Cult Film Favorites ‘UHF’ & ‘Matinee’ Are Getting New 4K UHD/Blu-ray Releases

image from the 1989 movie — © Orion Pictures Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection

Fran Drescher and "Weird Al" Yankovic in the 1989 comedy *UHF*

A couple of cult film classics from the late ’80s/early ’90s — UHF (1989) and Matinee (1993) — will be available in new 4K UHD and Blu-ray sets this summer courtesy of Shout! Studios.

Matinee Collector’s Edition — Two-Disc Set Available June 25, 2024

This film can make you nostalgic for not only the early ‘90s, when it premiered, but also for the late ‘50s/early ‘60s, which is the setting for the retro comedy.

movie poster for the 1993 film "Matinee." It is an illustration of an early '60s movie theater, behind which is a nuclear mushroom cloud. In front of that cloud is John Goodman as his movie promoter character, grinning proudly above the theater's marquee, which has the films' title "Matinee," as well as the title of the film-within-the-film called "Mant!"

Director Joe Dante’s terrifically fun (and funny) movie lovingly re-creates the era of old-school B-monster movies and also captures the underlying fear that often surrounded that era thanks to the Cold War and the threat of nuclear destruction.

Set in 1962, Matinee stars John Goodman as movie producer/promoter Lawrence Woolsey, who brings his unique brand of flashy showmanship (inspired by the beloved low-budget horror films and in-theater gimmicks of real-life producer William Castle, the man behind such titles as The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill) to the unsuspecting residents of Key West, Florida.

Fifteen-year-old fan Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton) can’t wait for the arrival of Woolsey, who is in town to promote his latest offering of atomic power gone berserk: Mant! (a hilarious mini-movie-within-the-movie that offers a great homage to/parody of sci-fi classics of the era like Them! and The Fly, presented, as Woolsey boasts, in “Atomo-Vision.”)

But the absurd vision of Woolsey’s tale takes on a sudden urgency as the Cuban Missile Crisis places the real threat of atomic horror just 90 miles off the coast. With the help of Woolsey’s leading lady, Ruth (Cathy Moriarty, pictured below in Mant!), the master showman gives Key West a premiere they’ll never forget.

image from the 1993 movie "Matinee." It is a black-and-white shot of the movie-within-the-movie called "Mant!" a throwback to early '60s horror movies. On the right is Cathy Moriarty as the leading lady of "Mant!" She is screaming as a large, cheap-looking ant-claw reaches toward her from the left.

Matinee has already been offered on Blu-ray by Shout!, but this new, two-disc collection that arrives on June 25, 2024, also offers a brand-new 4K restoration from the original camera negative supervised by Dante himself. The set also includes bonus features including new interviews with the actors and more, including some previously released features.

Matinee Collector’s Edition Disc One (4K UHD)

NEW 4K Restoration From The Original Camera Negative Supervised And Approved By Director Joe Dante

Presented In Dolby Vision And Dolby Atmos (but, alas, not in Atomo-Vision)

NEW Audio Commentary By Film Critics Drew McWeeny And Eric Vespe

Matinee Collector’s Edition Disc Two (Blu-ray)

NEW Restoration From The Original Camera Negative Supervised And Approved By Director Joe Dante

NEW Audio Commentary By Film Critics Drew McWeeny And Eric Vespe

NEW Interview With Actress Kellie Martin

NEW Interview With Actor David Clennon

Master Of The Matinee: Interview With Director Joe Dante

The Leading Lady: An Interview With Actress Cathy Moriarty

MANTastic: The Making Of A Mant

image from the 1993 movie "Matinee." It is a scene in an early '60s movie theater, where a bunch of children are watching a horror movie called "Mant!" Running in the aisle of the theater, trying to scare the kids, is someone dressed as an ant-monster.

Out Of The Bunker: An Interview With Actress Lisa Jakub

Making A Monster Theater: An Interview With Production Designer Steven Legler

The Monster Mix: An Interview With Editor Marshall Harvey

Lights! Camera! Reunion!: An Interview With Director Of Photography John Hora

Paranoia In Ant Vision: Joe Dante Discusses The Making Of The Film

Vintage Making-Of Featurette

Behind-The-Scenes Footage

Deleted And Extended Scenes

Still Gallery

For pricing and other information, and to pre-order the Matinee Collector’s Edition two-disc set, visit this Shout! Studios site.

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Remind

UHF 35th Anniversary Edition — Two-Disc Set Available July 2, 2024

movie poster for the 1989 film "UHF." The illustration is largely taken up by "Weird Al" Yankovic's character, who is smiling and has TV screens in place of his eyes. In the bottom left is an illustration of Michael Richards' character, and on the bottom right, an Illustration of Fran Drescher's character.

I’m guessing there are some people out there who are not only unfamiliar with this cult comedy led by “Weird Al” Yankovic, but who are also unfamiliar with just what UHF and VHF channels on television used to be.

No matter. This funny film that also features Michael Richards, Kevin McCarthy, Fran Drescher and Victoria Jackson can still be thoroughly enjoyed. Yankovic plays George Newman, a hopeless daydreamer who becomes the manager of a small TV station that’s losing money as quickly as it’s losing viewers. Before long he’s programming shows like Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse, Wheel of Fish and Raul’s Wild Kingdom. But can Channel 62’s new popularity save it from sinister forces? To find out… don’t touch that dial!

This set from Shout! that drops on July 2, 2024, marks the 4K UHD debut for UHF. The standard release includes a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative, audio commentary with “Weird Al” and director Jay Levey, the retrospective panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2014, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, Easter eggs and more.

If you order directly from Shout!, you’ll have the option to purchase an exclusive edition of the release bundled with several more extras. These editions are available in three different configurations; visit the Shout! site for more details.

For pricing and other information on the UHF 35th Anniversary Edition standard two-disc set and/or the enhanced exclusive-edition bundles, and to pre-order, visit this Shout! Studios site.