New in home entertainment: Absurdist comedy ‘Swiss Army Man’ and first season of AMC drama ‘Preacher’

“Swiss Army Man” (Lionsgate DVD, $19.98; Blu-ray, $19.99; also available on VOD)

At Sundance earlier this year, the absurdist comedy “Swiss Army Man” rubbed so many critics and audience members the wrong way that it provoked mass walkouts and angry pans. But once the film moved from the festival circuit to the arthouse, it found an audience much more receptive to writer-directors Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan’s gently twisted sense of humor. A combination of Robert Bresson and “Weekend at Bernie’s,” “Swiss Army Man” stars Paul Dano as a suicidal castaway who finds a flatulent corpse (played by Daniel Radcliffe) on the shore of a deserted island, and uses the dead man as a tool, a companion and an inspiration to survive. Filled with raunchy jokes and positive vibes, this is a movie that’ll baffle some viewers; but it’s such an original that it’s hard not to admire.

[Special features: Deleted scenes, featurettes and a commentary track]

VOD

“Under the Shadow” (available Oct. 7)

Fans of atmospheric, deeply metaphorical horror films like “The Babadook” will want to seek out “Under the Shadow,” an Iranian ghost story that makes great use of its ’80s Tehran setting to give the scares a larger meeting. Narges Rashidi plays a free-thinking medical student named Shideh, whose career gets sidetracked when she becomes a mother. When her husband leaves their crumbling apartment building on business related to the war, Shideh is left with their daughter to cope with the neighborhood’s frequent bombings — as well as the mysterious malevolent force that’s begun haunting their home. Writer-director Babak Anvari builds the story slowly to a terrifying final 20 minutes; throughout, “Under the Shadow” reveals how Iran’s regressive gender politics complicate something as seemingly simple as a woman running from a monster.

TV set of the week

“Preacher: Season One” (Sony DVD, $45.99; Blu-ray, $65.99)

AMC’s “Preacher” follows in the footsteps of “The Walking Dead,” becoming the latest cult comic book series that the channel has adapted into addicting television. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin spend the 10 episodes of their first season introducing the world of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s comic series, exploring the dark forces at work in a small Texas town. Dominic Cooper plays a pastor with a shady past who accidentally receives the power to control other people’s minds, then consults with a violent, amoral childhood pal (played by Ruth Negga) and an intoxicated vampire (Joseph Gilgun) to figure out how best to wield it. Filled with weird turns, dark digressions, and pitch-black comedy, “Preacher” is like nothing else on TV.

[Special features: Featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel]

From the archives

“Prince Blu-ray Movie Collection” (Warner Bros. Blu-ray, $24.98)

Pop-rock-R&B genius Prince left behind a remarkable legacy of recorded music, as well as a few movies that bore his distinctive personal stamp — even if they never lived up to his creative potential. Looking to capitalize on the outpouring of love for Prince in the wake of his unexpected death, Warner Bros. is releasing “Purple Rain,” “Under the Cherry Moon” and “Graffiti Bridge”on Blu-ray. Missing from the set is the fantastic, out-of-print concert film “Sign o’ the Times.” And to be honest, none of these three pictures, not even the smash-hit “Purple Rain,” is any kind of masterpiece. But the musical performances, fashion statements and eccentric storytelling all capture a lot of what made Prince a legend.

[Special features: a commentary track and featurettes on “Purple Rain”; nothing on the other two]

Three more to see

“Hot Type: 150 Years of the Nation” (First Run DVD, $24.95; also available on VOD); “The Purge: Election Year” (Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD); “X-Men: Apocalypse” (20th Century Fox DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.99; 4K; $39.99; Blu-ray 3-D, $49.99; also available on VOD)

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