This week brings the release of Melancholia, Lars Von Triers latest visually stunning, ambitious and divisive flick. Also out, the much talked about crowd-funded horror flick Absentia. The small screen is adding a couple entires as well. First, the ultra-boring Mick Garris directed Stephen King adaptation Bag of Bones limps onto shelves. And AMC’s surprise hit The Killing season one is here just ahead of season two’s April 1st premiere.

Check out the rest below and let me know what you are picking up. ABSENTIA – Phase 4 Films
Tricia’s husband has been missing for seven years. Her younger sister Callie comes to live with her as the pressure mounts to finally declare him ‘dead in absentia.’ As Tricia sifts through the wreckage and tries to move on with her life, Callie finds herself drawn to an ominous tunnel near the house. As she begins to link it to other mysterious disappearances, she comes to the realization that his presumed death might be anything but ‘natural.’ Soon it becomes clear that the ghostly force at work in the tunnel might have set its sights on Callie and Tricia too.

MICAH SAYS: Psychological thriller meets the supernatural in this KickStarter funded horror flick. Worth Netflix-ing or Redbox-ing for the few genuinely creepy moments, but not one I’ll be adding to my home collection. Looking forward to the director’s next project.

BAG OF BONES – Sony
Based on the award-winning bestselling novel by Stephen King, Bag of Bones is an unforgettable psychological thriller.Two-time Golden Globe Award nominee Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day) stars as Mike Noonan, a novelist who suffers from writer’s block after the death of his wife, Jo (Annabeth Gish, Pretty Little Liars). A dream inspires him to return to the couple’s lakeside retreat hoping to find answers about his wife’s sudden death- but he is plagued by ever-escalating nightmares and mysterious ghostly visitations from Sara Tidwell (Anika Noni Rose, Dreamgirls), a blues singer whose spirit lingers in the house. As the inhabitants of Dark Score Lake haunt him, Mike comes to realize that his late wife still has something to tell him.Jason Priestly (Beverly Hills, 90210), Melissa George (30 Days of Night) and William Schallert, (True Blood) also star in this haunting thriller.

MICAH SAYS: Did anyone make it though this without wanting to tear their eyeballs out? Just awful. I wouldn’t even buy this at a BlockBuster going out of business sale for $.99 cents. You know what Pierce Brosnan horror flick was great? Nomads. Fantastic atmosphere, great performances and it’s totally unpredictable.

THE BURNING MOON – Intervision Picture Corp.
The Burning Moon centers on two bedtime stories that a delinquent brother reads his kid sister. These disturbingly morbid stories focus on a serial killing blind date and a murderous, psychotic priest.

KILLER’S MOON (Re-Mastered Edition) (Blu-Ray) – Redemption
Four mental patients, the products of illegal medical experiments, escape from an institution in Britain’s rural Lake District. Armed with a stolen axe, they kill a game warden and mutilate a dog before encountering a broken-down bus. The vehicle’s stranded female passengers search for a place to spend the night, unaware that the psychopaths are right behind them. Anthony Forrest and Tom Marshall star in this notorious 1970s British slasher.

THE KILLING (DVD/Blu-Ray) – 20th Century Fox
Seattle homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) investigates the murder of a teenage girl on the AMC original series The Killing.

MICAH SAYS: I went back and watched the original Danish version (Forbrydelsen) and enjoyed that one much more (better acting, subtlety, story). Sometimes the constraints of American television get in the way of a good show. If a story’s arc should be 8 eps, let it be 8 eps. No need to drag it out to 12. Of course, if you watched season one of the US Version you probably have a very strong opinion of the finale. That said, are you still gonna watch season 2?

MELANCHOLIA (DVD/ Blu-Ray) – Magnolia Home Entertainment
Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) celebrate their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of Justine’s sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Despite Claire’s best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly towards Earth threatening the very existence of humankind…

MICAH SAYS: A powerful look at human relationships in the midst of what is possibly the end of the world. Lars Von Trier has made another film that will resonate for years to come. Like most of his films, Melancholia is hard to watch at times, but the payoff is mesmerizing. Side note, If you liked this idea check out Another Earth which is a little indie gem from last year that is quite entertaining. PICK OF THE WEEK.

PARANORMAL INCIDENT
The infamous Odenbrook Sanitarium closed after a mass suicide occurred within its walls. Sixty years later, college students armed with cameras and recording equipment venture into the asylum to prove the existence of the
paranormal. Thrills turn into nightmares when, days later, five of the six friends turn up missing and the lone survivor must go through the recovered footage in order to clear his name and find out what happened to his friends.

VIRGIN WITCH (Blu-Ray) – Redemption
British sirens Ann Michelle (House of Whipcord, Psychomania) and Vicki Michelle (‘Allo ‘Allo) star in this ’70s drive-in favorite! Christine gets her big chance at modelling when she applies at Sybil Waite’s agency. Together with Christine’s sister Betty, they go to a castle for the weekend for a photo shoot. Sybil has lured Christine to the castle for more than modelling: she’s recruiting a virgin for induction into a witches’ coven led by the owner of the castle, Gerald. To their surprise, Christine is more than eager to join the coven but begins her own secret battle for control!