends Barney, Bob the Builder, Pingu, Kipper and Thomas and Friends all contribute an episode to this collection of animated shorts, as well as the bonus episode “Fifi and the Flowerpots.”

Not rated, 50 minutes.

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And, in the TV-series-to-DVD category:

Legend of the Seeker — The Complete First Season Craig Horner plays the Seeker, or Richard Cypher, in this ABC Studios sword and sorcery series. In the 22 episodes on five discs, the Seeker battles evil Darken Rahl (Craig Parker) for control of the world and all humankind.

Rated TV-14, 950 minutes.

The collection also offers commentary, an interview with the creator, deleted scenes and a “making-of” featurette.

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Also this week: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Elephant King, The L Word — Final Season.

DR. BOO ALLEN is an award-winning film critic for the Denton Record-Chronicle.