By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

Halloween has just gotten a little bit scarier — because of Blu-ray.

Two of the greatest horror films ever made The Exorcist and Psycho have new first time on Blu-ray editions, and what can be better than to turn out all the lights on an October evening and scare yourself with these two classics.

Already available at retailers is The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut (Warner Home Video). Coming out Tuesday is the Psycho 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal Studios Home Entertainment).

It is hard to find something that hasn’t already been said about The Exorcist (1973), it is the No. 3 film in American Film Institute’s 100 Years 100 Thrills list (Psycho is No. 1, Jaws, No. 2.)

The “keep you awake at night” factor has not dimmed any with The Exorcist, even after more than 40 years. With the improved sound and picture of this latest edition, it is all the more scarier.

Never intended for the faint of heart, (I can still remember people fleeing for the exits in its initial run) The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut packs an even more powerful punch.

Lots of films have more gore and mayhem (the Saw series, Hostel immediately come to mind), but The Exorcist is still the stuff nightmares are made of.

If there were parts of The Exorcist that had you scratching your head (some of those opening minute scenes shot in Iraq for example), director William Friedkin is on hand on the DVD to explain it all for you in detail.

Friedkin also explains how the extended director’s cut came to be. Before the film’s release, the version of the DVD was the original intended release, but after getting some advice from a studio executive friend, Friedkin decided to trim the film of the material (most notorious now is the spider walk down a flight of stairs by the possessed young girl, Regan).

It was a source of major contention for years between Friedkin and The Exorcist novelist William Peter Blatty who thought the omitted footage was essential to the understanding of Regan’s possession by demonic forces. Years later, Friedkin now agrees. He also says on the DVD that some scenes that were omitted (including that spider walk) work much better now because of advancement in CGI.

The Extended Director’s Cut features three new documentaries Raising Hell: Filming The Exorcist; The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now, an essential bit of viewing featuring many of the iconic locales of the film; and Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist. Friedkin and Blatty are featured in the documentaries, as is Linda Blair (Regan).

The Exorcist Extended Director’s cut also includes the original film on a second disc.

The Blu-ray also includes a colorful digi-book with 38 pages of photos, cast biographies, production notes and a personal letter written by Friedkin.

Other bonus features include original trailers, TV spots, radio spots, commentary by William Friedkin (both versions); The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist, a 1998 BBC documentary and more.

A single disc standard DVD of the remastered Extended Director’s Cut is also available.

The Psycho 50th Anniversary Edition is my third DVD edition of the film, and clearly in Blu-ray is the best ever.

From the infamous Bates Motel to the wrinkles on Janet Leigh’s neck, this restored digital version of an American classic brings Alfred Hitchcock’s genius in sharp focus.

Psycho is currently playing on one of the premium HD cable channels and while it looks good, it is a pale imitation compared to this new restored Blu-ray version.

I’ve seen Psycho dozens of times, but there is always something to admire whether it is Anthony Perkins amazing performance as Norman Bates to the the touches of the master Hitchcock. Next time you watch, notice all the duality going on here. There is extensive use of mirrors and reflections, Hitchcock’s way of showing the different sides of Bates and Marion Crane (Leigh).

This time out I even caught a bit of what may have been foreshadowing on Hitchcock’s part: As Marion prepares to leave her apartment with the stolen money from the office, the bathroom door is ajar and the only thing clearly visible is the showerhead, and as everyone knows, taking a shower turns out to be a very bad thing at the Bates Motel.

There are lots of bonuses and extras here, most have them have showed up in other Psycho editions, but Psycho Sound, a look at the re-mastering process to create a 5.1 digital sound from the original mono soundtrack.

Other extras include The Making of Psycho, a feature-length documentary on the film; an interview with director Francois Trauffaut and Hitchcock from 1962; In the Master’s Shadow — Hitchcock’s Legacy, featuring top Hollywood filmmakers discussing the film and Hitchcock’s influence; audio commentary; newsreel footage following the initial release of Psycho; a look at the impace of the shower scene; behind-the-scenes photographs; theatrical trailers and more.

With Halloween just a few weeks away, can there possibly be a better double bill than these two films?

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Who doesn’t love a mystery and no one does mysteries better than the British. PBS is releasing the third season of “England’s favorite detective” Inspector Lewis.

The scares are much more subtle on this series from PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre.

The three discs contain five 90-minute episodes of the intellectual detective series. The show stars Kevin Whately (Inspector Morse) as Lewis and Laurence Fox (A Room with a View, Becoming Jane) as his partner Detective Sergeant James Hathaway and the adventures and murders usually take place in the English countryside and the surrounding areas of Oxford University.

This show is much more complex with much more character development than our comparable Criminal Minds or CSI-whatever geographic location.

Third season episodes include:

Counter Culture Blues — There is murder amongst aging rock stars as the the inspector explores a mystery involving a rock band from his youth. The band is trying to get back together again but murders keep getting in the way.

The Dead of Winter — Hathaway has a homecoming of sorts after a man is shot during a battle reenactment at Crevecour Hall, the estate where he grew up. There is more murder as he has a homecoming with friends from his youth.

Your Sudden Death Questions — Lewis and Hathaway match wits with a quizmaster after the standout competitor is killed during a private quiz weekend.

If you can’t find the set at area retailers it can also be ordered online at shopPBS.org.

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You can put your brain in low and still manage to enjoy Lake Placid 3 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) due out on DVD Oct. 26.

Definitely several notches below the original story featuring Betty White as a foul-mouthed old lady who kept some crocodiles as pets, much to the distress of her neighbors, but this is still a fun outing.

A Syfy Channel production (it has already been shown on the cable channel), this is the unrated version. The language is tame, but the unrated version does include some frontal nudity and a sex scene you won’t see on Syfy.

This time out, Colin Ferguson (Eureka) plays biologist Nathan Bickerman who brings his family much too close to Black Lake (Lake Placid), which as everybody knows, has been home to killer crocs in the first two films.

Nathan has inherited his aunt’s cabin (the sister of Betty White’s character and played by Cloris Leachman in  Lake Placid 2).

He knows all about the lake’s history and still has his suspicions, but the sheriff says he has checked every inch of the lake and it is perfectly safe.

And Jason has never harmed a camper either.

Meanwhile, Nathan’s bored young son has not only discovered the crocodiles in the lake, he is feeding them, and even shoplifting meat from the town grocer.

But the kid can’t keep up with the growing appetites, and the lunch menu soon includes anyone who ventures too close to the lake.

As is usual with Syfy films, the CGI is deliberately laughable (be sure to catch Sharktopus, part-shark, part-octopus, next time it is on their schedule) and the body count is high. Thumbs up to Yancy Butler (Kickass) for her role as Reba, the elk-poaching guide, who proves to be a formidable match for the crocs.

I do wish that this was filmed in Maine (the setting for the film) instead of Bulgaria. All three of these films have been shot elsewhere and it does seem that even if film production is cheaper in Bulgaria, Maine is so much more closer and Aroostook County (the northern most and largest county in the state) could use an economic boost.