Spooky Season is upon us. Have you stocked up on Fun Size Candy bars? Well before you think about chocolate, you are going to need a few scares for your Blu-ray player. Arrow Video has got you covered with a trio of releases that include new fears, vintage frights and retrospective screams. Two Witches is a new film with a throwback flair to 20th Century horror. The movie has two tales of witchcraft. Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror is a quartet of black and white scares from Rome. The Count Yorga Collection was American International Pictures getting into the vampire game with a legendary bloodsucker roaming modern Los Angeles. This is a threesome of sets that will fill you with Pumpkin Spice Jolts. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video with the details on the bonus features:
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
| New from Arrow Video US Two Witches [Blu-ray] (10/18) Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray] (10/18) The Count Yorga Collection [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray] (10/25) via MVD Entertainment Group |
| Witches, Vampires and Lost Italian Horror Come Home this October The spooky season has officially arrived and Arrow Films will satisfy horror hounds everywhere with movies that usher in the scariest time of the year. First up is Two Witches on October 18, the debut feature film from Paris-born director Pierre Tsigaridis. This throwback to classic European horror is split into two terrifying tales of witchery. The first focuses on a young mother-to-be who is convinced she has received the “evil eye” from an old hag she comes across while out at dinner. In a misguided attempt to counteract the evil eye, she consults a Ouija board with the help of some friends, resulting in the release of dark forces. Meanwhile, a grad student and her new roommate grapple with rising tensions after a violent incident involving a man one of them brought home. Two Witches premiered at the 2021 Grimfest to positive reviews. Voices from the Balcony calls Two Witches “a fun and scary ride that includes several disturbing and disturbingly gory moments.” The Arrow Blu-ray release includes a cauldron’s worth of bonus content, including multiple commentary tracks, interviews, test footage, and more! Also being released on October 18 is Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales Of Terror. This highly-anticipated box set brings four horror films from Italy’s Golden Decade to Blu-ray for the first time. This limited-edition set comes jam-packed with special features, including an 80-page book featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Rob Talbot, Jerome Reuter, Rod Barnett, and Kimberly Lindbergs. In 1965’s Lady Morgan’s Vengeance, a murdered woman returns as a ghost hellbent on getting revenge on the treacherous husband who killed her. Directed by Massimo Pupillo, Lady Morgan’s Vengeance is a seldom-seen piece of Italian horror eager to find a new audience. Alberto De Martino‘s The Blancheville Monster borrows elements from a variety of Edgar Allen Poe short stories to craft an early ’60s horror film that is more akin to the American-produced films of Roger Corman than the European horror films of the day. Most notably, the film takes its plot from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” as a crazed count fears his young daughter will fall victim to the family curse. With a script written by Spaghetti Western legend Bruno Corbucci, The Blancheville Monster is a hidden gem that makes for great late-night viewing. A young Franco Nero stars in Mino Guerrini‘s The Third Eye as a wealthy count that lives with his overbearing and extremely jealous mother. The count heads down a spiral of madness after his fiancée dies in an accident that may be not be an accident at all. The Third Eye is particularly notable for initially being rejected by Italian censors. The film’s rejection notice claimed it was “contrary to the public moral,” citing “scenes of almost full female nudity and excessively graphic intercourses” and “episodes of necrophilia, close-ups of horrific scenes with blood and brutal violence.” Wrapping the set up is Damiano Damiani‘s The Witch. Based on a novel by Carlos Fuentes, The Witch is the story of an historian who encounters what he believes to be supernatural forces at work while attempting to translate ancient erotic literature. Rosanna Schiaffino received a Best Actress nomination from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for her performance as Aura in the film. Rounding out Arrow’s October lineup is The Count Yorga Collection, hitting stores on October 25. This stunning 2-disc box set features both Count Yorga, Vampire and its sequel, The Return of Count Yorga. In the 1970 original, Robert Quarry stars as the titular Count Yorga, hoping to quench his thirst for blood on the streets of Los Angeles. After assisting a young couple with a séance, he bites one of them and they begin to suspect that he may very well be a vampire. Originally intended to be a soft-core skin flick, Quarry convinced the producers to make a straight horror film. This convincing paid off, with Count Yorga become one of the most popular horror films of the decade and Quarry’s performance earning critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling him “the best chief vampire” in years. A year later, Quarry reprised his role in The Return of Count Yorga. This time, Count Yorga is determined to find a new wife while continuing to feed his bevy of female vampires. Much like the first film, The Return of Count Yorga received nearly universal praise. Gene Siskel called the film “extremely frightening,” stating that in comparison to the first film it was “better photographed, better acted and containing more mayhem a minute.” Arrow’s Count Yorga set is stacked with bonus material, including new audio commentary tracks, new interviews, archived radio spots and trailers, and much, much more! |
Two Witches
Two truly terrifying conjoined tales of witchery, paranoia and terror that hark back to the gory thrills of classic Euro horrors!
List Price: $39.95
With its super-saturated color palette, tenebrous art design and electrifying soundtrack, Two Witches presents two truly terrifying conjoined tales of witchery, paranoia and terror that hark back to the gory thrills of classic Euro horrors such as Suspiria, Shock and The Beyond. Expectant young mother Sarah is convinced she has been given the evil eye from a mysterious blank-eyed old hag while she is dining with her bullish and insensitive partner Simon. When the couple go to visit his new-agey friends Dustin and Melissa, dark forces are unleashed after an ill-advised attempt at consulting a Ouija board to allay her fears. Meanwhile, tensions grow between grad school student Rachel and her new roommate Masha after a violent incident involving a man that the strange and impulsive young woman has brought home. First-time feature director Pierre Tsigaridis, who also shot, edited and contributed to the film’s soundtrack, singles himself out as one to watch in a deft and unnerving depiction of unspeakable evil that truly delivers.
Bonus Materials
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original lossless stereo audio and optional 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by director, cinematographer and editor Pierre Tsigaridis
- Brand new audio commentary by producer Maxime Rancon
- Behind the Movie, a two-part behind-the-scenes featurette
- Interview with actor and associate producer Dina Silva
- The Boogeywoman, an interview with actor Marina Parodi
- The Original Score, an interview with composer Gioacchino Marincola
- The Piano Score, director Pierre Tsigaridis talks about the inspiration behind the piano score for Two Witches
- Test footage
- Grimmfest 2021 Q&A with Pierre Tsigaridis and Maxime Rancon
- Trailer gallery
- Image gallery accompanied by the film’s original score
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel, plus double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales Of Terror [Limited Edition]
Gothic Fantastico presents four off-the-beaten path Italian Gothic horror films from the 1960s!
List Price: $99.95
While Mario Bava remains the best-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s. Gothic Fantastico presents four titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy’s ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere. Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo’s Lady Morgan’s Vengeance – a tale of romance and mystery sprinkled with sadism and the supernatural – as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan tries to destroy his bride with help from his sinister maid. Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino’s The Blancheville Monster – a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville returns home to her brother Roderic and finds her own family out for her blood. Mino Guerinni’s The Third Eye features an early role for Italian cult icon Franco Nero and a plot that borrows elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani’s The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter. Madness, obsession and messed up families are the order of the day in these four lesser-known monochrome gems from Italy’s peak Gothic period, restored in 2K from their original negatives for the first time alongside an array of in-depth extras.
Bonus Materials
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- New 2K restorations from the original negatives
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
- Original Italian and English front and end titles on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
- Original lossless mono Italian soundtracks
- Original lossless mono English soundtracks on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
- Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
- New video introductions to each film by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth
- Image galleries
- Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Rob Talbot, Jerome Reuter, Rod Barnett and Kimberly Lindbergs
- Fold-out double-sided poster
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
- DISC 1: LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE
- New commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- New video essay by author and producer Kat Ellinger
- New video interview with actress Erika Blanc
- Newly edited video interview with actor Paul Muller
- Newly edited audio interview with director Massimo Pupillo
- The complete original cineromanzo, published in Suspense in April 1971
- Trailer
- DISC 2: THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER
- New commentary by filmmaker and film historian Paul Anthony Nelson
- New video essay by writer and pop culture historian Keith Allison
- New video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
- Opening credits for the US release of the film
- Trailer
- DISC 3: THE THIRD EYE
- New commentary by author and critic Rachael Nisbet
- New video essay by author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam
- Newly edited video interview with actress Erika Blanc
- DISC 4: THE WITCH
- New commentary by author and producer Kat Ellinger
- New video essay by author and academic Miranda Corcoran
- New video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
The Count Yorga Collection [Limited Edition]
The Count Yorga Collection is a full blooded feast to die for!
List Price: $69.95
RESTORED! REJUVENATED! REBORN! By the end of the 1960s the boom in Old World gothic horror had begun to wane in the face of present day terrors like the Vietnam war. In response, American filmmakers brought horror out of the past and into the present, and the classic movie monsters packed their bags and headed for the New World. Count Yorga, Vampire was among the first to successfully transpose the classic vampire, cloak and all, to a modern day setting as the Count – played unforgettably by Robert Quarry – arrives in the United States and settles in a Southern California mansion with his mysterious “brides”. A drive-in favourite from the moment it was released, a sequel soon followed. The Return of Count Yorga ups the ante and sees the sardonic Count on the streets of San Francisco, his sights set on an orphanage as a potential source of sustenance. Director Bob Kelljan (Scream Blacula Scream) delivers a one-two punch of classic cult cinema mixing chills, thrills, style, and suspense with a knowing wit that revels in the genre trappings. Presented in all new restorations by Arrow Films from new scans of the original camera negative, The Count Yorga Collection is a full blooded feast to die for!
Bonus Materials
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restorations by Arrow Films of Count Yorga, Vampire and The Return of Count Yorga from new 4K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives
- High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentations of both films
- Original lossless mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Illustrated perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by film critic Kat Ellinger and horror author Stephen Laws, plus archive contributions by critic Frank Collins and filmmaker Tim Sullivan
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Heather Vaughan
- Fold-out double-sided posters for both films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Heather Vaughan
- Twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
- Reproduction pressbook for Count Yorga, Vampire
- DISC ONE – COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas
- Archival audio commentary by film critics David Del Valle & C. Courtney Joyner
- The Count in California, a brand new appreciation by Heather Drain and Chris O’Neill
- I Remember Yorga, a brand new interview with Frank Darabont in which the award-winning filmmaker talks about his love for Count Yorga, Vampire
- A Vampire in L.A., a brand new interview with actor Michael Murphy
- Fangirl Radio Tribute to Robert Quarry, an archival episode featuring host Jessica Dwyer in conversation with Tim Sullivan filmmaker, Yorga fan and friend of Robert Quarry
- Theatrical trailer
- Radio spots
- Image galleries
- DISC TWO – THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic Stephen R. Bissette
- Archival audio commentary by David Del Valle & C. Courtney Joyner
- The Count and the Counterculture, a brand new interview with film critic Maitland McDonagh
- Chamber-music of Horrors, a brand new interview with David Huckvale about the scores for both films
- Archival interview with film critic Kim Newman
- Theatrical trailer
- Radio spots
- Image gallery
