In their latest attempt to drive international home video fanatics to the brink of poverty, Arrow Video has announced their very impressive September lineup of releases.
First up, releasing in the US and Canada only will be the limited edition Blu-ray of Ridley Scott's Legend, both theatrical and director's cut editions. Also coming to North America is the 4K UHD debut of Children of the Corn as well as '80s slasher Death Screams.
A few releases are UK exclusives, including a Children of the Corn Trilogy box set, which includes the first film on 4K UHD, and the other two on Blu-ray. Also coming to the UK is a box set of previously released films from Olivier Assayas, Demonlover, Irma Vep, Winter's Child and Disorder. Finally, Walk on the Wild Side receives a UK only release. I believe these last two releases also mark to first official merger of the former Arrow Academy line into the greater Arrow Video family.
Available to both North American and UK collectors will be the Cold War Creatures box set, a collection of four films produced by schlockmeister Sam Katzman in the '50s, The Werewolf, The Giant Claw, Zombies of Mora Tau, and Creature with the Atom Brain (I was privileged to contribute a visual essay to this set, and the list of extras beyond my own is very impressive). Finally, we have Yuasa Noriaki's The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch.
Check out all of the details below and prepare to tighten your belt a few more notches...
LEGEND (US/CA 4K UHD Blu-ray Limited Edition)
A World Full of Magic, Wonder and Desire.
After changing the face of science fiction cinema forever with Alien and Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott turned his visionary eye to the fantasy genre, teaming with writer William Hjortsberg (Angel Heart) to create a breathtaking cinematic fairytale with one of the screen’s most astonishingly rendered depictions of Evil.
In an idyllic, sun-dappled forest, the pure-hearted Jack (Tom Cruise) takes his true love Princess Lili (Mia Sara) to see a pair of unicorns frolicking at the forest’s edge. Little do they know, however, that the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry, in a remarkable make-up designed by The Thing’s Rob Bottin) has dispatched his minions to capture the unicorns and sever their horns so that he may plunge the world into everlasting night. After Lili and the unicorns are taken prisoner, Jack must team with a group of forest creatures and descend into Darkness’ subterranean lair to face off against the devilish creature before it is too late.
Despite a troubled production in which the elaborate full-size forest set was accidentally incinerated and a lengthy post-production that resulted in multiple versions of the film (with competing music scores by Jerry Goldsmith and Tangerine Dream), Legend has since been restored to Scott's original cut and embraced by generations of film fans eager to see a master director’s unique vision of a world beyond our imagination.
Special Features:
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of the U.S. Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut of the film
- DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio on both cuts
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
- Illustrated perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by Nicholas Clement and Kat Ellinger plus archive materials including original production notes and a 2002 interview with Charles de Lauzirika about the restoration of the Director's Cut
- Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Neil Davies and original theatrical artwork by John Alvin
- Glossy full-colour portraits of the cast photographed by Annie Leibovitz
- Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Neil Davies and original theatrical artwork by John Alvin
Disc One - U.S. Theatrical Cut
- Brand new 2K restoration of the U.S. Theatrical Cut from original film materials, including a 4K scan of the original camera negative
- Brand new audio commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies
- Reconstructed isolated score track by Tangerine Dream from 2002
- Isolated music and effects track
- A Fairytale in Pinewood, a brand new featurette interviewing grip David Cadwalladr, costume designer Charles Knode, co-star Annabelle Lanyon, camera operator Peter MacDonald, set decorator Ann Mollo and draftsman John Ralph
- Incarnations of a Legend, a comparison featurette written and narrated by critic Travis Crawford discussing the differences between the various versions of the film
- The Directors: Ridley Scott, a 2003 documentary in which the director discusses his career up to that point, including Legend
- Music video for “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” by Bryan Ferry
Disc Two - Director's Cut
- Audio commentary by director Ridley Scott
- Creating A Myth: Memories of Legend, an archive documentary from 2002 featuring interviews with Ridley Scott, William Hjortsberg, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, Rob Bottin and several other cast and crew members
- Original promotional featurette
- Two deleted scenes, the alternate 'Four Goblins' opening and 'The Fairie Dance'
- Storyboard galleries for three deleted scenes
- Two drafts of William Hjortsberg's screenplay
- Alternate footage from the overseas release, plus textless footage
- Three theatrical trailers and four TV spots
- Image galleries
*** EXTRAS STILL IN PRODUCTION AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE ***
CHILDREN OF THE CORN (US/CA 4K UHD Blu-ray)
From the mind of celebrated horror author Stephen King, the man behind such classic terror tales as The Shining, Carrie, and It, comes one of his most chilling offerings yet.
Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) and Peter Horton (Thirtysomething) star as a young couple who find themselves lost on the backroads of Nebraska, eventually winding up in the seemingly deserted town of Gatlin. But the town is far from empty. As the couple soon discover, it is inhabited by a twisted cult of murderous children, thirsty for another blood sacrifice…
Available for the first time ever in Ultra High Definition, Arrow Video is proud to present a brand new 4K restoration of the film that launched one of the most enduring horror franchises of all time. Children of the Corn… they’re an adult nightmare!
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
– Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
– 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
– Original lossless stereo and 5.1 Audio Options
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Audio commentary with horror journalist Justin Beahm and Children of the Corn historian John Sullivan
– Audio commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
– Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn, retrospective piece featuring interviews with director Fritz Kiersch and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
– It Was the Eighties! an interview with actress Linda Hamilton
– Return to Gatlin, featurette revisiting the film’s original Iowa shooting locations
– Stephen King on a Shoestring, an interview with producer Donald Borchers
– Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn, an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias
– Cut from the Cornfield, an interview with the actor who played “The Blue Man” in the fabled excised sequence
– Theatrical Trailer
– Disciples of the Crow, a 1983 short film adaptation of Stephen King’s short story
CHILDREN OF THE CORN TRILOGY (UK 4K UHD & Blu-ray)
TIME TO REAP THE HARVEST!
Best-selling author Stephen King sowed the seeds for a bumper crop of horror films with his classic collection Night Shift. But few would sprout into the kind of franchise that Children of the Corn would grow to be.
In the cult classic original a young couple (Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton) find themselves stranded in the small town of Gatlin, Nebraska where they meet a religious cult of children led by the mysterious Isaac and the unhinged Malachi and learn the blood-curdling secrets of He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Meanwhile in Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, the well meaning locals of nearby Hemingford adopt the children who survived the original terror, but all is not as it seems. A new harvest is about to begin. Finally, Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest brings terror to the big city, as two orphaned boys from Gatlin are taken into foster care in Chicago, where He Who Walks Behind the Rows begins to walk again!
Featuring the original film in Ultra High Definition and alternate cuts of both its follow-ups for the first time on Blu-ray, plus a wealth of new and archival extras, the Children of the Corn Trilogy box set is a terrifying treat!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all three films
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of Children of the Corn
- Alternate cuts of Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice and Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
- DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options for all three films
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- 60-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by John Sullivan, Lee Gambin, Stacie Ponder, Craig Martin and Guy Adams
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
DISC 1 - CHILDREN OF THE CORN (BLU-RAY / 4K UHD BLU-RAY)
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
- Audio commentary with horror journalist Justin Beahm and Children of the Corn historian John Sullivan
- Audio commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
- Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn – retrospective piece featuring interviews with director Fritz Kiersch and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
- It Was the Eighties! – an interview with actress Linda Hamilton
- Return to Gatlin – brand new featurette revisiting the film’s original Iowa shooting locations
- Stephen King on a Shoestring – an interview with producer Donald Borchers
- Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn – an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias
- Cut from the Cornfield – an interview with the actor who played “The Blue Man” in the fabled excised sequence
- Theatrical Trailer
- Disciples of the Crow, a 1983 short film adaptation of Stephen King's short story
DISC 2 - CHILDREN OF THE CORN II: THE FINAL SACRIFICE (BLU-RAY)
- Two versions of the film: the International Cut, and the US Theatrical Cut with additional CGI and an alternate audio mix (via seamless branching)
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
- Brand new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin, in conversation with director David Price
- A New Harvest, a brand new interview with director David Price
- Sowing the Seeds of Terror, a brand new interview with co-screenwriter A.L. Katz
- Framing Fear, a brand new interview with cinematographer Levie Isaacks
- Workprint version of the film
- Stills gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
DISC 3 - CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST (BLU-RAY)
- Two versions of the film, the R-rated US Cut and the Unrated International Cut with extended ending (via seamless branching)
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
- Corn in the City, a brand new interview with screenwriter Dode Leveson
- Corn in the USA, a brand new visual essay by author and critic Guy Adams
- Early treatments, versions of the story from the development process
- Stills Galleries
- Theatrical Trailer
**Extras subject to change**
COLD WAR CREATURES: FOUR FILMS FROM SAM KATZMAN (US/CA/UK Blu-ray)
Zombies! Werewolves! Atomic Mutation! Intergalactic Avians! Let this quartet of classic terrors take you back to the golden age of B-Movie Monsters!
A mob boss hires an ex-Nazi scientist to reanimate his dead thugs in Creature with the Atom Brain. An auto-accident survivor is used as an experimental subject to create a vaccine for nuclear fall-out with hair-raising side-effects in The Werewolf. Treasure hunters get more than they bargained for in the search for a cargo of diamonds that went down with a sunken ship when they discover the zombified crew members are guarding the loot in Zombies of Mora Tau. Meanwhile, an enormous bird from outer-space descends to chow down on the people of planet Earth in The Giant Claw!
Four fantastic feature presentations from prolific producer Sam Katzman with a bounty of brand new extras and a raft of new writing by a range of respected raconteurs. These Cold War Creatures are coming for you!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all 4 films
- Original uncompressed mono audio for all films
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Fully illustrated 60-page collector’s book featuring extensive new writing by Laura Drazin Boyes, Neil Mitchell, Barry Forshaw, Jon Towlson and Jackson Cooper
- 80-page collector’s art book featuring reproduction stills and artwork from each film and new writing by historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette
- 2 double-sided posters featuring newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork for each film by Matt Griffin
DISC 1 - CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN
- Brand-new introduction by historian and critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Russell Dyball
- Sam Katzman: Before and Beyond the Cold War Creatures, a brand-new feature-length illustrated presentation on the life, career and films of Sam Katzman by historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette
- Condensed Super 8mm version of Creature with the Atom Brain, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
DISC 2 - THE WEREWOLF
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin
- Beyond Window Dressing, a brand-new visual essay exploring the oft-overlooked role of women in the films of Sam Katzman by historian and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- Condensed Super 8mm version of The Werewolf, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
DISC 3 - THE ZOMBIES OF MORA TAU
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger
- Atomic Terror: Genre in Transformation, a brand-new visual essay exploring the intersection of mythical horror creatures and the rational world of science in the films of Sam Katzman by critic Josh Hurtado
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
DISC 4 - THE GIANT CLAW
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critics Emma Westwood and Cerise Howard
- Family Endangered!, a brand-new visual essay examining the theme of Cold War paranoia in Sam Katzman monster movies, by critic Mike White
- Condensed Super 8mm version of The Giant Claw, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
THE FILMS OF OLIVIER ASSAYAS (UK Blu-ray Box Set)
Now recognised as one of French cinema’s finest talents courtesy of such modern classics as Carlos, Summer Hours and Clouds of Sils Maria, Olivier Assayas started out as a critic and screenwriter before making his debut feature as director in 1986.
Disorder tells the tale of a post-punk band whose friendships are tested when a music store robbery turns fatal. It marked Assayas as a talent to be reckoned with. The intimate story of Winter’s Child built on that reputation and showed his remarkable gifts with actors, while in Irma Vep Assayas turned his attention to the French film industry to provide a mid-90s amalgam of François Truffaut’s Day for Night and Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore, delighting audiences around the world and featuring a stand-out turn by Maggie Cheung playing a version of herself. Meanwhile, the startlingly prescient neo-noir/cyberhorror masterpiece Demonlover, takes a darker turn to present a chilling exploration of the nexus between sex and violence available at the click of a button, riffing on Cronenberg’s Videodrome and with an iconic score by art-rock pioneers, Sonic Youth.
Witty, heartfelt, and daring, Assayas remains one of the most interesting international filmmakers working today. No two films are quite alike. His work is vital, unexpected, and unmissable for any true lover of film.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Four films by Olivier Assayas: Disorder, Winter’s Child, Irma Vep and Demonlover
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all four films, from 2K restorations supervised and approved by Olivier Assayas
- Optional English subtitles
- Special packaging with newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
DISC 1 - DISORDER/WINTER’S CHILD
- Original 2.0 Stereo soundtracks
- Interview with writer-director Oliver Assayas
- Interview with the cast of Disorder, Ann-Gisel Glass, Lucas Belvaux, Wadeck Stanczak and Rémi Martin
- Theatrical trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
DISC 2 - IRMA VEP
- Original 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
- Audio commentary by writer-director Olivier Assayas and critic Jean-Michel Frodon
- On the Set of Irma Vep, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with optional commentary by Assayas and Frodon
- Interview with Assayas and critic Charles Tesson
- Interview with actors Maggie Cheung and Nathalie Richard
- Man Yuk: A Portrait of Maggie Cheung, a 1997 short film by Assayas
- Black and white rushes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
DISC 3 - DEMONLOVER
- Original 5.1 DTS-HD master audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Audio commentary by writer/director Olivier Assayas
- Visual essay written and narrated by critic Jonathan Romney
- Peripherie de Demonlover, an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Yorick Le Saux
- Archive interviews with Olivier Assayas, Connie Nielsen, Chloë Sevigny and Charles Berling
- SY NYC 12/12/01: The Demonlover Sessions, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the recording of the music score by Sonic Youth
- Q&A with Olivier Assayas filmed at the Wexner Center for the Arts in 2003
- Extended version of the Hellfire Club sequence
- Original theatrical trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
WALK ON THE WIDE SIDE (UK Blu-ray)
A SIDE OF LIFE YOU NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE ON SCREEN!
Jane Fonda, Laurence Harvey, Barbara Stanwyck and Capucine give exceptional performances in his lurid drama of love and lust set in Depression era New Orleans.
Down-to-earth, good-natured Dove Linkhorn (Laurence Harvey) train hops from Texas to Louisiana with Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) in search of his lost love Hallie (Capucine), a soft-spoken, sophisticated artist. Once in New Orleans, Dove is devastated to discover that she has been reduced to working in the “Doll House”, a high society bordello run by ruthless madam Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck). But when Dove tries to take Hallie away he finds himself fighting for his life against bordello thugs and the jealous Jo who wants Hallie for herself.
Based on the novel by Nelson Algren, with an Academy Award nominated title song, a screenplay co-written by Ask the Dust author John Fante and featuring a stunning title sequence by Saul and Elaine Bass, Arrow Video is proud to present this provocative picture for the first time on Blu-ray, in a brand 4K new restoration.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of a brand new 4K restoration from Sony Pictures
- Original lossless mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
- Brand new interview with historian and critic Richard Dyer
- Brand new interview with Pat Kirkham, co-author of Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design
- Archival interview with director Edward Dmytryk
- Stills Gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Scott Saslow
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing by critics Lee Gambin and Eloise Ross.
DEATH SCREAMS (US/CA/UK Blu-ray)
In one of the most unlikely cinematic pairings of all time, David Nelson (who rose to fame as a child star playing alongside his real-life family in the wholesome TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) directs Playboy Playmate and adult star Susan Kiger in this bodycount-heavy, long overlooked slice of Southern fried hack-and-slash - 1982’s Death Screams!
Late one night, a young couple are brutally murdered at a make-out spot by an unseen assailant, their bodies tossed into the nearby river. As the lifeless lovers drift slowly downstream, the residents of the town excitedly prepare themselves for their annual carnival, unaware that a machete-wielding maniac with a twisted grudge is lurking in their midst. When a group of teen revellers plan a late-night after party down in the local cemetery, they unwittingly set the stage for a bloodbath.
Death Screams, which was released on US VHS as House of Death (and on UK DVD with the reels in the wrong order!) oozes early ’80s regional slasher charm from its every pore, boasting an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink final reel featuring slashed throats, bisected bodies and exploding heads. At long last arriving on Blu-ray and lovingly restored from the only-known existing 35mm print, this little-seen slasher classic is ready to carve its way into the bleeding hearts of horror fans everywhere!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restoration from an archival 35mm print
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary with producer Charles Ison and special effects artist Worth Keeter moderated by filmmaker Phil Smoot
- Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
- All the Fun of the Scare: The Making of Death Screams - newly-produced making-of documentary featuring interviews with producer Charles Ison, special effects artist Worth Keeter, writer Paul Elliott, actors Hanns Manship and Curt Rector, actor/producer’s assistant/assistant supervising editor Sharon Alley and actor/talent wrangler Robert “Billy Bob” Melton
- TV and Radio Spots
- Image Galleries
- House of Death Alternate VHS Opening Titles
- Two versions of the screenplay under the original title of Night Screams [BD-ROM content]
- Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork and a newly-commissioned reimagining of the original VHS artwork by Sadist Art Designs presented with die-cut slipcover
- Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Brian Albright
THE SNAKE GIRL AND THE SILVER-HAIRED WITCH (US/CA/UK BLU-RAY)
What do you get when Noriaki Yuasa, director of Daiei Studios’ much-beloved Gamera series, makes a monochrome film adaptation of the works of horror manga pioneer Kazuo Umezu (The Drifting Classroom)? The answer is 1968’s The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch, a fantastically phantasmagorical slice of twisted tokusatsu terror ostensibly made for children that will irreparably traumatise any child that sees it!
A young girl named Sayuri is reunited with her estranged family after years in an orphanage – but trouble lurks within the walls of the large family home. Her mother is an amnesiac after a car accident six months earlier, her sullen sister is confined to the attic and a young housemaid dies inexplicably of a heart attack just before Sayuri arrives… is it all connected to her father’s work studying venomous snakes? And is the fanged, serpentine figure that haunts Sayuri’s dreams the same one spying on her through holes in the wall?
Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut and its home video premiere outside Japan, this rarely-screened, nightmarishly disorienting creepshow not only displays a seldom-seen side of kaiju auteur Yuasa, but its skilful blending of Umezu’s comics (published in English-language markets as Reptilia) arguably anticipates many of the trends seen in J-horror decades later.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Brand new commentary by film historian David Kalat
- This Charming Woman, a newly filmed interview with manga and folklore scholar Zack Davisson
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork by Mike Lee-Graham
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Raffael Coronelli