The coolest horror flick of the year that nobody went to see has claimed itself a DVD release date. After giving the critically-embraced Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon a cursory (and very limited) theatrical release, Anchor Bay will bring the slick slasher deconstruction home to DVD on June 26th. According to Bloody-disgusting.com, the platter will come complete with audio commentaries, a couple of featurettes, several deleted and extended scenes, two of the very cool trailers, thoughts from writer/director Scott Glosserman and a perfectly lovely anamorphic widescreen transfer.

For the record, Anchor Bay released Behind the Mask in 72 theaters on March 16th. (It opened opposite Dead Silence and Premonition, hardly heavy-hitters but most certainly "genre" flicks.) Over the course of its 3-week theatrical run, the movie grossed less than $70,000. I mention that rather ugly number not to draw attention to the film's fiscal failure, but to indicate how damn hard it must be to "sell" a movie like this one. It's got no stars, it's definitely an "indie" and it's tailor-made for a very specific niche audience. But this is what makes DVD so great: I predict that millions of horror fans will have a ball "discovering" Leslie Vernon on their own ... and if this movie doesn't become a cult mini-classic within five years time, then I vow to retire from the horror game forever. (Disclaimer: In actuality I promise no such thing.)

Anyway, you can see for yourself if the horror community has over-hyped Behind the Mask when the flick goes digital in June. As far as Anchor Bay's theatrical releases are concerned, they also have a full-bore September 7 release planned for Adam Green's Hatchet -- a flick that better get more than 72 screens and 70k before we hear news of a DVD release!

Ever notice how you'll often see articles about how "horror is making a comeback!" -- yet you never really see many pieces entitled "Boy, horror is quite unpopular these days!"? That's because there will always be a market for high-end kick-ass horror movies ... at least until something like I Know What You Did Last Summer Part 7: Still Somewhat Aware or a lame-o remake of Prom Night comes along and tosses a bucket of water onto the campfire for a few months.

Every year or two yields a "breakout" hit, be it an indie like Saw or The Blair Witch Project or a teen-friendly multiplexer like The Ring, The Grudge, or ... The Brush. But it seems that the popularity of horror flicks has comes as big shock to the people over at the Cannes Film Festival. The fest itself offers only a small sampling of horror flicks (the Pang Brothers' Re-Cycle is one of 'em), but the surrounding film markets are absolutely crammed with slasher tales, ghost stories, and monster mashes.

This particular Hollywood Reporter piece should make for a fun read if you're a horror geek. The appeal of the genre is, once again, given a fresh spotlight, plus it has some solid interview bites from William (The Exorcist) Friedkin and David (The Fly) Cronenberg. Plus if you act now you just might get the early word on titles like The Living Hell, The Quick and the Undead, and Poultrygeist.

You want the scoop on upcoming horror flicks that deserve some love? Remember these titles: Isolation, Evil Aliens, Reeker, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, and the unbelievable ass-kickage known as The Descent.