'King Kong' leads rampage of 'creature-feature' DVDs

A number of horror/fantasy shows have landed on DVD this week, led by the latest remake of that granddaddy of monster movies, "King Kong."

• "King Kong: Special Edition" (Universal, 2005, PG-13, $30.98, two discs). Filmmaker Peter Jackson's follow-up to his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was this equally gargantuan effort, a remake of his favorite childhood film. And he chose to do it as a period piece, and keep it faithful to the 1933 original.

The result is captivating, from the film's visual effects to the '30s set design to the relationship that develops between "beauty" Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and "beast" King Kong (animated from "motion-capture" movement by Andy Sirkus).

There is no audio commentary, but Jackson participates in and introduces the featurettes — an extension of the "Production Diaries" that were released on DVD last year. There is also an enjoyable faux documentary about Skull Island.

Extras: Widescreen, introduction (by Jackson), making-of featurettes, subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters. (Also available in separate widescreen or full-frame single-disc editions, $29.98.)

• "Godzilla: Monster Edition" (TriStar, 1998, PG-13, $19.94). And here's another creature-feature favorite. This reissue of the '90s remake, which has the giant lizard trying to flatten Manhattan, hasn't gotten any better with age, despite a game cast (Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Hank Azaria) and up-to-date special effects.

Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (by special-effects supervisor), making-of featurette, clips from "Godzilla" movies, three episodes of "Godzilla" animated series, art gallery, music video, photo gallery, language and subtitle options (English, French), chapters.

• "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King" (Sony, 2004, PG-13, $24.96). This dungeons-and-dragons effort has blacksmith Siegfried (who doesn't realize that he's actually a prince) falling in love with a Norse queen. But the dragon steals the show in this so-so rendition of "Das Nibelungenlied," which inspired both Wagner's "The Ring" and Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings." Originally a two-part TV miniseries.

Extras: Widescreen, making-of featurettes, language and subtitle options (English, French), chapters.

• "Violent Midnight" (DarkSky, 1963, not rated, b/w, $14.98). Echoes of "Psycho" are apparent in this low-budget film by schlockmeister Del Tenney. An artist accused of murder tries to clear himself, but just gets in deeper. Dick Van Patten is the investigating cop; James Farentino is a greasy-haired hood in a leather jacket. (There's also a surprising amount of female nudity.)