Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Gets Limited Edition Release From Arrow Video

I left one of the announced Arrow releases off the of the last post because I thought it was righteous and kick ass enough to warrant it's own post. This October 14th Arrow is giving The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 a limited edition 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD release that contains a pair of early Hooper films (Eggshells & The Heisters) and a 100 page book. This is Dennis Hopper's least favorite film he's ever worked on and my favorite film of Tobe Hooper's career, I'll be dropping some money for this one for sure.

If you plan on picking this one up, preorder it now because like the other Arrow titles I posted about any preorders put in before August 12th will be discounted. It's actually a pretty substantial discount for this title, it's currently listed at £19.99 if you order before 8/12, if you order after that it jumps up to £34.99.


Lick this press release, you dog dick!

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow
Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Overview: AFTER A DECADE OF SILENCE... THE BUZZZ IS BACK!

In 1974, Tobe Hooper quite literally changed the face of horror with his landmark film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Although the hulking Leatherface and his trusty power tool left an indelible mark upon the cinematic landscape, it wouldn’t be until 1986 that the buzz came back… in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2!

Relocating the cannibalistic Sawyer clan to a cavernous, labyrinthian dwelling beneath an amusement park, Hooper’s deliciously demented sequel sees Leatherface and Co. continue their murderous exploits afresh. This time around, local DJ Stretch runs afoul of the Sawyers when she gets mixed up in the brutal slaying of two youngsters. Meanwhile, Lieutenant ‘Lefty’ Enright, is hell-bent on avenging the murder of his nephew Franklin in the first movie.

A cult classic in its own right, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 serves up a heady blend of gratuitous gore, socio-political critique and jet-black humour – whilst Dennis Hopper’s unhinged turn as Lefty needs to be seen to be believed! Whichever way you skin it, Leatherface’s second cinematic outing is an uncompromisingly delirious vision from one of horror’s great directors.

3-DISC LIMITED EDITION SET FEATURES:
-High Definition digital transfers of three Tobe Hooper films
-Original uncompressed audio tracks for all films
-Limited Edition Packaging, newly illustrated by Justin Erickson
-Individually Numbered #/10,000 Certificate
-Exclusive Limited Edition Extras

DISC 1 – THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation from a digital transfer supervised by Director of Photography Richard Kooris
-Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Audio commentary with director and co-writer Tobe Hooper, moderated by David Gregory
-Audio commentary with stars Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special-effects legend Tom Savini, moderated by Michael Felsher
-“It Runs in the Family” – A documentary looking at the genesis, making-of and enduring appeal of Hooper’s film. With interviews including star Bill Johnson, co-writer L. M. Kit Carson, Richard Kooris, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Tom Savini, Production Designer Cary White and more!
-Alternate Opening sequence with different musical score
-Deleted scenes
-“Still Feelin' the Buzz” - Interview with horror expert Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA
-Original Trailer

DISC 2 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 3 [DVD] – TOBE HOOPER’S EARLY WORKS – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition (DVD) presentation of two of Tobe Hooper’s early works, available on home video for the first time in the world
-The Heisters (1964) Tobe Hooper’s early short film restored in HD from original elements [10 mins]
-Eggshells (1969) Tobe Hooper’s debut feature restored in HD from original elements [90 mins]
-Audio Commentary on Eggshells by Tobe Hooper
-In Conversation with Tobe Hooper - The legendary horror director speaks about his career from Eggshells to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
-Trailer Reel of all the major works by Tobe Hooper

100-PAGE BOOK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
-Exclusive perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, an overview of the Chainsaw franchise by Joel Harley and an investigation of Tobe Hooper’s three-picture Cannon deal by Calum Waddell, illustrated with archive stills and posters with more to be announced!

Arrow's Full List of Lifeforce Bonus Material

Arrow Video has just posted the final specs to their September 30th release of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. Speaking in terms of bonus features it looks like they've managed to outdo the very loaded Scream release by a couple of extras. US fans should be aware that the Arrow release, like all of their recent releases, is Region B locked. Here's a look at the list of features:

2-Disc Blu-ray Special Edition Special Features:
- Limited Edition SteelBook packaging
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of both the Theatrical and International Versions, transferred from original elements by MGM with supervision by director Tobe Hooper
- Optional uncompressed 2.0 Stereo PCM and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround Sound
- Isolated Music and Effects Sound Track
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with Tobe Hooper, moderated by filmmaker Tim Sullivan
- Audio commentary with Academy Award-winning visual effects artist Douglas Smith, moderated by filmmaker and scholar Howard S. Berger
- Audio commentary with make-up effects artist Nick Maley, moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher
- Cannon Fodder: The Making of Lifeforce - An epic UK-exclusive look at the genesis, production and release of Lifeforce featuring interviews with Hooper, producer Michael J. Kagan, editor John Grover, actors Aubrey Morris and Nicholas Ball, makeup artist Sandra Exelby, screenwriter Michael Armstrong, sound designer Vernon Messenger, artistic designers Tom Adams and Douglas Smith and effects artist John Schoonraad
- Space Vampires in London: An interview with Tobe Hooper
- Dangerous Beauty: An interview with Mathilda May, Lifeforce’s iconic star
- Carlsen’s Curse: Star Steve Railsback looks back on Lifeforce and his career
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by science fiction expert Bill Warren, a new interview with Oscar-winning visual effects artist John Dykstra by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters


Preorder it from Arrow today.

Hitting Shelves 6.18.13

Here are a few titles releasing today that I recommend picking up.

American Mary - Brilliant but perpetually broke college student Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) performs underground body modification surgeries to pay for school. From Canada's own Soska Twins. The Blu-ray is currently only $13 on Amazon. Check out my review here. I reviewed a screener copy that included no bonus features, here are the specs and features of this release:

The Blu-ray release of American Mary features a 1080p video presentation and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Extras include:

• Commentary with the Soska Sisters, Katharine Isabelle and Tristan Risk
• Behind the Scenes Featurette

The Joe Dante wahrwilf classic that spawned dozens of sequels finally makes it's way to Blu-ray in the US from Scream Factory. The disc contains most of the previously released DVD bonus features, plus a wealth of newly produced features. Not a Blu-ray/DVD Combo like most Scream Factory Collector's Editions, but there is a separate DVD release for those of you with no Blu-ray capabilities. Check out my review here.

Tobe Hooper's cheese-tastic space vampire epic comes to Blu-ray from Scream Factory in a loaded Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with slipcover, for those of you who care about those). The Blu-ray disc contains both cuts of the film and two audio commentaries, plus several more features. Check my review here.

Lifeforce - Scream Factory Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review

Lifeforce
With an insatiable hunger, they are coming...

Director: Tobe Hooper

Writer: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby

Stars: Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Michael Gothard

Year: 1985

Running Time: Theatrical 106 Minutes, Director's Cut 116 Minutes

Studio: Scream Factory

Region: A
Buy it on: Amazon

Tobe Hooper's space vampire epic Lifeforce hits Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory in a Collector's Edition Combo Pack. This review only covers the longer director approved cut of the film. The Blu-ray disc does include the shorter cut of the film though.

After allegedly* directing Poltergeist Tobe Hooper signed a 3-picture deal with Cannon which resulted in the films Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars and my personal favorite Hooper film Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Hooper was given a budget of $25 Million for Lifeforce which was a massive fortune for Cannon to spend on a movie. Teamed with Alien writer Dan O'Bannon (whose film Return of the Living Dead would also release in 1985) and Don Jakoby Hooper got to work on what Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus hoped would be a sci-fi spectacular that would rake in some Star Wars money. Unfortunately Lifeforce opened against and got it's ass completely kicked by Ron Howard's Cocoon and Lifeforce ended up being a bit of a flop, earning back less than half of it's budget.