When most people think of Sam Raimi, they think of the Evil Dead and Spider-Man movies, but let us not forget some of the other underappreciated classics he was responsible for, such as the pulp hero-inspired Darkman! The movie stars Liam Neeson as a scientist working on a synthetic skin to aid burn victims who gets attacked by mobsters leaving him horribly disfigured. He vows revenge on his assailants, but must wear masks made of the synthetic skin in order to appear in public (later learning to make copies of others’ faces too). Of course, the name Darkman comes from the fact that his skin compound disintegrates after being exposed to daylight for more than 99 minutes.

This is a cult classic that has never received the proper DVD release it deserves, but if you’ve been waiting for Universal to release that kick ass special edition… well, you can keep on waiting because this probably isn’t it! Instead, this August they will unveil Darkman Trilogy: The Franchise Collection featuring the original Darkman, plus its two direct to video sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (both directed by Bradford May, not Sam Raimi). Now, all three movies will receive new anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby 5.1 sound, however, the 3-movie set will be spread across only two discs. Strangely, it is Darkman III that will be on its own disc, meaning that there would be little room for special features from the original Darkman since it is paired with part 2. According to DVD Times, extras are still “to be confirmed”, but I doubt we’ll see much more than a few trailers. The set hits stores on August 7th with a retail price of $19.98 USD.