Arrow is making April special with several Blu-ray releases that will bring a smile to a cult film fanatic. First up is a boxset of Donnie Darko that includes both theatrical and director’s cut. There’s also a pile of bonus features that will last until summer hits. House: Two Stories is a boxset with the first two films in the series. Thrill to when William Katt (The Greatest American Hero) gets haunted. Django Prepare a Coffin is another serving of spaghetti western with Terence Hill pulling the trigger. There’s even more titles as you’ll read in this press release from MVD Entertainment Group:
MVD Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the US with several titles for April 2017. On April 18th comes The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave (Blu-ray and DVD) and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (Blu-ray and DVD), two giallo chillers from director Emilio P. Miraglia which were previously only available in the limited edition box set entitled Killer Dames. Miraglian blends the grisly whodunnit of the giallo with gothic and supernatural elements to create some truly unique chills in tales of revenge from beyond the grave and killer curses.
One of Emilio P. Miraglia’s supernatural, gothic gialli, The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave delivers classic suspense with ghostly chills and creeping atmosphere, released in a stunning new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is Emilio P. Miraglia’s other twist on the giallo. The new 2K restoration from the original camera negative shows off this bloodthirsty whodunnit in all it’s glory.
Now on to the rest…
CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 11th)
Arrow Video presents a collaboration between two giants of Italian cult cinema – Riccardo Freda (The Vampires, The Horrible Dr Hichcock) and Mario Bava (Five Dolls for an August Moon, Blood and Black Lace)!
A team of archaeologists led by Dr John Fielding (John Merivale, Circus of Horrors) descends on the ruins of an ancient Mayan city to investigate the mysterious disappearance of its inhabitants. However, the luckless explorers get more than they bargained for when their investigation of a sacrificial pool awakens the monster that dwells beneath its waters – the fearsome and malevolent god Caltiki.
Though Riccardo Freda received sole directing credit, a significant portion of the film was in fact the work of Mario Bava, who also served as its cinematographer and was responsible its striking special effects. Drawing on a diverse array of influences, from The Quatermass Experiment to the works of HP Lovecraft, Caltiki the Immortal Monster is a unique and unforgettable sci-fi chiller which showcases these two legendary filmmakers at their most inventive. Presented here for the first time in a newly restored high definition transfer, Caltiki shines – and terrifies! – like never before.
FEATURES
– Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
– Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
– Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
– New audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark
– New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava and So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
– From Quatermass to Caltiki, a new discussion with author and critic Kim Newman on the influence of classic monster movies on Caltiki
– Riccardo Freda, Forgotten Master, an archival interview with critic Stefano Della Casa
– The Genesis of Caltiki, an archival interview with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi
– Archival introduction to the film by Stefano Della Casa
– Alternate opening titles for the US version
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger and Roberto Curti
SPECS
SKU: AV086
UPC: 760137985884
Street Date: 04/11/17
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 76 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1959
Director: Riccardo Freda, Mario Bava
Actors: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan
Territory: US
Language: Italian
Pre-order at the MVD SHOP or on Amazon
DJANGO PREPARE A COFFIN [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 11th)
Django the drifter returns in this classic sixties Spaghetti Western from Ferdinando Baldi (Texas Addio, Comin’ At Ya!), starring Terence Hill (They Call Me Trinity) as the wandering gunslinger, hired as executioner to a corrupt local politician who is framing innocent men, sending them to hang in an evil scheme to take hold of their land. But Django has other ideas and, cleverly faking the deaths of the condemned men, he assembles them into a loyal gang who’ll help him take down the boss, a man who had a hand in the death of Django’s wife years before.
Thrill as Django gets his bloody revenge with a hail of bullets in this classic from a series of B-movie western that helped to define a genre. Prepare your coffin now!
FEATURES
– New High Definition digital transfer of the film in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio
– Optional English and Italian audio tracks
– Newly translated English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH for the deaf and hard of hearing on the English audio
– Django Explained, a new interview with Spaghetti Western expert and author Kevin Grant
Original Trailer
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet by critic and Spaghetti Western expert Howard Hughes
SPECS
SKU: AV085
UPC: 760137986188
Street Date: 04/11/17
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Western
Run Time: 92 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1968
Director: Ferdinando Baldi
Actors: Terence Hill, Horst Frank
Territory: US
Language: Italian
Pre-order at the MVD SHOP or on Amazon
DONNIE DARKO LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 18th)
Fifteen years before Stranger Things combined science-fiction, Spielberg-ian touches and 80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Richard Kelly set the template – and the high-water mark – with his debut feature, Donnie Darko. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium.
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. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank’s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum.
Described by its director as “The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick”, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast – pre-stardom Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, heartthrob Patrick Swayze, former child star Drew Barrymore, Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Katherine Ross, and television favourite Noah Wyle – and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. This brand-new 4K restoration, carried out exclusively for this release by Arrow Films, allows a modern classic to finally receive the home video treatment it deserves.
FEATURES
– Brand new 4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut from the original camera negatives produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of both cuts
– Original 5.1 audio
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Audio commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal on the Theatrical Cut
– Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval on the Theatrical Cut
– Audio commentary by Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith on the Director’s Cut
– Brand-new interviews with Richard Kelly and others
– The Goodbye Place, Kelly’s 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and ideas of his feature films
– The Donnie Darko Production Diary, an archival documentary charting the film’s production with optional commentary by cinematographer Steven Poster
– Twenty deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
– Archive interviews with Kelly, actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Noah Wyle and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala, and cinematographer Steven Poster
– Three archive featurettes: They Made Me Do It, They Made Me Do It Too and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary
– Storyboard comparisons
– B-roll footage
– Cunning Visions infomercials
– Music Video: Mad World by Gary Jules
– Galleries
– Trailers
– TV spots
– Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by Nathan Rabin
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp
SPECS
SKU: AV087
UPC: 760137986287
Street Date: 04/18/17
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Run Time: 113 mins
Number of Discs: 4
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 2001
Director: Richard Kelly
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone
Territory: US
Language: English
Pre-order at the MVD SHOP or on Amazon
WOLF GUY [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 25th)
Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba is a martial arts “manimal” in the ultra-70’s, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy, one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan’s Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it’s a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk.
Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers! At the same time, Inugami also discovers the truth behind his family heritage, and that he may not be the last of his kind.
Directed by B-movie genius Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Streetfighter, Wandering Ginza Butterfly, Karate Bear Fighter), Wolf Guy truly is one-of-a-kind, with Chiba in full effect as the part-man, part-wolf, all-karate action hero and a collection of familiar 1970’s Toei actors in support. Violence, action, nudity, real surgical footage, and a psychedelic musical score all work together to create an unforgettable trip to the heights of Japanese cinematic weirdness.
FEATURES
– High Definition digital transfer
– Original uncompressed mono audio
– New optional English subtitle translation
– New video interview with actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba
– New video interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
– New video interview with producer Tatsu Yoshida
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Patrick Macias and a history of Japanese monster movie mashups by Jasper Sharp
SPECS
SKU: AV088
UPC: 760137985785
Street Date: 04/25/17
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Run Time: 86 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1975
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Actors: Sonny Chiba
Territory: US
Language: Japanese
HOUSE: TWO STORIES LIMITED EDITION [HOUSE 1 & 2] on Blu-ray (April 11)
Limited to 5000 units!
Step inside, we’ve been expecting you! At long-last, Arrow Video is proud to present the first two instalments of hit horror franchise House on Blu-ray for the first time! In the original House, William Katt (Carrie) stars as Roger Cobb, a horror novelist struggling to pen his next bestseller. When he inherits his aunt’s creaky old mansion, Roger decides that he’s found the ideal place in which to get some writing done. Unfortunately, the house’s monstrous supernatural residents have other ideas…
Meanwhile, House II: The Second Story sees young Jesse (Arye Gross) moving into an old family mansion where his parents were mysteriously murdered years before. Plans for turning the place into a party pad are soon thwarted by the appearance of Jesse’s mummified great-great-grandfather, his mystical crystal skull and the zombie cowboy who’ll stop at nothing to lay his hands on it!
From the team that brought you Friday the 13th, House and House II are era-defining horror classics – now newly restored and loaded with brand new extras!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
– Brand new 2K restorations of House and House II: The Second Story
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– “The House Companion” limited edition 60-page book featuring new writing on the entire – – House franchise by researcher Simon Barber, alongside a wealth of archive material
HOUSE
– Audio commentary with director Steve Miner, producer Sean S. Cunningham, actor William – Katt and screenwriter Ethan Wiley
– Ding Dong, You’re Dead! The Making of House – brand new documentary featuring interviews with Steve Miner, Sean S. Cunningham, Ethan Wiley, story creator Fred Dekker, stars William Katt, Kay Lenz, and George Wendt, composer Harry Manfredini, special make-up and creature effects artists Barney Burman, Brian Wade, James Belohovek, Shannon Shea, Kirk Thatcher, and Bill Sturgeon, special paintings artists Richard Hescox and William Stout, and stunt coordinator Kane Hodder
– Stills Gallery
– Theatrical Trailers
HOUSE II: THE SECOND STORY
– Audio commentary with writer-director Ethan Wiley and producer Sean S. Cunningham
– It’s Getting Weirder! The Making of House II: The Second Story – Brand new documentary featuring interviews with Ethan Wiley, Sean S. Cunningham, stars Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Lar Park Lincoln, and Devin DeVasquez, composer Harry Manfredini, special make-up and creature effects artists Chris Walas, Mike Smithson, visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, and stunt coordinator Kane Hodder
– Stills Gallery
– Theatrical Trailer
SPECS
SKU: AV084
UPC: 760137976486
Street Date: 04/11/17
Label: Arrow Video
Genre: Cult
Run Time: 93 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1986
Director: Steve Miner, Ethan Wiley
Actors: William Katt, George Wendt, Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark
Territory: US
Language: English
SRP: $59.95
