The Arrow Thread

[BAKA]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Which De Toth film are they releasing Baka?

Ramrod. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth checking out. It's a western, but has a Noir feel. Plus Veronica Lake.

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"Time for our new announcements! First up two titles coming from Arrow Records and Books in January…

NEW ARROW RECORD: Erik the Conqueror (Translucent Yellow Vinyl)

Release date: 26th January

Arrow Records proudly presents the original soundtrack to Mario Bava’s swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism and forbidden love, Erik the Conqueror!

Previously unpublished on vinyl, Roberto Nicolosi’s rousing film score evokes romance and adventure with a selection of compelling and varied musical cues that truly bring Bava’s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.

Featuring newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys and accompanying film notes by Tim Lucas."

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"NEW ARROW BOOK: All the Colours of Sergio Martino (Book)

Release date: 26th January

Mondo, giallo, crime thriller, cannibal, comedy, western, sci-fi and action. Over the best part of 40 years Italian Maestro Sergio Martino has worked tirelessly in many genres of film and television. While his output is often diverse in tone and theme, one thing you can always guarantee is that his cinema is always entertaining.

Author Kat Ellinger tracks the director’s rise, from his humble beginnings as actor, production manager and second unit director, to his status as one of Italy’s most celebrated cult filmmakers of the seventies and eighties. Chapters in the book include a run down of his earliest collaborations — with the likes of Mario Bava and Umberto Lenzi — and his first films, before turning to provide an in-depth examination of his giallo films. Later chapters focus on his crime thrillers, horror, sci-fi, action and adventure films; as well as delving into some of his most important partnerships; including those with his long-time producer, brother Luciano Martino, script-writer Ernesto Gastaldi and giallo and sexy comedy queen Edwige Fenech. In addition to this, the book takes a long look at some of the director’s most overlooked films; including the massive contribution he made to the Italian sexy comedy and his major works for Italian television.

Kat Ellinger is the Editor-in-Chief of Diabolique Magazine, and co-host of their Daughters of Darkness and Hell’s Belles podcasts. She is also the author of Daughters of Darkness (Devil’s Advocates Series, Auteur). Featuring new artwork by Gilles Vranckx and original stills."

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"NEW UK/US TITLES: The Crazies/ Season of the Witch/ There’s Always Vanilla (Blu-ray)

Our Romero films head to Blu-ray as standard releases in March

Release dates: 12/13 March

The Crazies

After the experimental outings of There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero returned to rather more distinct horror territory with his 1973 infection opus The Crazies.

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. As the army cordons off the town and government agents clash with scientists over the appropriate course of action, a small band of survivors attempt to make their way to safety.

Starring cult icon Lynn Lowry (Shivers, I Drink Your Blood), the influence of Romero’s The Crazies can be felt in everything from the director’s own subsequent work – many commentators have noted the stylistic and thematic similarities to his zombie classic Dawn of the Dead – right up to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and beyond.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Mono Uncompressed PCM Audio
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• Romero Was Here: Locating The Crazies – Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz takes us on a guided tour of Evans City, PA and the locations used in The Crazies
• Crazy for Lynn Lowry – cult star Lynn Lowry discusses her early career including her role in The Crazies
• Q&A with Lynn Lowry filmed at the 2016 Abertoir Film Festival
• Audio interview with producer Lee Hessel
• Behind-the-scenes footage with optional commentary by Lawrence DeVincentz
• Alternate Opening Titles
• Image Galleries
• Trailers & TV Spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx



Season of the Witch
Perhaps the most unclassifiable of filmmaker George A. Romero’s works, 1972’s Season of the Witch sees the Night of the Living Dead filmmaker returning to the realm of the supernatural for this bewitching tale of a housewife driven to an interest in the dark arts.

On the surface, Joan Mitchell has it all – family, friends, and a beautiful home equipped with all the latest appliances. But when a neighbor 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.

Filmed as Jack’s Wife and subsequently cut down and retitled Hungry Wives for its theatrical release in an attempt to market it as a sexploitation film, Season of the Witch is arguably one of Romero’s most overlooked films – an intimate and thought-provoking character study that serves as the perfect companion piece to his later Martin.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• Brand new 4K restoration of the original theatrical version from the camera negative [90 mins]
• Alternate extended version [104 mins]
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Uncompressed PCM Mono Audio
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• When Romero Met Del Toro – filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro in conversation with George Romero
• The Secret Life of Jack’s Wife – archive interview with actress Jan White
• Alternate Opening Titles
• Location Gallery with audio commentary by Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz
• Memorabilia Gallery
• Trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx



There’s Always Vanilla
Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero’s second feature film, There’s Always Vanilla – a biting satire of early ’70s American society and an unjustly overlooked entry in the late director’s filmography.

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.

Starring Judith Streiner (born Judith Ridley) from Night of the Living Dead and Ray Laine, who would go on to appear in Romero’s next film, Season of the Witch, There’s Always Vanilla is a unique entry in the director’s canon and one that’s ripe for reappraisal.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Uncompressed PCM Mono Audio
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• Affair of the Heart: The Making of There’s Always Vanilla – brand new documentary featuring interviews with producers John Russo and Russell Streiner, stars Judith Streiner and Richard Ricci, and sound recordist Gary Streiner
• Digging Up the Dead – The Lost Films of George A. Romero – archive interview with Romero discussing his early films There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch
• Location Gallery with audio commentary by Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz
• Memorabilia Gallery
• Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx"

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by BAKA

Ramrod. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth checking out. It's a western, but has a Noir feel. Plus Veronica Lake.

I'll have to check that out. I haven't seen it but some of De Toth's work such as Day of the Outlaw and his Randolph Scott vehicles Man in the Saddle and Thunder over the Planes are personal favourites.

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"NEW US TITLE: Donnie Darko (Blu-ray)

Arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium.

Release date: 6th March

I WANT YOU TO WATCH THE MOVIE SCREEN. THERE’S SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU.

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.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster
• 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
• Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval
• 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
• Twenty deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
• Trailer"

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"NEW UK TITLE: Raising Cain (Blu-ray)

Harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.

Release date: 5th March

Having spent the latter half of the eighties trying out new styles of filmmaking Wise Guys knockabout comedy, The Untouchables prestige gangster pic, Casualties of War s Vietnam movie and The Bonfire of the Vanities satirical misfire Brian De Palma returned to what he knew best, the Hitchcockian psycho-thriller, for Raising Cain.

John Lithgow plays three roles: child psychologist Carter, his evil twin brother Cain, and their Norwegian father, Dr Nix, who likes to experimental on the young. Carter s wife is concerned that her husband isn t quite paying their daughter the right kind of attention; she s also having an affair which, upon discovery, threatens to send him into a psychotic rage...

A relentless blend of murder, multiple personalities, cross-dressing, crazed parents, bizarre dream sequences and stunning cinematic assurance, Raising Cain harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• High Definition digital transfer of the theatrical version
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Hickory Dickory Doc, a brand-new interview with actor John Lithgow
• The Man in My Life, an interview with actor Steven Bauer
• Have You Talked to the Others?, an interview with editor Paul Hirsch
• Three Faces of Henry, an interview with actor Gregg Henry
• The Cat's in the Bag, an interview with actor Tom Bower
• A Little Too Late for That, an interview with actor Mel Harris
• Raising Pino, a brand-new interview with composer Pino Donaggio
• Father s Day, a brand-new video essay about the multiple versions of Raising Cain by Chris Dumas, author of Un-American Psycho: Brian De Palma and the Political Invisible
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh"

[Susan Foreman]

Full specs:

"NEW UK TITLE: Flowers on the Attic (Blu-ray)

A dark and chilling Gothic suspense thriller in the classic tradition.

Release Date: 12 March

HOME SWEET HOME IS MURDER…

When her husband dies in a tragic accident, widow Corrine Dollanganger (Victoria Tennant, The Holcroft Covenant) takes her four children to the ancestral family home she fled before they were born. Locked away in the attic by their tyrannical grandmother (Academy Award® winner Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), it falls to older and sister brother Chris (Jeb Stuart Adams, The Goonies) and Cathy (Kristy Swanson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to care for their younger siblings. But with their mother growing increasingly distant and erratic and a mysterious sickness taking hold, will any of the Dollanganger children survive to escape the clutches of the house’s cruel matriarch?

Originally published in 1979, VC Andrews’ novel Flowers in the Attic was a smash hit, spawning four sequels and going on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide. With undercurrents of incest and child abuse and a haunting score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser), Flowers in the Attic is a dark and chilling Gothic suspense thriller in the classic tradition.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
• Home Sweet Home: Filming Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with cinematographer Frank Byers • Fear & Wonder: Designing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with production designer John Muto • The Devil’s Spawn: Playing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with actor Jeb Stuart Adams
• Shattered Innocence: Composing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with composer Christopher Young
• Production gallery of behind-the-scenes images, illustrations and storyboards
• The original, studio-vetoed ending
• Original theatrical trailer
• Two versions of the script: the unproduced Wes Craven draft, and the final shooting script, including original scenes and reshoots, as well as both endings (BD-ROM content)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bryan Reesman"

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Donnie Darko.
****,ain't had a release of that for a while eh?

[Susan Foreman]

Full Specs:

"NEW UK/US TITLE: A Pistol for Ringo & The Return of Ringo: Two Films by Duccio Tessari (Blu-ray)

The Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western, sdue to their gripping set-pieces and unforgettable musical scoring by Ennio Morricone.

Release date: 19/20 March

The original Ringo films introduced another iconic hero to the spaghetti western; a clean-cut sharp shooter who was markedly different to Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name.

In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife.

Hugely successful upon their original release, thanks in part to the skilled direction of Duccio Tessari (The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night), the Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western, spawning numerous unofficial sequels, due to their gripping set-pieces and unforgettable musical scoring by Ennio Morricone. Arrow Video is proud to present both films in sumptuous new restorations that truly brings their stylish cinematography to life.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Italian and English soundtracks
• Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• Audio commentaries for both films by Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
• They Called Him Ringo, an archival featurette with star Giuliano Gemma
• A Western Greek Tragedy, an archival featurette with Lorella de Luca and camera operator Sergio D’Offizi
• Original trailers
• Gallery of original promotional images
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Howard Hughes and a newly-translated interview with Duccio Tessari"