The Best New Blu-rays and UHD Releases to Grab This Christmas in the UK
If you are hunting for the perfect Christmas present for the movie lover in your life, or if you simply want to spoil yourself with something that looks glorious spinning inside your player, the boutique labels of the UK have delivered a feast this winter. Between long awaited restorations, cult classics being treated like royalty, and releases that no one ever expected to see in high definition, December has become a treasure trove for collectors.
This year’s Christmas list features everything from supernatural thrillers to British slashers, from martial arts mayhem to mutated reptiles saving New York, from disturbing found footage to wild cult cinema. Whether you collect steelbooks, limited editions or anything with a slipcover that makes you feel fancy, there is something here for everyone.
We begin, naturally, with a release that is very close to home.
Make space on your shelf, because Snapdragon, starring Pamela Anderson, finally lands in the UK thanks to Last Slate Video. This marks the first time the erotic thriller has ever been released on Blu ray in the country, and the label has gone all out with the edition. A fresh restoration brings new life to the neon drenched nineties atmosphere, and the limited packaging arrives with stylish artwork and a selection of extras that have turned the release into an instant collector favourite. If you know someone who loves nineties thrillers, this is the one to slide into their stocking.
From there we turn to a holiday themed horror classic delivered by 88 Films. Their December line up includes Dont Open Till Christmas, the cult British slasher that takes festive fear very seriously. The film has been given a loving restoration, complete with the usual 88 Films treatment which includes attractive packaging and archival extras that make the disc feel like a celebration of everything that made the film notorious in the first place. If you want something seasonal to watch that is a little less cheerful than elves and snowmen, this is perfect.
Also joining the 88 Films slate is Crash and Burn, the early nineties slice of dystopian science fiction that mixes robots, paranoia and more than a little grit. The restoration work brings new clarity to a film that has spent far too long hidden in murky transfers. Fans of retro futurism will adore this one, and it fits beautifully beside their growing collection of Empire Pictures and Full Moon related releases.
Treasured Films offers a darker and more unsettling entry with The Medium. A quietly unnerving slice of Italian supernatural cinema, The Medium trades the usual operatic chaos of the genre for something far more restrained and atmospheric, recalling the slow burn terror of The Changeling. Legend has it that director Silvio Amadio, known for titles like Amuck!, crafted the film under the supposed guidance of an actual practicing medium whose spirit guides offered insights from beyond the veil. Whether you believe the tale or not, the result is a haunting experience steeped in eerie calm and spectral menace.
Arrow Video, naturally, has decided that Christmas demands pure nostalgia. Their headline December release is the mighty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy in sparkling 4K. The set includes all three original live action films from the nineties, lavish new transfers, posters, art cards and the sort of packaging that makes you want to display it in the centre of the house like a seasonal shrine. For anyone who grew up quoting lines from the films, this release feels like a time machine disguised as a Ultra HD box.
Alongside the turtles comes Arrow’s new edition of City on Fire, the influential Hong Kong crime thriller that inspired countless directors with its chaotic set pieces and sizzling tension. The new 4K restoration brings it back to life with clarity and colour depth that fans have been waiting years to see. For lovers of Asian action cinema, this is a must own.
Taken together, these releases form one of the strongest Christmas slates we have seen from boutique labels in years. Horror, science fiction, cult cinema, martial arts, crime thrillers, nostalgic joy, all wrapped and ready to be enjoyed with a tower of mince pies and the heating cranked up too high.
So whether you are looking to expand your own collection or to make someone else very happy on Christmas morning, these discs are shining examples of what physical media can still offer. Put them under the tree, place them directly in your player, or hoard them like a dragon guarding treasure. It is Christmas after all.
