28 WEEKS LATER (Fox) Leaving aside the redundancy of its conception (another dull Iraq allegory) and the contrivances of its plot (a zombie that behaves, crucially and implausibly, like the shark from Jaws 4) it should be said that 28 Weeks Later simply isn't scary. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's desperate shaky-cam frames induce fatigue rather than fright, and the one sequence that does work – American soldiers indiscriminately firing upon uninfected civilians in the midst of a rage-virus-stricken horde – is borrowed (from either Battleship Potemkin or The Untouchables, depending on how much credit you want to give the filmmakers). 28 Days Later ended badly, but at least it built up a sense of dread. The only lingering fear here is that the film's success will spawn even more pseudo-serious, strenuously dingy and pointlessly “uncompromising” (read: brutally gory) genre filmmaking. Extras: alternate/deleted scenes, director and writer commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, trailers, photo galleries, flash-animated graphic novel.

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (Warner) Marred in its day by tragedy (the on-set death of star Vic Morrow and two illegally hired child actors) and then largely forgotten, this 1983 film is an intriguing grab-bag omnibus. The segments helmed by John Landis and Steven Spielberg are weak (Spielberg's feisty-seniors-find-the-child-within bit is the worst thing he's ever done). On the other hand, Joe Dante's entry about a cartoon-addled and scarily omnipotent kid is like a live-action WB cartoon, while George Miller's take on the classic TZ ep “Nightmare at 20,000 feet” features John Lithgow at his buggy, brilliant best. Also, the Landis-helmed prologue is a classic, even if the “gotcha” moment is a letdown – you'll never want to play the guess-the-theme-song car-trip game again. Extras: none.

ALSO THIS WEEK

EVAN ALMIGHTY (Universal) As if a Bible-quoting, apocalypse--portending US congressman would be anything but embraced in the current climate. Fun fact: this awful movie cost $200 million to produce. Extras: deleted scenes, multiple featurettes, outtakes, Animal Roundup Game.

HANNAH MONTANA: LIFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT (Disney) Those unable to pay thousands of dollars for eBay tickets to the tween sensation's sold-the-fuck-out tour can placate their kids by getting them this DVD... which will, of course, only make them want to see her next tour that much more. That sound you hear is Walt D. chuckling in his grave. Extras: “Backstage Pass,” featurette, Billy Ray Cyrus music video.

SURF'S UP (Sony) The animated penguin craze continues unabated, as does the rise of Shia LaBeouf (in animated penguin form). Extras: none.

OUT OCT 16

Grindhouse Presents Planet Terror: Extended and Unrated, A Mighty Heart, The Reaping, Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition) and the complete series of MacGyver – a perfect holiday gift for your dour, chain--smoking sisters-in-law.