As things warm up outside, things heat up in the videostore as Arrow Video and Arrow Academy release cult classics and a foreign boxset along with a few re-issues of individual Blu-rays the were in a limited edition boxsets. So as the snow melts and the flowers bloom, you can stay warm inside, press play and enjoy the weirdness and bonus features.
Donnie Darko is the time shifting tale of a high schooler and his large distorted rabbit pal. He’s told that the world will end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The film features the departed Patrick Swayze as a self-help guru. This roles was one of his finest cinematic hours not featured in Roadhouse. The Cat O’ Nine Tails: Limited Edition was Dario Argento’s follow up to Bird with the Crystal Plumage. The movie has Karl Malden (Streets of San Francisco) as a blind crossword puzzle creator who stumbles upon a murder at a company. Even with numerous suspects, there’s still bodies dropping around Italy.
Last Fall, George A. Romero Between Night and Dawn boxset arrived with three films that the zombie godfather made between Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Now all three titles are being released individually. There’s Always Vanilla was his attempt at a rebellious spirit film like Five Easy Pieces. Season of the Witch is a woman who gets bored being a housewife and dabbles in the occult. Turns out she’s not the only one in the neighborhood that likes to cast a spell or two to liven up their dreadful married life. The Crazies is Romero’s best non-zombie title as small town becomes homicidal when a military project goes wrong. A few residents have to escape for their lives. All five of these titles have already been reviewed at InsidePulse.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space is the Chiodo brothers at their finest. Aliens arrive to invade the Earth. But instead of being creatures from outer space, they take the form of clowns. So this film covers a lot of phobias. It’s a film that throws back to the Creature Double Feature days.
Robert Altman’s Images came out during the middle of his hot streak of M*A*S*H* to Nashville. Susannah York (Superman II) is a child’s book author losing touch with reality at her country home. René Auberjonois (Benson and Star Trek: Deep Space Nin) is her husband who can’t figure out what’s going on. It’s almost a science fiction tale as time and places constantly change up. York wrote the novel and co-wrote the script with Altman. It didn’t get much of a release back in 1972 so this is a revival. An even bigger revival is Sacha Guitry: Four Films 1936-1938: Limited Edition brings back the early works of the French filmmaker, playwright and actor. Indiscretions deals with the hypocrisy of a Holy Roller doctor. My Father Was Right centers of a man forced to raise his child after his wife runs off with another guy. Let s Dream is all about relationship mistrust. Up the Champs-Élysée is about streets in Paris and lets Guitry tackle a few roles. This is a great chance to discover a filmmaker who never got mentioned in the international cinema courses I took.
Along with Blu-rays, Arrow is releasing soundtracks for previous releases including Erik the Conqueror and Death Walks on High Heels. Plus a book on The Blair Witch Project, the first film to take advantage of the internet to truly sell a massive horror concept. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video:
New from Arrow Video US and Arrow Academy US
DONNIE DARKO [Blu-ray+ DVD] (3/6)
THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS – LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (3/6)
THE CRAZIES [Blu-ray] (3/13)
SEASON OF THE WITCH [Blu-ray] (3/13)
THERE’S ALWAYS VANILLA [Blu-ray] (3/13)
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE [Blu-ray] (3/27)
ROBERT ALTMAN’S IMAGES [Blu-ray] (3/20)
SACHA GUITRY: FOUR FILMS 1936-1938 LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (3/27)
ERIK THE CONQUEROR (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (3/9)
DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (3/9)
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT by Russell Gomm (Book) (3/20)
via MVD Entertainment Group
March into spring with 11 new releases from Arrow!
Get the new month started with Richard Kelly’s early 2000’s classic, Donnie Darko, available on both Blu-ray and DVD from Arrow Video. This story of a troubled teenager with vision of a deranged rabbit manipulating him into a series of crimes features an all star cast and quickly became a cult icon. When the world comes to and end you can breathe a sigh of relief because you have Donnie to look forward to.
Shifting gears from classic American and into Italian giallo, Arrow Video serves up another dish from the maestro Dario Argento with The Cat O’ Nine Tales available on limited edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack. After reinventing the giallo with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage in 1970, Argento proved be was no fluke a year later with this followup about a newspaper reporter and retired blind journalist that work together to solve a series of murders.
Fans of George Romero will be pleased to get their hands on some of the Zombie King’s non-dead titles with individual Blu-ray releases of There’s Always Vanilla, Season of the Witch and The Crazies. While these three films don’t have quite the same notoriety as Romero’s series of dead films, they are important pieces of work that highlight the versatility he had as a director. And yes, they still take place in the Pittsburgh area.
Clowns are creepy all on their own, but send clowns from outer space with a thirst for blood and you’ve got nightmare fuel. Well, the Chiodo Brothers are more than happy to gas up your tiny car with Killer Klowns From Outer Space, coming to Blu-ray from Arrow Video. This 80’s cult favorite has been both frightful and delightful for fans for 30 years. If you think death by cotton candy cocoon is bad wait until you find out that in space no one can eat ice cream!
Arrow Academy will also make their presence felt in March with two new releases of their own. First up is Robert Altman’s Images. This story of affairs, paranoia and hallucinations stars Susannah York and was based off a novel, “In Search of Unicorns,” that she wrote. The second and final release from Arrow Academy will be Sacha Guitry: Four Films 1936-1938 Limited Edition [Blu-ray + DVD]. This set, as the titles suggests, contains four films from the French filmmaker, playwright and actor.
For the film fan looking to up their collection with something other than movies, Arrow has you covered there as well. Coming to vinyl for the first time will be Erik the Conqueror (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) from composer Roberto Nicolosi. The rousing score will be released on limited, translucent yellow, double-vinyl presented on 180 gram wax. Also making the leap to vinyl will be Stelvio Cipriani’s Death Walks On High Heels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). An underrated composer, Cipriani’s giallo score combines jarring, staccato suspense themes with luxurious lounge jazz arrangements.
And finally bringing the month to the close is The Blair Witch Project from filmmaker/author Russell Gomm. This new book takes a look at the phenomena of The Blair Witch Project through the eyes of a fan that was captivated by the film’s unusual marketing campaign. Gomm uncovers the production history of the film and follows it up through the smashing success that it became.
Donnie Darko
I WANT YOU TO WATCH THE MOVIE SCREEN. THERE’S SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 34.95
Street Date: 03/06/18
Label: Arrow Video
Language: English
Run Time: 113 mins
The Cat O’ Nine Tails [Blu-ray + DVD Limited Edition]
Following the success of his debut feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, distributor Titanus tasked writer/director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as “nine times more suspenseful” than its predecessor, was The Cat O’ Nine Tails.
BLU-RAY DISC
SRP: 49.95
Street Date: 03/06/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Horror
Language: Italian
Run Time: 112 mins
Crazies, The
When a plane carrying a secret biological weapon crash-lands in the vicinity of a small, rural town, the area descends into chaos. Infected with a virus that sends them into a homicidal frenzy, the locals turn on each other in an orgy of bloody violence.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 34.95
Street Date: 03/13/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Language: English
Run Time: 103 mins
Season Of The Witch
On the surface, Joan Mitchell has it all – family, friends, and a beautiful home equipped with all the latest appliances. But when a neighbour educates her on the practice of witchcraft, Joan believes she’s discovered the perfect antidote to her monotonous suburban existence, and embarks upon a dark path that will lead to a shocking conclusion.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 34.95
Street Date: 03/13/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Language: English
Run Time: 130 mins
There’s Always Vanilla
When young drifter Chris meets beautiful model Lynn by a chance occurrence, the pair hit it off and a romantic relationship ensues. But with their wildly contrasting outlooks on life, it soon becomes clear that the coupling is doomed from the outset.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 34.95
Street Date: 03/13/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Language: English
Run Time: 93 mins
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
When Mike and his girlfriend Debbie warn the local police that a gang of homicidal alien-clowns have landed in the nearby area (in a spaceship shaped like a circus big-top, no less), the cops are naturally sceptical. Before long however, reports are coming in from other anxious residents detailing similar run-ins with the large-shoed assailants.
bonus features include:
Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Newly remastered stereo 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Archive audio commentary with the Chiodo Brothers
Let the Show Begin! Anatomy of a Killer Theme Song an all-new interview with the original members of the American punk band, The Dickies
The Chiodos Walk Among Us: Adventures in Super 8 Filmmaking – all-new documentary highlighting the making of the Chiodo Brothers childhood films, from the giant monster epics made in their basement to their experiments in college
New HD transfers of the complete collection of the Chiodo Brothers 8mm and Super 8 films, including Land of Terror, Free Inside, Beast from the Egg, and more!
Tales of Tobacco an interview with star Grant Cramer
Debbie s Big Night an interview with star Suzanne Snyder
Bringing Life to These Things a tour of Chiodo Bros. Productions
The Making of Killer Klowns archive production featurette
Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr. archive interview with co-writer/producer Charles Chiodo and visual effects supervisor Gene Warren Jr.
Kreating Klowns archive interview with Charles Chiodo and creature fabricator Dwight Roberts
Komposing Klowns archive interview with composer John Massari
Klown Auditions
Deleted Scenes with filmmaker s audio commentary
Bloopers
Image Galleries
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
BLU-RAY
SRP: 39.95
Street Date: 03/27/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Language: English
Run Time: 86
Robert Altman’s Images
Originally conceived in the mid-sixties, Images concerns a pregnant children’s author (Susannah York, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival) whose husband (Rene Auberjonois) may or may not be having an affair. While on vacation in Ireland, her mental state becomes increasingly unstable resulting in paranoia, hallucinations and visions of a doppelgänger.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 39.95
Street Date: 03/20/18
Label: Arrow Academy
Genre: Cult
Language: English
Run Time: 101 mins
Sacha Guitry: Four Films 1936-1938 Limited Edition [Blu-ray + DVD]
Four Films 1936-1938 brings together a quartet of 1930s features by Sacha Guitry, the celebrated French filmmaker, playwright and actor of the stage and screen, each based on his earlier works.
BLU-RAY
SRP: 69.95
Street Date: 03/27/18
Label: Arrow Academy
Genre: Cult
Language: French
Run Time: 363 mins
Erik The Conqueror (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Previously unpublished on vinyl, Roberto Nicolosi’s rousing film score evokes romance and adventure with a selection of compelling and varied musical cues that truly bring Bava’s Viking spectacle to life. This limited, translucent yellow, double-vinyl edition has been newly mastered from the original analogue tapes by James Plotkin and is presented on 180 gram wax, housed inside a 350gsm sleeve.
VINYL ALBUM
SRP: 39.99
Street Date: 03/09/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Soundtrack
Language: English
Run Time: 80 mins
Death Walks On High Heels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Scored and conducted by Stelvio Cipriani, a prolific and underrated composer who worked across a variety of genres with directors including Sergio Martino, Jose Larraz and Mario Bava, Death Walks is a majestic giallo soundtrack combining jarring, staccato suspense themes with luxurious lounge jazz arrangements.
VINYL ALBUM
SKU: AR005
UPC: 5027035017761
SRP: 39.99
Street Date: 03/09/18
PreBook Date: 02/02/18
Label: Arrow Records
Genre: Soundtrack
Language: English
Run Time: 80 mins
Russell Gomm – The Blair Witch Project
Film-maker Russ Gomm takes a look at the phenomena of The Blair Witch Project through the eyes of a fan who was captivated by the unusual promotional strategy that led up to the release. This book takes a trip back in time to the 1990s to uncover the history of the production of the film including a unique making of and its path to success.
BOOK
SRP: 24.95
Street Date: 03/20/18
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
