Clive Barker's highly underrated spook-house horror pic Candyman comes home to DVD in a packed Special Edition that's sure to get the juices flowing for fright fans everywhere. Updating the film's previous 1998 bare-bones release, Columbia TriStar pulls out the blood-red carpet for the flick this time, loading it with all the hot stuff you've come to expect. Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image, the picture complements the film well, though the lone Dolby Digital Surround leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering how other less-regarded horror fare come standard with 5.1 tracks at the time of this release (New Line's release of The Mangler, anyone?). Audio gripes aside, the rest of the disc is where the DVD really shines, starting off with a commentary from director Bernard Rose, writer Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul, and actors Virginia Madsen, Kasi Lemmons, and the Candyman himself, Tony Todd. While cut-and-paste tracks aren't usually the kind to write home about, this one delivers a rock-steady commentary out of many separate tracks that, while not exactly scene-specific, does have some fine information on the production and the extreme lengths the filmmakers went to during the shoot (including hypnotizing star Madsen for most of the film!). Those who haven't caught up with Clive Barker are also in for a big surprise -- it seems the years of cigar smoking have finally caught up with him in a big way, which you'll discover even more in his ten-minute "Raising Hell" featurette. Looking like he has rapidly aged, with a gravel-filled voice that now sounds like one of his horrific creations, Barker is quite jarring to listen to as well as to look at. "Raising Hell" features the scribe looking back at his career, with lengthy time dedicated to his early days in the theater leading up to his time behind the camera with Hellraiser, Nightbreed, and Lord of Illusions. The 24-minute "Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos" featurette is also included and delves far more into change of settings from Liverpool in the book to Chicago's Cabrini Green and how the race angle of the hooked killer changed once Tony Todd took on the part. With a collection of the director's storyboards and a few pretty lame previews for other horror projects, this DVD comes to a close. While the original theatrical trailer would have been a nice inclusion, as would have a more decent audio mix, this Special Edition serves its purpose and certainly gives viewers more Candyman than they had before, which is a good thing, just as long as you're not talking about the dreadful sequels.

Emilio Estevez returns to coach an underdog youth hockey team in D2: The Mighty Ducks, which comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. This Disney/Buena Vista release does a fabulous job presenting the movie, which is a good thing considering there are no supplemental materials of any consequence.

Director Clive Barker brings terror to the screen with Lord Of Illusions, an adaptation of one of his most popular stories. Starring Scott Bakula and Famke Janssen, Lord of Illusions features a very nice 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. With colors and black levels even and bright, MGM has done a fantastic job on this horror release for fans of the film. Only a small amount of edge enhancement is spotted, though it is very limited and should not interfere with the enjoyment of the film. Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and uses a wide range of directional effects (mostly during the last half of the film). All aspects of this track, including dialogue, effects, and music, are well mixed and even. Also included on this disc are English and French subtitles. Lord of Illusions offers up more than the usual array of extra features for an MGM horror movie, including an insightful and fun commentary track by director/writer/co-producer Clive Barker. Also included on this disc are some deleted scenes from the film that should thrill fans, an isolated audio track of composer Simon Boswell's creepy music score, some notes on the making of the movie, as well as an original anamorphic widescreen theatrical trailer for Lord Of Illusions. Taken as a whole, this disc should provide viewers with hours of terrifying entertainment.