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A turning point in Brian De Palma's career, Sisters (1972) not only marked the director's move from free-from counter-culture comedies to tightly constructed thrillers, but labeled him as the foremost disciple of Hitchcockian cinema, emphasizing camerawork as much as (and often more than) his characters. But instead of riffing on just one particular Hitchcock film, Sisters bounces from one "inspiration" to another, using the backbone of Rear Window and Psycho as a launching point for De Palma's original story of conjoined twins whose physical separation causes a dangerous mental break.

Dominique and Danielle (both played by Margot Kidder) slipped out of the public eye after their supposedly successful operation at a secretive clinic on Staten Island. Dominique, the charming and outgoing sister, brings home a potential lover (Lisle Wilson) to their apartment, only to have Danielle murder him in a jealous rage. The event is witnessed by Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt), a local journalist who rushes over with the police only to find the crime has been quickly covered up. Desperate to uncover the truth, Grace launches her own investigation winds up slipping into a psychological conspiracy.

Although De Palma would become more technically proficient, there's an aesthetic appeal to Sisters that is unique in his oeuvre, blending stylistic aspirations with the grittier leftovers of his earlier work. The use of split screens, hallucinogenic flashbacks and Bernard Herrmann's booming score (the most expensive item in the budget and well worth every penny) creates a film that is curiously self-aware. Unlike his contemporaries, De Palma wanted the audience to realize - and appreciate - that they were watching a movie, to enjoy the artistic manipulation. And Sisters is one hell of a directorial blueprint.

The Criterion Collection upgrades their previous DVD to a Blu-ray presentation, sporting a new 4K digital restoration, a new interview with Jennifer Salt, more interviews with De Palma and the filmmaking team, a 1970 appearance by Margot Kidder on The Dick Cavett Show, photo gallery and radio spots, plus copious liner notes.

Horror loves good branding. And throughout the '60s having Edgar Allen Poe's name above the title meant good business. H.P. Lovecraft? Not so much. But with the home video success of 1985's Re-Animator, producers had a public domain opportunity staring them right in the face. Several Lovecraft inspired tales made the transition from page to screen, with predominantly lackluster results. But The Unnamable (1988) went even further, lifting Re-Animator's tongue-in-cheek tone wholesale to create an adaptation twice-removed.

After a college prank traps a group of college kids in a dilapidated mansion, a cloven-hooved demon mercilessly prey on them, awakened by an ancient spell that kept it trapped in an attic prison. Only egghead Randolph Carter (Mark Kinsey Stephenson, doing a serviceable Herbert West impression) seems to understand the threat, cracking open a copy of the Necronomicon to do battle with this creature from another dimension.

For a VHS quickie of the late '80s, The Unnamable is pretty quaint. There's a bit of nudity and a good amount of gore, but nothing that would wind up on a video nasty list. Most of the running time is chewed up by endless X-Files style wandering through darkened hallways. But what it does have is a pretty inventive monster, created entirely out of a practical costume and makeup effects. Director Jean-Paul Ouellette uses his beastie well, revealing bit and pieces until a final unveiling makes it all worthwhile. The film has its heart in the right place...right until it rips it out of your chest!

Unearthed Classics Blu-ray presents the film in a newly restored 4K transfer with DTS-HD surround sound (although you're better off sticking with the included stereo and mono mixes as there is a odd echo effect in the new track). The extras are a bit on the rough side, but make-up for quality in quantity, including lengthy Skype interviews with the cast, a group audio commentary, photo gallery and trailers.