Arrow Video US May Releases Just Announced

Retaliation - Limited Edition Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD

In 1969 future sexploitation specialist Yasuharu Hasebe (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter) teamed up with the inimitable Jô Shishido (Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill) for a follow up to their yakuza hit Massacre Gun.

A tale of gang warfare that features a raft of the period's most iconic stars, Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, The Flowers and the Angry Waves) is a yakuza lieutenant who emerges from jail to find his gang dispersed and his aging boss in his sickbed. Shishido is the rival waiting to kill him and a young Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) is the girl caught in the crossfire.

Gritty and cynical, Retaliation is a hardboiled precursor to Kinji Fukasaku's revisionist yakuza pictures of the 1970s.

Special Edition Contents:
- Limited Edition Blu-ray (3000 copies only)
- Restored High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation, on Blu-ray for the first time in the world!
- Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Newly translated English subtitles
- Brand new interview with star Jô Shishido
- Interview with renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Original theatrical trailer
- Gallery featuring rare promotional images
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
- Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills

Specs:
- Region: A+B/1+2
- Duration: TBC
- Language: Japanese
- Subtitles: English
- Audio: Mono
- Color
- Discs: 2
- SRP: $39.95
- Release Date: 5/12

Society - Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD


IT'S ALL ABOUT FITTING IN

After producing Stuart Gordon's hit Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III) turned his hand to directing with 1989's Society, and gave birth to one of the ickiest, most original body horror shockers of all time.

Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn't seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he overhears a surreptitious audio recording of his sister's coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he's been seeing - glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape... Is Billy going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighbourhood?

Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most leftfield, gag-inducing "climaxes" in all of horror history - just don't eat beforehand!

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- New Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna
- Governor Of Society with Brian Yuzna
- The Masters Of The Hunt with stars Billy Warlock, Devin Devasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell
- The Champions Of The Shunt with FX Artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson
- Screaming Mad George music video
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Specs:
- Region: Free
- Duration: 99 mins
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: 2.0
- Color
- Discs: 2
- SRP: $39.95
- Release Date: 5/19

Island of Death - Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD

THE LUCKY ONES GOT THEIR BRAINS BLOWN OUT!!

Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a "video nasty".

Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue - including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more!

Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

Special Edition Contents:
- Brand new restoration from the original negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new interview with director Nico Mastorakis
- The Films of Nico Mastorakis - the director hosts this documentary covering his varied career in cinema, including a look at Island of Death
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by - - Graham Humphreys
- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Specs:
- Region: Free
- Duration: TBC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio: Mono
- Color
- Discs: 2
- SRP: $39.95
- Release Date: 5/26

Arrow's global reputation as one of the finest labels in the world has come about through consistent high quality product and a focus on fan-based products always at its core. This includes a major investment on restoring original material through modern techniques as well as pioneering packaging solutions and newly commissioned artwork for each release.

Arrow Video To Launch North American Office in 2015

Some very exciting news from Arrow Video today, the hugely popular UK video label has announced plans to expand into North America early next year. They've set up a Indiegogo account featuring some very cool perks including Arrow T-Shirts and their future Blu-ray releases.

 

ARROW VIDEO TO LAUNCH

NORTH AMERICAN OFFICE IN 2015

London, 3^rd October 2014

Arrow Films are today thrilled to announce plans to expand its celebrated Arrow Video label into North America early in 2015. Fans will be able to learn all the details of this bold and exciting move, and discover regular updates, through a dedicated crowdfunder campaign which is launched today.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/arrow-video-usa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmjm7OQfQ98

Lauded with positive feedback from a loyal fan base for its great success in releasing various acclaimed restorations of cult and horror releases, Arrow Video have in recent years won several prestigious ‘Label of the Year’ awards by such notable outlets such as broadsheet newspaper The Guardian and Home Cinema Choice Magazine.

By popular demand Arrow Video will launch into North America with a host of cult titles, receiving deluxe treatment in video, audio, supplements and artwork. Launch titles include Tonino Valerii’s Spaghetti Western Day of Anger [I Giorni dell’ira, aka Gunlaw] starring genre icons Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma; Michael Armstrong’s bloody and brutal critique of state-funded religious corruption Mark of the Devil in a director-approved release; and the thrillingly bizarro yakuza-samurai-ghost story-horror hybrid from Teruo Ishii, Blind Woman’s Curse (1971, also known as Black Cat’s Revenge). Future releases include films never-before-released on DVD and/or Blu-ray from European and Japanese cult directors. More to be revealed soon.

Read more at Indiegogo

Arrow Video's Complete Dr. Phibes Coming June 9th

Check out the complete press release below

Love means never having to say you’re ugly

LIMITED EDITION TWO-DISC BLU-RAY RELEASE – 9^th June 2014

Arrow Video is thrilled to announce the limited edition release of The Complete Dr.Phibes, which will include both The Abominable Dr.Phibes and its sequel Dr Phibes Rises Again. These exclusive sets will be limited to a run of 3000 copies only and include a 100-page collector’s booklet.

“What more could a horror freak desire?” asked Motion Picture Guide of The Abominable Dr. Phibes back in 1971. Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK on the 9^th June, The Abominable Dr.Phibes sees Vincent Price in one of his signature roles, playing the wealthy and mysterious Dr. Phibes, a mad, disfigured genius, who elects to wreak revenge on nine doctors who failed to save his beautiful wife with a murderous campaign inspired by the Ten Plagues of Egypt. Phibes requires an elimination of disbelief more than a suspension of it. Filled with wonderful Art Deco sets, dark humour and a legendary performance by Vincent Price, The Abominable Dr.Phibes and its sequel Dr Phibes Rises Again have since gone on to become classics.

Featuring a bumper crop of fantastic extras, this exclusive set will include Dr. Phibes and the Gentlemen, an all-new discussion with the League of Gentlemen in which they fondly recall these two British horror classics, the featurette Daughter of Phibes in which Victoria Price discusses her father Vincent Price’s career and The Doctor Will See You Now, an interview with Vincent Price’s biographer, David Del Valle.

Alongside this, the Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries on The Abominable Dr. Phibes, the first with the late director Robert Fuest and the second with Dr. Phibes creator William Goldstein, moderated by his son Damon Goldtsein, curator of the official Phibes website. Dr. Phibes Rises Again includes and an audio commentary with critic and author Tim Lucas.

The discs will also include the original trailers for both films, plus an exclusive 100-page collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Julian Upton, Martin Jones, Justin Humphreys and Jonny Trunk alongside the on-set recollections of Caroline Munro, plus interviews with Tim Burton and AIP publicist Milton Moritz.

Synopsis: 

 “Nine killed her, nine shall die, nine eternities in doom!”

Horror legend Vincent Price (The Fall of the House of Usher, Theatre of Blood) is Dr. Phibes, former musician, current murderer. Seeking revenge from the medical staff that left his wife for dead, he sets about knocking them off one-by-one in a series of elaborate murders based upon a Ten Plagues of Egypt. Death by bats, by boils, by blood and more await the nurse and surgeons who failed to save the life of the beloved Victoria Regina Phibes!

A camp classic, The Abominable Dr. Phibes sets itself apart from the seventies horror crowd with its knowing humour and art deco sets, and also prefigures the Saw movies with its increasingly fiendish set of murder devices.

Pairing the original film with sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Complete Dr. Phibes provides viewers with a double diabolical dose of macabre thrills and black comedy.

Special Edition Contents

• Limited edition boxed-set (3000 copies) containing both films and 100-page collector’s booklet
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again, transferred from original film elements by MGM
• Original uncompressed 1.0 Mono PCM Audio for both films
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for both films
• Audio commentary on The Abominable Dr. Phibes by director Robert Fuest
• Audio commentary on The Abominable Dr. Phibes by the creator of Dr. Phibes, William Goldstein
• Audio commentary on Dr. Phibes Rises Again by critic and author Tim Lucas
• Dr. Phibes and the Gentlemen – The League of Gentlemen fondly recall a pair of British horror classics
• Daughter of Phibes – Victoria Price discusses Vincent Price’s career
• The Doctor Will See You Now – an interview with Vincent Price’s biographer, David Del Valle
• Original Trailers for both films
• 100-page collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Julian Upton, Martin Jones, Justin Humphreys and Jonny Trunk, the on-set recollections of Caroline Munro, plus interviews with Tim Burton and AIP publicist Milton Moritz, all illustrated with rare and original archive stills

Arrow Video's Incredible Melting Man

Arrow Video just announced their upcoming release of The Incredible Melting Man and say what you will about the movie, but this new Gary Pullin cover art is one of my absolute favorite pieces of movie art I've ever seen. I'm not kidding, this is perfect.:

*** THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN ***

As some of you crafty people have already figured out, we are indeed going to be releasing everyone's favourite astronaut-is-reduced-to-mush movie THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN later this year! Time to go all gooey over the new cover art from the ever fantastic Gary Pullin.

 
While I think The Incredible Melting Man is an underrated movie, I'm okay with only owning the Scream Factory release (which is great). But I love this new art so much I'm very tempted to buy this second release just to own that cover art.

Arrow Video's Second Quarter Lineup Is Incredible

Arrow Video has just posted their 2nd quarter line-up on their Facebook page. There's so much good stuff due out from these guys in the next few months it's almost ridiculous:

WHAT THE DEVIL HATH JOINED TOGETHER LET NO MAN CUT ASUNDER!

Before 1973, Brian De Palma was impossible to pigeonhole: he made comedies, political satires and openly experimental pieces. But with Sisters (originally released as Blood Sisters in the UK) he turned to the suspense thriller and discovered his natural home - and a style that would lead directly to later masterpieces like Carrie, Dressed to Kill and Blow Out.

When Danielle (Margot Kidder) meets potential boyfriend Philip (Lisle Wilson) after appearing on the TV show Peeping Toms (a nod to the Michael Powell shocker), she invites him home, only to attract the ire of her twin sister Dominique. From across the courtyard, Rear Window style, reporter Grace (Jennifer Salt) witnesses Philip being murdered by one of the twins - but the police find no body or any physical evidence. Naturally, Grace takes things into her own hands, and discovers more about the sisters’ relationship than she bargained for…

Strongly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski, and with a score by the great Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho), Sisters was the first true “Brian De Palma” film.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 14 April 2014

Koyaanisqatsi+Powaqqatsi [2-Disc Blu-ray]

ko●yaa●nis●qatsi (from the Hopi language)

n., 1. crazy life 2. life in turmoil 3. life out of balance 4. life disintegrating 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living

po●waq●qa●tsi (from the Hopi language, powaq sorcerer + qatsi life)

n., an entity, a way of life, that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life

Told without dialogue, narration, cast or characters, Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi are dizzying, hypnotic examples of cinema set to extraordinary scores by Philip Glass. The first instalment concentrates on the United States, contrasting its natural beauty with a population ever more dependent on modern technology. The second switches to the Southern hemisphere and focuses on cultures and traditions that are slowly eroding away as the modern world takes over.

Special Edition Contents:
- New, restored digital transfers of both films, approved by director Godfrey Reggio
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio
- Newly created exclusive content
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 21 April 2014

 
The Delta Force [Blu-ray]

THE HIJACK....THE ORDEAL....THE RESCUE...

Cannon Films are known for producing some of the most enjoyable and eccentric action flicks of the ’80s – but The Delta Force, which boasts scenes of Chuck Norris flying through the air on a missile-mounted motorbike, surely stands as one of their most entertaining efforts.

American Travel Ways Flight 282 has been hijacked by a group of terrorists claiming to represent the New World Revolutionary Organisation. The Delta Force, under the leadership of Captain Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris), is called in to handle the situation. Still smarting from an ill-fated hostage rescue mission several years prior, this elite squad of special forces are determined to succeed in their mission this time – and assert the might of the American military once and for all.

Drawing on a number of true-life terrorist incidents for inspiration, most notably the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847, The Delta Force is a non-stop thrill ride which culminates in one of the most explosive action flick finales of all time. With Chuck Norris on hand to provide the muscle and gravelly-voiced Lee Marvin (The Killers) in his last ever screen role, The Delta Force is one mission you can’t afford not to accept.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 28 April 2014

 
Theatre of Blood [Blu-ray]

VINCENT PRICE HAS RESERVED A SEAT FOR YOU IN THE “THEATRE OF BLOOD”

It's never been tougher to be a critic than in THEATRE OF BLOOD, one of the greatest horror comedies of all time. Vincent Price gives a career best performance as Edward Lionhart, a veteran Shakespearean actor who, when passed over for the coveted Critic's Circle award for Best Actor takes deadly revenge on the critics who snubbed him.

With one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled for a horror film including Diana Rigg, Harry Andrews, Jack Hawkins and Arthur Lowe, THEATRE OF BLOOD is an dementedly funny and deliciously macarbe cult classic.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 28 April 2014

Also available in Steelbook form:

The Beast Within [Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD]

KILL ME, PLEASE KILL ME… BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Late one full moon-lit night, a woman stands alone on the roadside waiting for her husband to return to their broken-down car. Suddenly she’s pounced upon, dragged into the dark woods and savaged by a barely-glimpsed assailant – something barely human. But this is only the beginning of the terrors in The Beast Within…

Seventeen years on, and the devoted parents of teenager Michael are at their wits end. Their son lies in a hospital bed, his body wracked by a mysterious illness. With doctors unable to offer any diagnosis, Michael’s desperate parents are forced to seek out the answer themselves – by digging up traumatic past events and confronting the true nature of their son’s conception.

The Beast Within stands apart from other creature features due to its decidedly grim tone – the scenes in which the monster violates his victims have proven too strong for some critics – and standout transformation sequence courtesy of makeup artist Tom Hoerber (My Bloody Valentine). Add to these the strong lead performances from Paul Clemens and Ronny Cox (Deliverance, The Car, RoboCop), alongside a stunning score by the late, great Les Baxter, and you have yourself one absolute beast of a movie!

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Schoenbach of Sadist Art Designs
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 5th May 2014

Porky’s [Blu-ray]

YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU CAME!

Long before American Pie and Superbad came the original and best sex comedy. A firm favourite of teen movie fans, Porky’s introduced audiences to Kim Cattrall (Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China) and made an absolute killing at the box-office.

It’s 1954 and the sex-obsessed boys of Angel Beach High School are looking to get laid. Porky’s is their destination, local nightclub and whorehouse. Only its redneck owner has other plans, as does his sheriff brother. Will Meat, Mickey, Tommy and the other guys in the gang get their own back? And will the barely-endowed Pee Wee finally lose his virginity?

Having established his credentials as one of Canada’s top horror filmmakers with the likes of Black Christmas and Dead of Night, Bob Clark took an unexpected turn into the world of the teenage sex comedy and inadvertently made the most successful Canadian motion picture of all time, an honour it still holds today.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 26 May 2014

Steelbook:

The Complete Dr Phibes [2-Disc Blu-ray]

“Nine killed her, nine shall die, nine eternities in doom!”

Horror legend Vincent Price (The Fall of the House of Usher, Theatre of Blood) is Dr. Phibes, former musician, current murderer. Seeking revenge from the medical staff that left his wife for dead, he sets about knocking them off one-by-one in a series of elaborate murders based upon a Ten Plagues of Egypt. Death by bats, by boils, by blood and more await the nurse and surgeons who failed to save the life of the beloved Victoria Regina Phibes!

A camp classic, The Abominable Dr. Phibes sets itself apart from the seventies horror crowd with its knowing humour and art deco sets, and also prefigures the Saw movies with its increasingly fiendish set of murder devices.

Pairing the original film with sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Complete Dr. Phibes provides viewers with a double diabolical dose of macabre thrills and black comedy.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfers of both films
- Newly created exclusive content
- Deluxe Edition collector’s Box featuring original artwork
- 100-Page Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 9 June 2014

 
Milano Calibro 9 [Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD]

“You can’t backstab someone like Ugo Piazza! You’d better not even touch someone like Ugo Piazza!”

Perhaps the one true film noir to emerge from Italy, Milano Calibro 9 is a gritty, ultra-violent masterpiece and an essential entry in the cannon of Italian crime cinema. Centering on the character of ex-con Ugo Piazza (played with stone-cold precision by Gastone Moschin) the film also benefits from the presence of giallo regular Barbara Bouchet and her considerable charms.

Released after a three-year term in prison for a bungled robbery, Ugo Piazza plans to lead the straight life for a while. But no sooner is he back on the street than he’s picked up by a bunch of hoodlums under the employ of his former boss, the ‘Americano’ – among them, the psychopathic Rocco – who are convinced that Ugo stole $300,000 before his incarceration. The gang forces Ugo to resume working for them in the hope that he’ll eventually lead them to their missing cash.

The first part in director Fernando Di Leo’s Milieu Trilogy, Milano Calibro 9 is an early example of the poliziotteschi – Italian crime films –which proliferated in the 1970s. Di Leo eschews the sleazy, more exploitative approach of some his contemporary filmmakers for a more serious take on his subject matter – although he’s not averse to show-stopping gun fights and long, lingering shots of the lovely Barbara Bouchet.

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 16 June 2014

 HE’S A MAN OF PEACE IN A SAVAGE LAND… SUBURBIA.

The films of director Joe Dante have taken us to some strange places – a mysterious Chinatown antique store in Gremlins; a secluded resort populated by werewolves in The Howling; even deep inside the human body in Innerspace. But now he takes us to the strangest place of all – surburbia!

Family man Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) is looking forward to a week of putting his feet up at home in the quiet, leafy cul-de-sac of Mayfield Place. But his plans are scuppered by the arrival of new next-door neighbours, The Klopeks, whose behaviour and habits are more than just a little kooky. But things go from kooky to downright sinister when local old boy Walter disappears, leading Ray and his buddies to suspect their new neighbours of killing and eating him! Sure, the Klopeks are a strange bunch what with their digging up the backyard in the middle of the night – but they’re not devil-worshipping cannibal killers… are they?

If you’re looking for a knowing slice of tongue-in-cheek terror then look no further than The ’Burbs. A standout horror comedy from a director who has given us more than his fair share of fun frighteners, The ’Burbs assembles a superb cast including Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher and Corey Feldman in a tall tale of small-town terror. You’ll never look at those eccentric neighbours in the same way again!

Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 23 June 2014

Steelbook!

Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection

Synopsis:

This groundbreaking collection brings together Walerian Borowczyk’s key films from a twenty-five-year period stretching from 1959 through to 1984.

This unique release includes five of Borowczyk’s provocative feature films: Theatre de M et Mme Kabal, Goto, l’ile d’amour, Blanche, Contes Immoraux and La Bete as well as his groundbreaking short films from this period.

Not only are many of these films available on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, but also in new digital high definition restorations approved by the director’s widow, Ligia Branice.

In addition to exclusive documentaries featuring cast and crew, an hour long portrait of Borowczyk is to be included, featuring the director’s musings on painting, animation and sex.

Accompanying this seminal release is a book edited by Borowczyk experts Daniel Bird and Michael Brooke featuring newly commissioned essays on Borowczyk’s films and art, as well as an account of the meticulous restoration process involved.

To round off the release is, for the first time, an English translation of Borowczyk’s 1992 collection of short stories, Anatomy of the Devil, translated by the director's assistant, Michael Levy.

Arrow Academy’s Walerian Borowczyk Collection is a vital addition to anyone interested in either world cinema, animation or experimental film.

Limited Edition collection featuring five feature films:
- Theatre of Mr & Mrs Kabal (1967)
- Goto, Isle of Love (1968)
- Blanche (1971)
- Immoral Tales (1974)
- The Beast (1975)
- And the short films:
- The Astronauts (1959)
- The Concert (1962)
- Grandmother's Encyclopaedia (1963)
- Renaissance (1963)
- Angels' Games (1964)
- Joachim's Dictionary (1965)
- Rosalie (1966)
- Gavotte (1967)
- Diptych (1967)
- The Phonograph (1969)
- A Private Collection (1973)
- Venus on the Half-Shell (1975)
- The Greatest Love of All Time (1978)
- Scherzo Infernal (1984)

Special Edition Contents:
- Brand new 2K restorations of Borowczyk’s films
- Newly created exclusive content
- Extensive collector’s booklet featuring limited edition exclusive content, new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 30 June 2014

 

 Pit and the Pendulum [Blu-ray]

THE GREATEST TERROR TALE EVER TOLD!

A horse-drawn carriage pulls up on a deserted beach. A sombre figure dismounts and gazes up towards his destination – a foreboding cliff-top castle perched high above the crashing waves. Thus the perfect Gothic scene is set for Pit and the Pendulum, the second of Roger Corman’s celebrated Poe adaptations once again starring the ever-reliable Vincent Price (The Fall of the House of Usher, Theatre of Blood) alongside the bewitching Barbara Steele (Black Sunday).

Having learned of the sudden death of his sister Elizabeth (Steele), Francis Barnard (John Kerr) sets out to the castle of his brother-in-law, Nicholas Medina, to uncover the cause of her untimely demise. A distraught, grief-stricken Nicholas (Price) can offer only the vaguest explanations as to Elizabeth’s death – at first citing “something in her blood”, but later asserting that she quite literally “died of fright”. What sort of unspeakable horrors are buried within the walls of this castle that could cause one’s heart to stop so? With Francis determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, the terrible truth will not stay buried for long.

Right from its brooding kaleidoscopic opening titles, Pit and Pendulum draws you into its world of cobwebs, secret passageways and dusty suits of armour. All the necessary elements are present and correct and, along with one of Vincent Price’s most tortured performances, make Pit and the Pendulum every inch the Gothic melodrama.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 12 May 2014

 

Steelbook:

 

L'ASSASSINO

Arrow Academy is proud to present L’Assassino, the debut feature of the late Italian director Elio Petri, a man whose films have often been unjustly overlooked in favour of other more heralded filmmakers.

L’Assassino tells the story of 30-something antiques dealer Alfredo Martelli (Marcello Mastroianni) who, at the film’s outset, finds himself under suspicion for murdering his wealthy older lover. As the investigation presses on, a series of flashbacks gives us an insight into Alfredo’s character and the nature of his relationship with his now deceased lover Adalgisa (Micheline Presle).

With its Kafkaesque mood and distincly political bent, Petri’s first film bears many of the hallmarks of his later work. In the director’s own words, “L’Assassino reflected the changes wrought by the early 60s. [What it was about] was a new generation of upstarts who lacked any kind of moral scruple.”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New 2K digital restoration from the Cineteca di Bologna
- Newly created exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, archive content and more!
- More to be announced closer to the release date

Release Date: 19 May 2014

 

For licensing reasons all of these releases are Region B locked. You can preorder all of these titles directly from Arrow Video.

Larry Cohen's Stuff From Arrow March 10th

The specs for THE STUFF have now been finalised! Check out the full lineup below and pre-order your copy here: http://bit.ly/1eQFmdQ

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-New High Definition restoration of the film from a brand new 2K scan of the original camera negative
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the film
-Original stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
-Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen’s Classic Creature Feature – Documentary featuring Larry Cohen, producer Paul Kurta, actress Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Neill (mechanical makeup effects) and Kim Newman
-Introduction and trailer commentary by director and The Stuff fan Darren Bousman (Saw II, Saw III)
-Original Trailer
-Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
-Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Joel Harley, illustrated with original stills and promotional materials

Region: B/2
Rating: 15
Cat No: FCD897
Duration: 87 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: Stereo 2.0
Colour: Colour

Arrow Video's Hellgate Blu-ray - Limited to 1,000 Copies

Arrow has finalized specs for another limited edition Blu-ray release, this time it's Blackenstein director William A. Levey's 1989 film Hellgate. Like Frogtown, Hellgate is also limited to just 1,000 copies. Those of you interested in picking this one up, put in your preorders now to lock in the £12.99 price. It'll probably jump up to £19.99 closer to the release date.

Random, completely unrelated fun fact: There's a Hellgate High School located in Missoula, MT.

Synopsis: BEYOND THE DARKNESS TERROR LIVES FOREVER

Legends abound of ‘The Hellgate Hitchhiker’. So the story goes, a beautiful young woman was once brutally defiled and murdered by a biker gang. Now, returned from the dead, she wanders the roadside luring unsuspecting motorists to their doom…

Refusing to heed the warnings of locals, a group of college friends set out on a cross-country road trip looking for fun and frolics. But they get much more than they bargained for when they wind up in the abandoned mining town of Hellgate and hemmed in by hordes of the undead!

Providing gore and gags in equal measure, Hellgate recalls the good old days of early 90s fright flicks and challenges other gleefully twisted flicks such as Re-animator and Return of the Living Dead for sheer grisly delirium!

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

Limited edition Blu-ray [1000 Copies]

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature

Road to Perdition, B-Movie Style: An extensive interview with Hellgate director William A. Levey

Alien Invasion, Blaxploitation and Ghost-Busting Mayhem: Scholar, Filmmaker and fan Howard S. Berger reflects on the intriguing film career of William A. Levey

Video Nasty: Kenneth Hall, writer of the Puppet Master series, speaks about the direct-to-video horror boom that allowed Hellgate to become a classic of the cassette rental era

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Lee Gambin, illustrated with original artwork and stills

DETAILS:
RRP: £19.99 £12.99
Region: B/2
Rating: 18
Cat No: FCD850
Duration: 91 mins
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: Mono
Colour: Colour

Hell Comes To Frogtown - Specs For Arrow Video's Limited Edition Blu-ray

Arrow Video has just posted the final specs for their upcoming Hell Comes To Frogtown Blu-ray release. They've actually made this a limited edition - only 1,000 copies are available, so if you're a fan of  this one you might want to put in your order now:  http://bit.ly/1lwqVy6
 

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Limited Edition Blu-ray [1000 copies]
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
-Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 PCM audio
-Grappling with Green Gargantuans: Wrestling icon "Rowdy" Roddy Piper speaks about his leading man turn in Hell Comes to Frogtown
-Amphibian Armageddon: Actor Brian Frank remembers his role as Commander Toty
-Creature Feature Creator: Effects wizard Steve Wang reveals the secrets behind Hell Comes to Frogtown's mutant manifestations
-Extended Scene
-Original Trailer
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow
-Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Calum Waddell

Region: B/2
Rating: 15
Cat No: FCD849
Duration: 87 mins
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: 2.0 PCM

Big Trouble in Little China From Arrow Video - December 16th

John Carpenter's most entertaining film is getting the deluxe Blu-ray treatment next month from Arrow Video. Available December 16th in standard packaging, or in a limited edition SteelBook.

BLU-RAY & LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK

UK RELEASE – 16^th December

 Arrow Video is thrilled to announce 16th December 2013 as the confirmed release date for Big Trouble in Little China, one of the most hotly anticipated Blu-ray titles of the year. John Carpenter’s iconic cult classic will be released as both a deluxe Blu-ray & also as a limited edition SteelBook featuring Drew Struzan’s iconic artwork.

Featuring a bumper crop of bonus features including newly filmed interviews with the director John Carpenter and star, Kurt Russell as well as Carpenter’s long-time producer Larry Franco and the film’s stunt coordinator Jeff Imada, cinematographer Dean Cundey and a further wealth of archive content. The Blu-ray producer’s Francesco Simeoni says of the release “Big Trouble was a dream come true, it’s such an iconic film and to be able to work on a new version of this was a real treat. Technically one of our most complicated discs with acres of content to fit in whilst making everything easy to navigate and user friendly our technical team made this all seamless on the final disc and we are really pleased with the final presentation. The film’s restoration from Twentieth Century Fox was a gift, it’s never looked so good and we can’t wait for our fans to enjoy this package for Christmas.”

A commercial failure upon release in cinemas the film was mishandled by the studio and interviewees Carpenter and Russell especially make no bones about what happened. Finding a secondary life on home video and becoming a bona fide cult classic the film has enjoyed a great reputation on VHS and DVD and now for the first time can be enjoyed in this definitive edition.

Synopsis

Following Escape from New York and The Thing, John Carpenter and Kurt Russell re-unite for this mystical, action, adventure, comedy, kung-fu, monster, ghost story!

Russell plays Jack Burton, a reasonable guy who is about to experience some unreasonable things in San Francisco’s Chinatown. As his friend’s fiancée is kidnapped Jack becomes embroiled in a centuries-old battle between good and evil. At the root of it all is Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who rules an empire of evil spirits. Jack goes to the rescue dodging demons, goblins and the unstoppable Three Storms as he battles through Lo Pan’s dark domain.

 One of Carpenters most enjoyable and best loved films, Big Trouble in Little China brilliantly juggles delirious set-pieces, comedy and kung-fu action with a razor sharp script of corking one-liners, as Jack would say “It’s all in the reflexes”.

The super-deluxe package, which is available both as a standard Blu-ray and as a limited edition Blu-ray SteelBook, is full of special features and bonus material. The special features for this edition include:

·         High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film from a digital transfer prepared by Twentieth Century Fox
·         Optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and uncompressed Stereo 2.0 Audio
·         Isolated 5.1 DTS-HD Isolated Score Soundtrack
·         Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
·         Audio Commentary with director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell
·         Return to Little China – A brand new interview with John Carpenter
·         Being Jack Burton – A brand new interview with Kurt Russell
·         Carpenter and I – A brand new interview with cinematographer Dean Cundey
·         Producing Big Trouble – A new interview with producer Larry Franco
·         Staging Little Trouble – A new interview with stuntman Jeff Imada
·         Interview with visual effects producer Richard Edlund
·         Vintage Making-of featurette featuring cast and crew
·         Extended Ending
·         Deleted Scenes
·         Music Video
·         Gallery of behind-the-scenes images
·         3 original trailers
·         TV Spots
·         Booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, author of The Films of John Carpenter, as well as a re-print of an interview with production designer John Lloyd and make-up effects artist Steve Johnson on the design and effects of the film, illustrated with archive stills and posters
·         The standard release is available with a reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw and the Limited Edition SteelBook is presented with the original iconic Drew Struzan artwork

Arrow's January/February Lineup Part II

And here's the remaining 6 titles due out from Arrow early next year.

Blind Woman's Curse

Released: 17 Mar 2014

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Hoki Tokuda, Makoto Satô
Directed by: Teruo Ishii

Overview: From Teruo Ishii “The King of Cult”, Blind Woman’s Curse (also known as Black Cat’s Revenge) is a thrilling Yakuza film featuring eye-popping visuals, thrilling samurai fight sequences and the gorgeous Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Stray Cat Rock), in her first major role.

Akemi (Kaji) is a dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat along with the eye-victim go on to pursue Akemi’s gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies.

A bizarre blend of the female Yakuza film and traditional Japanese ghost story, with a strong dash of grotesque-erotica (the same movement was a sensibility of Edogawa Rampo whose works were adapted by Ishii in Horrors of Malformed Men), Blind Woman’s Curse is a delirious mash-up of classic genre tropes, to which Ishii was no stranger having directed everything from Super Giant films to Biker movies!

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfer
-Newly commissioned artwork
-Collector’s booklet
-More to be announced!

 Pit Stop

Released: 31 Mar 2014

Starring: Brian Donlevy, Richard Davalos, Ellen Burstyn
Directed by: Jack Hill

Overview: RAW GUTS FOR GLORY! FLESH AGAINST STEEL!

The most dangerous game ever devised, to pit man against man, flesh against steel – the figure-8 race! Jack Hill (Coffy, Foxy Brown) follows up Spider Baby, once again teaming up with Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) in one of his greatest roles for this action-spectacular crash-o-rama!

Richard Davalos (East of Eden) stars as Rick Bowman, a street punk who winds up in jail after a street race goes wrong. Bailed out by race promoter Grant Willard, Davalos is put in the deadly track where he comes up against Haig’s maniacal winner Hawk Sidney. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast including Brian Donlevy (The Quatermass Xperiment) in his last film appearance, Ellen Burstyn, billed as Ellen McRae (The Exorcist) and Beverly Washburn (Spider Baby) Pit Stop is one of Hill’s lesser known films but arguably his greatest.

Filmed on a real figure-8 track, Hill and his crew were able to capture gripping real-life car wreck scenes lending the film a brilliant sense of realism. You’ve never seen a motion picture like this before – can you take it?

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfer
-Newly commissioned artwork
-Collector’s booklet
-More to be announced!

Arrow's January/February Lineup Part I

Yep, Part I, there's so many I need to split the post in two. Read on...

Phantom of the Paradise

Released: 17 Feb 2014

Starring: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper
Directed by: Brian De Palma

Overview: Brian De Palma’s inspired rock’n’roll fusion of Faust, The Phantom of the Opera and The Picture of Dorian Gray boasts an Oscar-nominated score by Paul Williams, who also stars as an evil record producer who not only steals the work of composer/performer Winslow Leach (William Finley) but gets him locked up in Sing Sing - and that’s not the worst that happens to him along the way.

Few revenge scenarios have ever been so amply justified, but the film is also constantly aware of the satirical possibilities offered by the 1970s music industry, exemplified by Gerrit Graham’s hilariously camp glam-rock star. Jessica Harper (Suspiria) appears in her first major role as the naïve but ambitious singer, on whom Winslow secretly dotes.

Prodigiously inventive both musically and visually, this is one of De Palma’s most entertaining romps, not least because it was so clearly a labour of love.

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfer
-Newly commissioned artwork
-Collector’s booklet
More to be announced!

The Stuff

Starring: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris
Directed by: Larry Cohen
Rating: 15

Overview: Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?

The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It’s delicious, low in calories and – better still – doesn’t stain the family carpet… What’s not to like?! Well, for a start it has a life of its own, and we’re not talking friendly live bacteria…

Young Jason seems to be the only one who doesn’t love The Stuff – in fact he won’t go anywhere near it, after having seen the pudding crawling around the fridge one night. What’s more, everyone who eats The Stuff has started acting really weird... Now, teaming up with wise-cracking industrial saboteur “Mo”, Jason must put a stop to The Stuff and the organisation behind it or face a gooey, gloopy demise.

Coming courtesy of horror auteur Larry Cohen (director of the It’s Alive series and scribe behind the Maniac Cop trilogy), The Stuff is a titillating treat for the taste-buds which blends elements of films such as Street Trash with the straight-up B-movie flavour of The Blob. So grab a spoon and dig on into The Stuff – the taste that delivers… much more than you bargained for!

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfer
-Newly commissioned artwork
-Collector’s booklet
-More to be announced!

Hell Comes To Frogtown
Released: 27 Jan 2014

Starring: Julius LeFlore, RCB, Roddy Piper
Directed by: Donald G. Jackson, R.J. Kizer
Rating: 15

Overview: With the 20th Century drawing to a close, nuclear war has wiped out civilization as we know it. The embattled human race’s last remaining hope lies with one man and his loaded weapon.

Sam Hell may be an ex-con, but he also happens to be one of the last surviving fertile men on the planet. Now, under the custody of a group of feisty female fighters, Sam finds himself enlisted on a mission to impregnate a harem of beauties. Sounds cushy enough, but the ladies in question are prisoners of Frogtown – home to a gang of mutant (and ill-mannered) amphibians!

Starring wrestler-turned-actor Rowdy Roddy Piper, known to John Carpenter enthusiasts for his body-slamming and bubblegum-chewing antics in They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown is unashamedly a B-movie through and through with more guns and girls than you can shake a frog’s leg at.

Special Features:
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
-Grappling with Green Gargantuans: Wrestling icon "Rowdy" Roddy Piper speaks about his leading man turn in Hell Comes to Frogtown
-Amphibian Armageddon: Actor Brian Frank remembers his role as Commander Toty
-Creature Feature Creator: Effects wizard Steve Wang reveals the secrets behind Hell Comes to Frogtown's mutant manifestations
-Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow
-Original Trailer
-Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Calum Waddell

Arrow Presents The People Under The Stairs

The release date for Arrow's upcoming Blu-ray release of Wes Craven's The People Under The Stairs is fast approaching, and the full press release has just hit my inbox. Read on below for the details:

Arrow Video is thrilled to announce the UK Blu-ray release of Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs.
This Blu-ray disc will be available to own in the UK on 4th November and include packaging which will showcase the original poster artwork as well as a reversible sleeve with newly illustrated artwork.

On the new Blu-ray release, Arrow Video’s Ewan Cant says “As a huge Wes Craven fan, it was a dream come true to be able to work on the first ever Blu-ray release of The People Under the Stairs. Released in 1991, a few years before Wes Craven’s name would become synonymous with the Scream franchise, The People Under the Stairs is one film in the director’s resume which all but passed me by first time around: a fact which has made revisiting this movie all the more of a revelation. The People Under the Stairs is a real gem of early 90s horror which weaves gruesome visuals and pitch black comedy into a grim fairy tale for the ages – and with our new Blu-ray release, Craven fans get to see the film looking better than ever before! I was especially pleased that we were able to include on the disc an insightful interview with the great director himself, alongside engaging interviews with stars Sean Whalen (“Roach”) and A.J. Langer (“Alice”). Rounded off with some suitably grisly new cover art from the inimitable Stephen R. Bissette, this package represents the perfect Halloween treat!”

Click here to preorder.

Synopsis

In every neighbourhood there is one house that adults whisper about and children cross the street to avoid…

Wes Craven, the master of terror who brought you the infamous The Last House on the Left, invites you inside another house of horror!

“Fool” may be a streetwise kid, but he makes a decidedly bad decision when he agrees to assist a family friend in the robbery of their landlord’s imposing homestead. What begins as a routine break-in soon begins to take a sinister turn as the would-be robbers find themselves trapped inside and face-to-face with the terrible secrets which lurk within the building’s walls – and under the stairs…

The People Under the Stairs sees director Wes Craven return to one of his trademark themes: the savagery which lurks just underneath the skin of the outwardly conventional family unit. Often overlooked in favour of the director’s more A-list hits such as Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street, The People Under the Stairs is a superior slice of home-bound horror which can stand proudly alongside Craven’s best works.

Special Features:

·         High Definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures
·         Original uncompressed Stereo 2.0 audio
·         Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
·         Audio commentary with star Brandon Quintin Adams, moderated by Calum Waddell
·         Fear, Freud and Class Warfare: Director Wes Craven Discusses the Timely Terrors of The People Under the Stairs
·         Behind Closed Doors: Leading Lady A.J. Langer Remembers The People Under the Stairs
·         Silent But Deadly: Co-Star Sean Whalen on The People Under the Stairs
·         Underneath the Floorboards: Jeffrey Reddick, creator of the Final Destination series, recalls the lasting impact of The People Under the Stairs
·         Original Trailer
·         Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Stephen R. Bissette
·         Collectors booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills

Specs

Release Date	Monday 4th November 2013
Certificate	15
Formats	Blu-ray
Language	English
Subtitles	English SDH Subtitles
Running Time	102 minutes
Number of Discs	1
Region	B
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
Audio	2.0 Stereo PCM
Colour	Colour
Blu-ray Cat Number	FCD872
Blu-ray Barcode	5027035010410