Mill Creek Ent., Not Rated; 2 hrs 56 mins; $14.98

Do you remember back in the day when network television would air their weekly low-budget made-for-TV movies?

Unfortunately, I do remember watching a few of these movies during my childhood! Yes, there were a few decent movies once in a great while, but for the most part these films were extremely cheesy with horrible plots and really bad acting.

Now, the only reason why I'm talking about these type of movies is because I had recently watched the 1996 made-for-television movie Mother, May I Sleep with Danger and the 2016 horror remake, which are both currently available on a DVD Double Feature from Mill Creek Entertainment.

The original Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? Tori Spelling as Laurel Lewisohn, a college student who begins a romantic relationship with Kevin Shane (played by Ivan Sergei). Through her eyes, Kevin is a charming college classmate, but in reality he's a psychopath with a deadly past. Kevin easily convinces everyone in Laurel's life that he is the perfect boyfriend for her, well, everyone except for her mother, Jessica (played by Lisa Banes), who believes Kevin is dangerous. Despite her mother's objections, Laurel continues her relationship with Kevin, well, until, he becomes a little bit obsessed with her. By the time she tries to break it off with him, it might be too little, too late for her.

The 2016 version of Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? is less of a remake and more or a reimagining with a horror twist. Produced by James Franco (who also has a small part in the film), the remake drops the "boyfriend is obsessed with my daughter" plot for a vampire-lesbian love story. This time around Tori Spelling plays Julie, the mother of a college student named Leah (played by Leila George). Similar to the original, the daughter falls in love, but this time it's with a vampire, Pearl (played by Emily Meade), and of course the mother believes Pearl is a bad influence on her. Unlike other vampires, Pearl only feeds on abusive males, and she is hellbent on protecting Leah from anyone that will hurt her, including her own Nightwalker clan.

Lionsgate; $14.98

Now available from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the Lifetime® Scary Movie DVD Set, featuring the made-for-television movies Big Driver, Manson's Lost Girls, Hush Little Baby, and Devil's Diary. There are no special features or extras on the double-sided two-disc set.


Based on the story by Stephen King, Big Driver (2014; directed by Mikael Salomon) stars Maria Bello as Tess Thorne, a crime-mystery writer who travels to upstate Massachusetts for a meet-and-greet with fans at a library. On her way home, she takes a shortcut route, but ends up with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, a big truck driver pulls over to help her. Well, that's what Tess believed at first. However, the big man sexually assaults her and leaves here for dead.

Bloody and bruised, Tess wakes up and struggles to find a way back home. Instead of reporting her attack to the police, she decides to track down her rapist and kill him.


Manson's Lost Girls (2015; directed by Leslie Libman,) tells the true-story of Linda Kasabian (played by MacKenzie Mauzy), who gets involved in Charles Manson's cult in 1969. The movie is told from the point-of-view of Linda, who later struggles to leave the cult.


Hush Little Baby (2007; directed by Holly Dale) stars Victoria Pratt as Jaime, a young woman who is still mourning the death of her daughter. After visiting a psychic, she learns she's pregnant again. Both Jamie and her husband are both thrilled about the baby, but things quickly change once Jamie gives birth. She suffers from haunting visions and strange occurrences that all point to the one conclusion - her baby is evil!



Devil's Diary (2007; directed by Farhad Mann) stars Alexz Johnson as Dominique, an outcast teenager who finds a cursed journal while visiting a cemetery at night with her best friend, Ursula (played by Magda Apanowicz). After writing an entry in the journal, Dominique quickly learns that whatever she writes comes true. Instead of using the book for good, she uses it to get revenge on her fellow classmates.

$26.99; 337 minutes; Buy Link: Amazon

The name Lizzie Borden has become somewhat of a legend over the years; mostly thanks to wild tales, books, television movies and feature films.

For those that don't know who Lizzie Borden was, I'll give you a quick history lesson. Lizzie was thirty-two-years-old when she was accused of brutally murdering her father, Andrew, and her stepmother, Abby, in 1892 at their house in River Fall, Massachusetts. Andrew was hit with a hatchet 18 or 19 times and Abby was hit with a hatchet 11 times. Lizzie was arrested for the murders; which was quite odd for a women to be accused of murder at the time, and the media went crazy over the trial. In the end, Lizzie was acquitted, though many people believed she was guilty.

In 2014, Lifetime aired a 90-minute television movie, titled Lizzie Bored Took An Axe, which starred Christine Ricci (Adams Family, Casper) in the title role. While the movie followed actual events, most if was fictionalized. The movie was a big hit for the cable channel with 4.4 million viewers.

A little over a year later, an eight-part limited-series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, premiered on Lifetime with Christine Ricci returning as Lizzie Borden and Clea DuVall returning as her sister, Emma. The series was released to DVD on February 2nd from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Special features includes deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Set after the trial, the series shows what happened to Lizzie and Emma as they try to get on with their lives, which all the plots are speculative and fictionalized. While their father was rich, he had a lot of bad investments, so Lizzie and Emma have a hard time trying to get a hold of their inheritance. The situation gets worse when their half-brother, William (played by Andrew Howard) shows up wanting his part of the family fortune. Lizzie has no choice, but to go back to her old ways and get rid of their problems in a bloody fashion.

I'm sure many horror fans (me included) will be watching the season premiere of The Walking Dead this Sunday. And a few others will be patently waiting for Halloween Night for the first episode of Ash vs Evil Dead (which also includes me). I guess you can say that I like any television series that has a horror theme. Yes, that even means that I watched the short-lived Witches of East End!

I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of the series before since in it aired on Lifetime. It loosely based on the books by by Melissa de la Cruz. The series debuted in the fall in 2013 and centered on Joanna Beauchamp (played by Julia Ormond) & her two daughters, Ingrid (played by Rachel Boston) and Freya (played by Jenna Dewan Tatum). Their lives are turned upside down when Joanna's sister Wendy (played by Mädchen Amick) arrives and forces Joanna to tell the girls the truth that they're immortal witches from Asgard.

Plus, a curse was played on Joanna and Wendy years ago. Wendy was cursed with nine lives, the ability to turn into a black cat and every time that she dies, she comes back to life within hours. Joanna was cursed with seeing her daughters die in their twenties and immediately becomes pregnant with them again. This cycle is repeated over and over, to the point where she had hid the girls' heritage from them.
 
The first season was basically a cheesy soap opera with love triangles, silly plots and so-so acting, but for some strange reason I still watched it. Oh, wait, it probably has to do with the fact that the all the actresses gorgeous.

Anyway, Season two debuted in the summer of 2014 with little advertisement from Lifetime. The first episode picks up shortly after the season one's finale, which showed what happens to Killian Gardiner (played by Daniel Di Tomasso). Meanwhile, his brother Dash (played Eric Winter) is experimenting with his new-found powers. Who are these guys? Well, Dash is Freya's ex-fiance and Killan is her soul mate. Remember, I said this was like a soap opera!

Seeds of Yesterday
Director: Shawn Ku
Starring: Rachael Carpani, James Maslow, Jason Lewis
Studio: LionsGate / A&E Home Video
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00WU5B5FC
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

The final installment in the Dollanganger film series, Seeds of Yesterday, is now available to own on DVD. Directed by Shawn Ku, the film stars Rachael Carpani, James Maslow and Jason Lewis. There are no special features or extras on the single disc. However, it does come a with digital copy.

Based on the fourth installment of the Dollanganger Saga book series by the late Gothic author V.C. Andrews, Seeds Of Yesterday picks up thirteen years after the events of If There Be Thorns. Bart (played by James Maslow) has rebuilt the old Foxworth mansion. He's invited his parents, Chris and Cathy (played by Jason Lewis and Rachael Carpani), his brother, Jory (played by Anthony Konechny), sister-in-law, Melodie (played by Leah Gibson) and his adopted-sister Cindy (played by Sammi Hanratty) to stay at the mansion for his 25th birthday celebration, in which Jory and Melodie were to perform a ballet for the party. Well, that is until it is revealed that Melodie is pregnant, forcing Bart to let Cindy, whom he has always hated, to take her place. Unfortunately, an accident occurs that paralyzes Jory.

While Bart tries to act like nothing is wrong, he actually hates his family due to his parents dark secret (spoiler: Chris and Cathy are siblings). After he learns that his inheritance from his late grandmother will be delayed until his 35th birthday, he takes it out on his family. Bart begins a passionate affair with Melodie, who is extremely unstable. Next, he interferes in Cindy's love life, which causes another strain in their relationship, though he actually has romantic feelings for her.

From left to right: James Maslow ("Bart Foxworth," left), Sammi Hanratty ("Cindy Sheffield," left center), Jason Lewis ("Christopher Sheffield," center) and Rachael Carpani ("Cathy Sheffield," right) star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's SEEDS OF YESTERDAY

If There Be Thorns
Director: Nancy Savoca
Starring: Heather Graham, Jason Lewis, Rachel Carpani
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Retail: $14.98
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available to own on DVD is the third installment of the made-for-LIFETIME film saga, titled If There Be Thorns. There are no special features or extras on the single disc, but there is a Digital Ultraviolet download code.

Based on the third novel in the Dollanganger Saga by the late Gothic author V.C. Andrews, If There Be Thorns takes place six years after then end of Petals on the Wind, where Chris (played by Jason Lewis) and Cathy (played by Rachael Carpani) Dollanganger are living as man and wife in California along with their sons Jory (played by Jedidiah Goodacre) and Bart (played by Mason Cook). It seems they have finally been able to put their dark past behind them, well, that is until a mysterious woman dressed in black purchases the mansion next door to them.

Bart's thinks he's the outcast of the family. His older brother, Jory, is great at everything and gets praised from their parents all the time. Though Bart has been told to stay away from the mansion next door, his curiosity gets the better of him and he checkouts the new owner a  is a rich widow (played by Heather Graham), whom is living with her butler - John Amos!

Petals on the Wind
Director: Karen Moncrieff
Starring: Heather Graham, Rose McIver, Wyatt Nash, Baley Buntain, Nick Searcy Dlyan Bruce, Will Kemp, Whitney Hoy, Ellia English and Ellen Burstyn
Studio: LionsGate Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00KFNF17E
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rating: NOT Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD on September 16th is the Petals on the Wind based on the classic novel by V.C. Andrews. The film is directed by Karen Moncrieff and stars Heather Graham, Rose McIver, Wyatt Nash, Baley Buntain, Nick Searcy Dlyan Bruce, Will Kemp , Whitney Hoy, Ellia English and Ellen Burstyn. The DVD comes with a Digital Ultraviolet code. There are no extras or special features.

After the success of the made-for-television adaption of Flowers in the Attic back in January, it was no-brainier why Lifetime quickly gave the greenlight for the sequel Petals on the Wind, which made its debut on Lifetime back in May.

Unlike the book of the same name that picks up directly where Flowers in the Attic ended, the film adaption jumps ten years with new actors (Rose Mclver, Wyatt Nash and Bailey Buntain) taking over the roles of Cathy, Christopher and Carrie Dollanganger. Shoving a 450 page book into a 90-minute movie means there are many characters and scenes that had to be cut. Dr. Paul Sheffield, who adopts the children and later has a romantic relationship with Cathy, never appears, as the film opens up with his funeral. Cathy's ballet roommates, Yolanda Lange and April Summers, never appears, as well as Dr. Paul's sister,
Amanda Sheffield (Biddens).

Despite some changes, the main plot is still intact in the film with Cathy wanting revenge for what her mother did to her and her siblings. A few scenes with Carrie shows how she was tormented by her classmates and how her mother ignored her, which all leads to her death (it differs from the book). Then there is a side-story with Christopher dating Whitney Hoy, which isn't in the book.

Witches Of East End: The Complete First Season
Starring: Julia Ormond, Mädchen Amick, Rachel Boston, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Daniel Di Tomasso, Eric Winter
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Retail: $29.98
ASIN: B00JF5GAZA
Running Time: 431 minutes
Rating: TV-14

Review:

Arriving on DVD yesterday is the supernatural Lifetime series, Witches Of East End: The First Complete Season, based on the popular book franchise by Melissa de la Cruz. Special Features include Falling Under Their Spell, deleted scenes, gag reel and cat bloopers.

The series centers around Joanna Beauchamp (played by Julia Ormond), a single mother raising her two twenty-something daughters, Freya Beauchamp (played by Jenna Dewan Tatum) and Ingrid Beauchamp (played by Rachel Boston). Ingrid works at a library, while Freya works as a bartender at The Bent Elbow and is engaged to the handsome and wealthy Dash Gardiner (played by Eric Winter). After the surprise arrival of Joannas long-estranged sister, Wendy Beauchamp (played by Mädchen Amick), Freya and Ingrid learn a startling family secret - they are actually witches!

Joanna and Wendy were both banished by their father from the magical world of Asgard. A curse was put on Joanna, where she must watch her daughters die at a young age. After their deaths, she becomes magically pregnant again with Ingrid and later with Freya. She watches them grow up with their witchcraft heritage, which eventually leads to their deaths, over and over again. Finally, Joanna came to the decision not to tell her daughters about their witchcraft abilities, but there is an evil entity that is out for blood and she has no choice but to let the girls embrace their family's magical legacy.

The ten episodes on the 3-disc set are: