Welcome to Bury Me In Blu-Rays, our new ongoing feature to make sure that you, our beloved Grindhouse readership, stay on top of all of the coolest pressed plastic to be released in the coming months from some of our favorite DVD imprints. Today focuses on Arrow Video, which had a great year of releases in 2015, thanks to some strong curation and its first tentative steps into US distribution. Come springtime, it looks like they’re going to keep that trend going with a great bunch of releases, with stuff ranging from a gangster epic, a movie about killer yogurt, a sequel to one of the greatest horror movies of all time, some under-seen cult classics and a box set that looks on par with the recently released BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY.
The full slate is as follows, split by region coding, along with some select ramblings, marked [PS] to indicate yours truly, Patrick Smith.
US ONLY RELEASES
DILLINGER (1973)
John Milius is one of the great unsung heroes of the new Hollywood movement, who had a hand in everything from JAWS, DIRTY HARRY, and APOCALYPSE NOW. But with DILLINGER, Milius took his first step towards becoming a director himself, and gave Warren Oates in one of his best roles. [PS]
NOBODY DID IT LIKE DILLINGER!
The runaway success of Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 proved massively influential: it made stars of Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, introduced a new form of violence to the movies, and inspired a stream of imitators, including Bloody Mama, Martin Scorsese’s Boxcar Bertha and the directorial debut of John Milius, Dillinger.
Milius presents John Dillinger as an almost mythical figure, tracing the rise and fall of the Depression era’s Public Enemy Number One as he takes on the banks and the G-men, led by the infamous Melvin Purvis.
Starring Sam Peckinpah favourites Warren Oates and Ben Johnson as Dillinger and Purvis, and with a supporting cast including Harry Dean Stanton, Richard Dreyfuss and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, Dillinger is a top drawer gangster picture: explosive, stylish and hugely entertaining.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 2K restoration of the film from original film materials
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the film
- Original mono soundtrack (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema and Screening Violence
- Newly-filmed interview with producer Lawrence Gordon
- Newly-filmed interview with director of photography Jules Brenner
- Newly-filmed interview with composer Barry De Vorzon
- Stills gallery
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
- Collector’s booklet containing new writing by Kim Newman on fictional portrayals of John Dillinger, plus an on-set report containing interviews with writer-director John Milius and others, illustrated with original production stills
THE STUFF (1985)
Larry Cohen [BONE, GOD TOLD ME TO, Q: THE WINGED SERPENT] is, to me, maybe the best writer whoever worked in genre films. Sure, it doesn’t always hit the mark, but he’s relentlessly creative and tends to pack his scripts with more social commentary than would ever occur to another writer given the same subject matter. THE STUFF is a masterpiece in that regard, and a pretty phenomenal critique on consumerism and any number of food crazes that we’re still seeing to this day. [PS]
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 restoration of the film from a brand new 2K scan of the original camera negative
- Original stereo 2.0 uncompressed PCM Mono audio
- 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
DUAL UK/US RELEASES
YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (1972)
Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale “The Black Cat”, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, from director Sergio Martino (Torso), weaves the key motifs from Poe’s gothic yarn into one of the most sensual films from the Golden era of giallo.
Luigi Pistilli (Milano Calibro 9, A Bay of Blood) plays writer Oliviero, an abrasive drunk who amuses himself by holding drunken orgies at his grand country manor – much to the displeasure of his long-suffering wife (Anita Strindberg). But this decadence is soon rocked by a series of grisly murders, in which Oliviero finds himself implicated.
Notable for giving screen starlet Edwige Fenech her first “bad girl” role, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, with its many unexpected twists and turns, is just as bewitching as its title would suggest.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in DTS-HD mono audio (Blu-ray only)
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (DVD only)
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Through the Keyhole – a brand new interview with director Sergio Martino
- Unveiling the Vice – making-of retrospective featuring interviews with Martino, star Edwige Fenech and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
- Dolls of Flesh and Blood: The Gialli of Sergio Martino – a visual essay by Michael Mackenzie exploring the director’s unique contributions to the giallo genre
- The Strange Vices of Ms. Fenech – film historian Justin Harries on the Your Vice actress’ prolific career
- Eli Roth on Your Vice and the genius of Martino
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
THE BLACK CAT (1981)
From Italy’s own Godfather of Gore Lucio Fulci (Zombie, The Gates of Hell) comes The Black Cat – a gruesome reimagining of the classic Edgar Allan Poe tale starring Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange) and Mimsy Farmer (The Perfume of the Lady in Black).
When a young couple goes missing in a sleepy English village, Scotland Yard Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck, The Beyond) is brought in to assist on the case. But what starts off as routine investigation turns into a murder inquiry when the couple are found dead in mysterious circumstances.
Fusing a classically gothic atmosphere with the decidedly more visceral elements that are the hallmark of Fulci’s films, The Black Cat is a too-often overlooked and underrated entry in the Italian master filmmaker’s canon.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in DTS-HD mono audio (Blu-ray only)
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (DVD only)
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and Fangoria editor Chris Alexander
- From Poe into Fulci: The Spirit of Perverseness – film historian Stephen Thrower on Fulci’s Poe-tinged classic
- In the Paw-Prints of The Black Cat – a look at the original Black Cat locations
- Frightened Dagmar – a brand new career interview with actress Dagmar Lassander
- At Home with David Warbeck – an archive interview with the Black Cat star
- Original Theatrical Trailer
OUTLAW: GANGSTER VIP COLLECTION
In 1968, acclaimed director Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife, Tora! Tora! Tora!) and rising star Tetsuya Watari (Tokyo Drifter) teamed up for Outlaw: Gangster VIP, a gritty yakuza yarn based on the writings of real life ex-gangster Goro Fujita.
The series offers up a depiction of the Japanese underworld that was unprecedented in its realism and its sympathetic portrayal of its protagonist as a man haunted by his past, unable to escape a life of crime. The success of the initial instalment spawned five sequels, continuing the story of the lone wolf “Slasher” Goro and his quest for redemption.
The films presented a new kind of realism and violence that would prefigure Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, with their winning combination of brutal violence, gang warfare and sweeping romance, these films make for a unique and unforgettable viewing experience.
The set includes six films in the Outlaw series released for the first time in the west: Gangster VIP, Gangster VIP 2, Heartless, Goro the Assassin, Black Dagger, and Kill!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Edition Box Set (3000 copies) containing all six films in the Outlaw series, available with English subtitles for the first time on any home video format
- High Definition digital transfers of all six films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Newly translated English subtitles
- Audio commentary on Outlaw: Gangster VIP by Jasper Sharp
- Visual essay covering the entire series by Kevin Gilvear
- Original trailers for all six films
- Extensive promotional image galleries for all six films
- Exclusive gatefold packaging featuring brand new artwork by Tonci Zonjic
- Booklet featuring an interview with director Toshio Masuda by Mark Schilling, plus new writing by Schilling, Chris D and Kevin Gilvear
THE ZERO BOYS (1986)
DAWN OF A NEW BREED OF HEROES
From cult director Nico Mastorakis, the man behind such eclectic offerings as the controversial Island of Death and the Oliver Reed-starring actioner Hired to Kill, comes The Zero Boys – the genre-bending ’80s classic with gruesome sequences that anticipate the torture porn horrors of Hostel and Saw.
For a group of young friends, a weekend of survival games in the wilderness turns into a genuine battle of life and death when one of their number turns up dead. Finding themselves hunted by a bloodthirsty band of maniacs intent on slaughtering them one-by-one, the self-styled “Zero Boys” must now play their war games for real.
Starring Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall) and featuring an early score from the legendary Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy), The Zero Boys mixes action, survival and all-out slasher movie elements in a thrilling horror yarn that falls somewhere between Friday the 13th and Deliverance.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 2K restoration of the film, approved by writer-director Nico Mastorakis
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original Stereo audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio Commentary with star Kelli Maroney, moderated by Shock Till You Drop’s Chris Alexander
- Nico Mastorakis on… Nico Mastorakis – brand new interview with Mastorakis on the making of The Zero Boys
- Brand new interview with star Kelli Maroney
- Brand new interview with star Nicole Rio
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Stills Gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver
BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR (1989)
RE-ANIMATOR is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it means a lot to me when I say BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR comes very close to meeting the highs of its predecessor. Producer-turned-director Brian Yuzna creates a film that would very much come to represent the strengths he would build on over the course of an increasingly eclectic career but if nothing else it’s still a thrill to get to see Jeffrey Combs put on the labcoat again. [PS]
DATE. MATE. RE-ANIMATE.
The success of Stuart Gordon’s hit horror-comedy Re-animator meant that a sequel was all but inevitable. The resulting follow-up, Bride of Re-animator – this time helmed by director Brian Yuzna (Society, Return of the Living Dead 3) – would prove that there was a good deal more life left in the story of Dr. Herbert West and his ghoulish exploits.
It is 8 years since the Miskatonic massacre. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan’s dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong?
With special effects master Screaming Mad George (the man behind the infamous “shunting” sequence in Society) on hand to contribute a host of characteristically weird and wonderful creations – including zombified bats and a one-eyed finger spider – Bride of re-animator is a more than worthy successor to Gordon’s original cult classic.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restorations of the Unrated and R-rated versions of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
- Limited Edition Collector’s Booklet
- Limited Edition Packaging to be revealed
DISCS 1 & 2 – BLU-RAY/DVD – UNRATED VERSION
- Brand new 2K restoration of the Unrated version
- Brand new audio commentary with Brian Yuzna
- Audio Commentary with Brian Yuzna, star Jeffrey Combs, visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone and the effects team including John Buechler, Mike Deak, Bob Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George
- Audio Commentary with stars Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott
- Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride of Re-animator – brand new featurette in which the director looks back at the making of the first Re-animator sequel
- Splatter Masters: The Special Effects Artists of Bride of Re-animator – Brand new FX featurette with a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George, Tony Doublin and John Buechler
- Getting Ahead in Horror – archive making-of featurette
- Deleted Scenes
DISC 3 – BLU-RAY – R-RATED VERSION
- Brand new 2K restoration of the R-rated version
UK ONLY RELEASES
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VAN KANT (1972)
Originally written and produced as a stage play, in transferring The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant to the big screen Rainer Werner Fassbinder created another masterpiece to rank alongside a string of cinematic classics.
Petra von Kant, with two marriages behind her and an absent daughter, is a successful fashion designer. She lives with her secretary, the repressed and subservient Marlene, who will form the second point in a tragic ménage à trois when Petra meets and falls hopelessly in love with a confident young model named Karin.
Harking back to the women’s pictures of Hollywood’s yesteryear, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is a magnificent showcase for Fassbinder’s female stars. Margit Carstensen (as Petra), Irm Hermann (as Marlene) and Hanna Schygulla (as Karin) deliver outstanding performances, three of the finest the cinema has ever seen.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 4K restoration from original camera negatives
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Commentary by filmmaker and lecturer Diane Charleson
- Life Stories: A Conversation with R.W. Fassbinder, a 50-minute interview with the director conducted for German television in 1978
- Role-Play: Women on Fassbinder, a 1992 documentary containing interviews with four of the director’s leading ladies, Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla and Rosel Zech
THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (1979)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s penultimate film of the seventies was also his most successful. Popular with audiences and critics alike, among them Roger Ebert and François Truffaut, The Marriage of Maria Braun finally provided its director with the international breakthrough he had craved for so long.
Maria Braun marries a young soldier amid the Allied bombing raids of World World II the day before he must return to the Russian front. Awaiting his return in 1945, she is informed of his death and must endure and navigate the post-war years alone. Mirroring the German Wirtschaftswunder (‘economic miracle’), she determinedly rises to prosperity as a self-made woman.
Centred on an astonishing performance from Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla in the lead role, The Marriage of Maria Braun took over four million Deutschmarks in its home country and made over a million dollars in the US. Such success proved influential too – without it we would likely never have seen Helma Sanders-Brahms’s Germany, Pale Mother or Edgar Reitz’s epic Heimat.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 4K restoration from original camera negatives
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Life, Love & Celluloid, a 1998 feature-length documentary on Fassbinder, written and directed by his regular editor, Juliane Lorenz
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1977, a candid 30-minute interview with the director
- The Fassbinder Family, an all-new featurette detailing the actors who worked with Fassbinder time and again throughout his career
THREE BROTHERS (1981)
Francesco Rosi established himself as one of the greatest chroniclers of Italy’s stormy postwar history with such riveting classics as Salvatore Giuliano, The Mattei Affair and Illustrious Corpses. Three Brothers (Tre fratelli) explores similarly knotty social and political territory through the seemingly straightforward story of three siblings returning to their native southern Italy to pay homage to their late mother. However, their various professions – a judge in Rome (Philippe Noiret), a spiritual counsellor in Naples (Vittorio Mezzogiorno), a factory worker in Turin (Michele Placido) – have a profound effect on their response to this reunion.
Although Oscar-nominated at the time, Three Brothers has never previously been released on any video format in the UK. Arrow Academy is proud to present it here in a brand new 2K restoration.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional newly translated English subtitles
- Archival interview with Francesco Rosi
- Original theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
- Booklet featuring an essay by Millicent Marcus, a 1981 interview with Rosi and a selection of contemporary reviews (first printing only)
— PATRICK SMITH.
Tags: arrow video, Blu-ray, dvd, New Releases
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