It’s Bombs Away With ‘Bonfire’ and ‘Living Dead’

If you want to rent something good, better wait until next weekend. But if you’re the sort of masochistic vidiot who likes to see if last year’s bombs are as bad as critics or your friends said they were, there are a couple of lollapaloozas.

Those critics threw cold water on “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (Warner, $92.95, R), an expensive flop that took in only about $16 million at the box office--despite a cast headed by Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith.

Brian DePalma’s version of Tom Wolfe’s popular novel was accused of altering characters and tone, as well as getting just about everything else wrong. The black comedy concerns a New York City stockbroker whose world is turned topsy-turvy after he’s involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Also unsympathetic were those reviewers brave (or durable) enough to sit through and write about the unnecessary and inferior 1990 remake of George Romero’s horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” The new, R-rated version of the cannibalistic-zombie tale was directed by Tom Savini and is $89.95 from RCA/Columbia. If you’re a real glutton for punishment, you can also indulge in “Slumber Party Massacre 3” (MGM/UA, $79.98, R).

There is one big hit in this weekend’s fresh batch, though it’s hardly a cinematic classic: the Steven Seagal action film “Marked for Death” (CBS/Fox, $92.98, R).

Your best bets are these oldies, on videocassette for the first time:

For adults: “Peyton Place” (1957) and “Return to Peyton Place” (1961), each $39.98 from CBS/Fox.

For the whole family: “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1960), “The Glass Slipper” (1955), “Challenge to Lassie” (1949), “Flipper’s New Adventure” (1964) and “Jack the Giant Killer” (1962), each $19.98 from MGM/UA.

NON-MOVIE CASSETTES

Four 90-minute episodes of the British science-fiction TV series “Dr. Who” are available from Playhouse ($19.98 each).

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Next week: “Rocky V,” “Jesus of Montreal” and 10 classic detective movies.

Future features: “Avalon” (May 1), “The Jungle Book” (May 3), “Three Men & a Little Lady” (May 8), “The Rookie” (May 22), “Mermaids” (May 23), “The Grifters” and “Reversal of Fortune” (June 5), “Kindergarten Cop” (June 6), “Mr. & Mrs. Bridge” (June 12), “Postcards From the Edge” (June 15).