July is approaching and that’s the time for fireworks. Arrow Video is providing plenty of bang with four titles coming out this month including two boxsets and a Giallo legend getting upgraded to 4K UHD. First off is Threshold which came out last year. The movie is about a girl who begs her brother to take her on a trip to track a person that she was tied to during a strange ritual. It’s a simmering horror film with quite a jolts as we learn about what she went through and how it’s connected her with the mysterious other guy. The big upgrade is Dario Argento’s The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. While this wasn’t the first Giallo movie, it was the film that finally made the genre hot across Europe leading to a hundred killer mysteries that were produced in Italy in the early ’70s. An American writer has to track down a mysterious killer who lurks around Rome. Argento immediately became a director of note was his film packed theaters and even played in America. Now all the scares around getting kicked up in resolution so you can watch it properly on your 4K TV.

The Daimajin Trilogy boxes together all three films featuring the statuesque creation. Instead of being about a radioactive lizard or turtle, Daimajin is a giant statue that comes to life to smash those who do his people wrong. Except he might smash things he shouldn’t be smashing. The three films were made at the same time so there wasn’t time for anyone to screw up the character and make him the friend of children. The three films are the perfect mixture of Samurai and giant monsters. Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns goes deep into the world of Spaghetti Westerns. Lucio Fulci’s Massacre Time is directed by the legendary Lucio Fulci. While you’re used to him making horror films, Fulci spent his time around horses with Franco Nero (Django). My Name is Pecos is Robert Woods’ big character of Pecos, a Mexican hero. Bandidos allowed Massimo Dallamano to sit in the director’s chair after being the cinematographer on Fist Full of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More. He’d go on to direct What Have You Done to Solange? and What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Dallamano keeps up the tension in this western about a man falsely busted for a train robbery who wants revenge. And God Said to Cain from director Antonio Margheiti is listed by Alex Cox as one of the must see Spaghetti Westerns in his book 10,000 Ways To Die. Klaus Kinski goes after the guys who framed him. This is a fine boxset for people wanting to get deeper into the Spaghetti Western genre.

Here’s the press release from Arrow Video with all the bonus feature details:

Threshold A curse tests the bonds of blood on a cross country road trip that will ravage their souls if the spell can’t be broken List Price: $39.95   When a phone call from out of the blue brings Leo (Joey Millin) back into contact with his sister, Virginia (Madison West), long estranged from her family due to years of drug abuse, he arrives to find her alone in a bare apartment in the midst of an apparent overdose. After the convulsions and nausea subside, Virginia insists to Leo that she has been clean for 8 months due to the help of a mysterious group. She confides to her cynical brother that her edginess and paranoia actually stem from a sinister ritual conducted by the group that took her in at her lowest and eventually revealed themselves to be a cult. This curse bound her emotions and physical sensations to a man she has never met before. With his marriage on the rocks, Leo has his own demons to face. Nonetheless, he is reluctantly persuaded by Virginia to embark on a cross-country road trip to track down this shadowy stranger under the caveat that if he’s nowhere to be found and it’s all in her head, she’ll go to rehab. However, as their date with destiny draws nearer, Leo begins to suspect his sister’s tall tale might have some substance. Threshold, the second feature from co-directors Powell Robinson and Patrick R Young, following their debut Bastard (2015), was improvised and shot on two iPhones over the course of a 12-day road trip with a crew of just three. The result is an inventive and compelling psychological thriller with hints of the supernatural that recalls such indie cult classics as Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (2011) and Justin Benson And Aaron Moorhead’s Resolution (2013). Bonus Materials High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R. Young, producer Lauren Bates and lead actors Joey Millin and Madison West Brand new audio commentary with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R Young, and editor William Ford-Conway Crossing the Threshold, a feature-length documentary on the making of Threshold Elevating iPhone Footage: Color Correction Breakdown Something from Nothing: Indie Genre Director Roundtable moderated by Scott Weinberg with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R Young (Threshold), Brandon Espy (We Follow You), James Byrkit (Coherence), Zach Donohue (The Den) and Elle Callahan (Witch Hunt) The Power of Indie Horror – Acting for Unconventional Film roundtable discussion moderated by Zena Dixon with the actors Madison West and Joey Millin (Threshold), Kelsey Griswold (Followed), Gabrielle Walsh and Ryan Shoos The Sounds of Threshold original soundtrack Threshold original outline script Trailer and original teaser Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Coffee and Cigarettes FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage [UHD Limited Edition] IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED HOME AFTER SEEING THIS MOVIE, KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT IT’S ALL IN YOUR MIND. List Price: $59.95 In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – a film which redefined the ‘giallo’ genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom. Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, We Own the Night), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi, Funeral in Berlin) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorizing Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall, Spasmo)… A staggeringly assured debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage establishes the key traits that would define Argento’s filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive, brutal scenes of violence. With sumptuous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and a seductive score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in the West), this landmark film has never looked or sounded better in this brand new 4K Ultra HD presentation from Arrow Video! Bonus Materials New 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack Audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis, an interview with author and critic Kat Ellinger exploring the film’s themes and its relationship to both the giallo and Fredric Brown’s novel The Screaming Mimi The Power of Perception, a visual essay on the cinema of Dario Argento by Alexanda Heller-Nicholas, author of Devil’s Advocates: Suspiria, reflecting on the recurring theme of perception and the role of art in Argento’s filmography Crystal Nightmare, an interview with writer/director Dario Argento An Argento Icon, an interview with actor Gildo Di Marco Eva’s Talking, an archival interview with actor Eva Renzi Original Italian and international theatrical trailers 2017 Texas Frightmare trailer Image galleries Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Howard Hughes and Jack Seabrook, and a new essay by Rachael Nisbet Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring originally and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

The Daimajin Trilogy [Limited Edition] Behind a Mask of Stone, the Fires of Vengeance Burn! List Price: $99.95   The Daimajin Trilogy saw Daiei’s Kyoto studios bringing its own iconic movie monster to life in a unique but short-lived series that transplants the Golem legend to Japan’s Warring States period of the late-16th century. In Daimajin, directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Yokai Monsters, Zatoichi on the Road), the young son and daughter of the benevolent feudal lord Hanabusa flee to the mountains when their parents are slain by the treacherous usurper Odate. Ten years later, when the elderly priestess who has harbored them is also murdered, the rage of the slumbering ancient god that lies beneath the crumbling giant stone idol hidden deep in the forests in the mountains is invoked. In Return of Daimajin, Kenji Misumi (Tale of Zatoichi, Lone Wolf and Cub) brings his usual stylistic flourish, as the wrathful deity is roused from his new home on an island in the middle of a lake by the violent incursions of a vicious warlord. In the final film, Wrath of Daimajin, by veteran jidaigeki director Kazuo Mori, four young boys make a perilous trip to elicit the help of the ancient mountain god in freeing their family members who have been enslaved by a tyrannical lord. Remarkably overlooked in the West, these three thrilling tales of feudal oppression and divine retribution meted out by the iconic stone warrior of the title combine lavish period detail with jaw-dropping special effects. LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the three Daimajin films Lossless original Japanese and dubbed English mono audio for all films Optional English subtitles Illustrated collector’s 100 page book featuring new essays by Jonathan Clements, Keith Aiken, Ed Godziszewski, Raffael Coronelli, Erik Homenick, Robin Gatto and Kevin Derendorf Postcards featuring the original Japanese artwork for all three films Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank DISC ONE – DAIMAJIN Brand new audio commentary by Japanese film expert Stuart Galbraith IV Newly filmed introduction by critic Kim Newman Bringing the Avenging God to Life, a brand new exclusive video essay about the special effects of the Daimajin films by Japanese film historian Ed Godziszewski Alternate opening credits for the US release as Majin – The Monster of Terror Trailers for the original Japanese and US releases Image gallery DISC TWO – RETURN OF DAIMAJIN Brand new audio commentary by Japanese film experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp My Summer Holidays with Daimajin, a newly filmed interview with Professor Yoneo Ota, director of the Toy Film Museum, Kyoto Film Art Culture Research Institute, about the production of the Daimajin films at Daiei Kyoto From Storyboard to Screen: Bringing Return of Daimajin to Life, a comparison of several key scenes in Return of Daimajin with the original storyboards Alternate opening credits for the US release as Return of the Giant Majin Trailers for the original Japanese and US releases Image gallery DISC THREE – WRATH OF DAIMAJIN Brand new audio commentary by Asian historian Jonathan Clements Interview with cinematographer Fujio Morita discussing his career at Daiei and his work on the Daimajin Trilogy Trailers for the original Japanese release Image Gallery

Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns [Limited Edition]

Gathered for the first time are four of the most bloodthirsty westerns with the kind of men that live only to kill!

• List Price: $99.95  

In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions as filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centered around a theme of revenge. In Lucio Fulci’s Massacre Time (1966), Franco Nero and George Hilton star as estranged brothers forced to band together against the powerful businessman and his sadistic son who’ve seized control of their hometown. In Maurizio Lucidi’s My Name is Pecos (1966), Robert Woods stars as the eponymous Mexican gunslinger, returning to Houston to settle a long-standing score against the racist gang boss who wiped out his entire family. In Massimo Dallamano’s Bandidos (1967), Enrico Maria Salerno plays a former top marksman who, years after being maimed by a former protégé, teams up with a fresh apprentice to get his revenge against the man who betrayed him. Finally, in Antonio Margheriti’s And God Said to Cain (1970), the inimitable Klaus Kinski stars as a man who has spent the last decade in a prison work camp for a crime he didn’t commit and who, upon his release, immediately sets out to wreak vengeance on the men who framed him. Featuring a wealth of key Euro cult talent both behind and in front of the camera, Arrow Video is proud to present these four classic westerns in sparkling high definition restorations, three of them produced specially for this release, alongside a plethora of brand new bonus materials.

• 4-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations of all four films
• 2K restorations of all four films from the original 35mm camera negatives, with Massacre Time, My Name is Pecos and Bandidos newly restored by Arrow Films for this release
• Restored lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
• Galleries for all four films
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Howard Hughes
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original artwork and a slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• DISC 1 – MASSACRE TIME
• Alternate US dub
• New commentary by authors and critics C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
• New documentary featuring a new video interview with actor Franco Nero and an archival video interview with actor George Hilton
• New video interview with film historian Fabio Melelli
• Italian trailer
• DISC 2 – MY NAME IS PECOS
• New commentary by actor Robert Woods and C. Courtney Joyner
• New interview with actor George Eastman
• New interview with actress Lucia Modugno
• New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and an archival interview with cinematographer Franco Villa
• Italian trailer
• DISC 3 – BANDIDOS
• New commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
• New interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli
• New interview with actor Gino Barbacane
• New interview with Fabio Melelli
• Alternate end title sequence
• DISC 4 – AND GOD SAID TO CAIN
• New commentary by author and critic Howard Hughes
• New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and a new audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli
• New interview with actor Antonio Cantafora