Talking Heads and horror on discs

The Talking Heads in Blu-ray and the DVD debut of a horror fan-favorite from the '80s lead off these movies that have arrived on home video.

"Stop Making Sense" (Palm/Blu-ray, 1984, G, $34.99). Talking Heads was a unique band, known for its new-wave sound and zany lyrics — but also for its visual style, which included the inventive staging of concerts, all that tireless jogging and an oversize suit worn by frontman David Byrne.

And this is one of the best concert movies ever recorded — perhaps THE best. Filmmaker Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Rachel Is Getting Married") used a wide spectrum of his cinematic knowledge to enhance the live performance (gleaned from four concerts), and it's jubilant and invigorating, building to an irresistible crescendo from the first song to the last. And the Blu-ray transfer only gives it a boost.

Extras: widescreen, bonus songs, audio commentary (by Demme, Byrne and other band members), 1999 press conference, trailers

"The Stepfather" (Shout! 1987; R for violence, nudity, sex, language; $19.99). Released during the slasher-franchise era ("Halloween," "Friday the 13th," "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), this one got lost in the mix but later found a cult audience during its VHS release.

But don't be fooled "The Stepfather" is definitely a cut above the others … so to speak … thanks to a brilliant central performance in the title role by Terry O'Quinn (who has since gained TV stardom on "Lost").

He's both mesmerizing and repellent in this fictional adaptation of a true story, as a man who kills his family and then tries to form a new one by marrying a widow with a daughter (Jill Schoelen, also very good). But the girl begins to suspect the truth, driving him to plot the same crime all over again. Although marred by gratuitous nudity, this is one scary psycho thriller.

Extras: widescreen, audio commentary, featurette, trailer

"American Violet" (Image/Blu-ray, 2008, PG-13, $35.98). Excellent true story of a Texas woman falsely accused of dealing drugs and threatened with losing her children. But because she refuses to take a deal that would mean pleading guilty to something she hasn't done, she becomes a bigger target. Eventually, the ACLU and a reluctant local lawyer use her case to sue the district attorney's office and uncover corrupt legal forces that profile the black community.

Nicole Beharie's performance in the lead is most compelling, and she's surrounded by a sterling cast of supporting players, led by Alfre Woodard as her mother, Tim Blake Nelson as the ACLU lawyer, Will Patton as the local attorney and Charles S. Dutton as a local preacher.

Extras: widescreen, audio commentary, featurette, trailer (also on DVD, $27.98)