Pony Canyon, a subsidiary of the Nippon Broadcasting System, is releasing a 6-DVD box set featuring live action films based on the singular horror manga of manga-ka Hideshi Hino.  Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror (MSRP $49.92), which will be released in the U.S. on December 19th, contains six full length features including The Boy From Hell, Dead Girl Walking, Lizard Baby, The Ravaged House, The Doll Cemetery, and Death Train.

With the increasing interest here in the States in Japanese horror movies thanks to the success of The Ring, Ju-On (The Grudge), and Dark Water, this box set should have a wider appeal than might be expected.  Partisans of horror manga will also be checking out the live action versions of Hino's twisted offerings -- his visual style is the perfect reflection of the demented behavior and psyches of his protagonists. 

Much of Hino's considerable oeuvre is available in the U.S. thanks to DH Publishing (see 'Another Manga Publisher'), which has been publishing Hino's work here since 2004; and Dark Horse (which has no connection to DH Publishing) has published Hino's Lullabies From Hell (see 'Dark Horse to Focus on Horror Manga').