Arrow Video has a handful of excellent titles coming out next month that are perfect for Halloween. We talked about few of these previously but there are a few new ones to get excited over.

First up, we’re closing out September with the Stephen King classic Children of the Corn in a gorgeous special edition, after that October hits hard with a string of excellent titles sure to get any movie fan excited to check out.

Read on for more details about the Don’t Torture A Duckling, The Suspicious Death of a Minor, A Fish Called Wanda, and the exciting details on Blood Feast, JD’s Revenge, and Federico Fellini’s The Voice of the Moon!

Head over to AMAZON to preorder these awesome titles at your leisure (which should be right now)!

 

 

 

As the nights draw in, it just means more time to enjoy late-September / October’s superb lineup from Arrow Video, including some wonderful Halloween treats in the form of a grindhouse classic, an Oscar-winning British comedy classic, classic horror from Stephen King, several superb Italian films, and a blaxploitation chiller. Lavishly packaged and including limited edition items, Christmas has come early for film collectors!

Featuring stellar performances from Linda Hamilton (Terminator) and Peter Horton (thirtysomething) and based on a short story by Stephen King, The Children of the Corn is a horror classic that has spawned multiple sequels and imitators, but none as harrowing as this masterpiece of horror.

The Dual Format debut of The Suspicious Death of a Minor, a 1975 giallo/’poliziotteschi’ hybrid, from the great Sergio Martino (All the Colours of the Dark, Torso) arrives on October 3rd. With a cast that includes Mel Ferrer (Nightmare City), Barbara Magnolfi (Suspiria) and Jenny Tamburi (The Psychic), the lurid murder-mystery sees a cop on the trail of a Milanese criminal gang, and the Dual Format release includes a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, produced exclusively by Arrow Video.

October 3rd sees the Blu-ray release of A Fish Called Wanda, the hilarious and irresistible farce from 1988, starring John Cleese, Michael Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline . A box office smash, nominated for three Academy Awards (winning one for Kline’s outstanding supporting turn as the psychotic Otto), A Fish Called Wanda has stood the test of time and can be rightfully called a comedy classic.

The 3rd also sees the release of a superior Italian thriller. First, deemed shocking at the time for its brutal violence, depiction of the Catholic Church and themes of child murder and paedophilia, Don’t Torture a Duckling is widely regarded today as Fulci’s greatest film, rivalling the best of his close rival Dario Argento. Arrow Video is proud to present this uniquely chilling film in its North American high definition debut. From Lucio Fulci, the godfather of gore (The Psychic, The Beyond), comes one of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced.

Next up this month is Blood Feast, a brand new restoration of the ground-breaking splatter classic from the Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis, the wonderfully lurid story of an insane caterer killing young women and stealing body parts as part of a ritual to reanimate an Egyptian goddess. The disc also includes late, great Lewis’s Sixties sleaze-fest Scum of the Earth.

Just in time for Halloween is a stunning UK DVD and Blu-ray debut of of the blaxploitation favourite JD’s Revenge, about a man possessed by the spirit of a murderous gangster. Featuring Academy Award-winner Louis Gossett Jr (An Officer and a Gentleman), this is alternately tough and terrifying – a Blaxploitation gem waiting to be rediscovered.

And last but certainly not least, is the swansong of the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (La dolce vita, 8½), The Voice of the Moon. This new restoration from the original negative seeks to right that wrong and provide the film with a second chance. Concluding a career that had stretched back more than fifty years, The Voice of the Moon combines the nostalgia of Amarcord, the surreal satire of City of Women and the naïf-adrift-in-a-brutal-world structure of La strada… Plenty for Fellini fans to get their teeth into.

Children Of The Corn [Blu-ray] (9/26)

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 – Children of the Corn.

A young couple on a road trip find themselves lost in the backroads of rural Nebraska, eventually winding up in the seemingly abandoned town of Gatlin. But the town is far from empty – as the pair soon discover, it’s inhabited by a twisted cult of murderous children thirsty for another blood sacrifice…

Adapted from King’s eponymous short story first published in 1977 and starring Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Children of the Corn has gone on to spawn one of the most enduring horror franchises of all time.

Features
– Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
– Original stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio options
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Brand new 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 – retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Fritz Kiersch, John Franklin and Courtney Gains
– It Was the Eighties! – an interview with actress Linda Hamilton
– …And a Child Shall Lead Them – a brand new interview with actors Julie Maddalena and John Philbin
– Field of Nightmares – a brand new interview with writer George Goldsmith
– Stephen King on a Shoestring – an interview with producer Donald P. Borchers
– Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights & Sounds of Children of the Corn – interviews with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias
– Return to Gatlin – a look back at the iconic filming locations in Iowa with host John Sullivan
– Cut From the Cornfield – an interview with actor Rich Kleinberg on the infamous “lost” Blue Man Scene
– Disciples Of the Crow – 1983 short film adaptation of Stephen King’s story
– Storyboard gallery
– Original theatrical trailer
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Sullivan and Lee Gambin

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV106
UPC: 760137044185
Street Date: 09/26/17
PreBook Date: 08/15/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 92 mins
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1984
Director: Fritz Kiersch
Actors: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton
Territory: US
Language: English
SRP: $39.95

 

The Suspicious Death Of A Minor [Dual Format] (10/3)

In the wake of the success of Dario Argento’s ground-breaking giallo The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, numerous other directors stepped forward to try their hand at these lurid murder-mysteries. At the forefront was Sergio Martino (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Torso), whose sensual 70s thrillers starring Edwige Fenech and George Hilton are widely celebrated as some of the best the genre has to offer.

The final of Martino’s six gialli, The Suspicious Death of a Minor combines conventional giallo trappings with elements of the then flourishing ‘poliziotteschi’ crime thrillers. Claudio Cassinelli (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?) stars as undercover cop Paolo Germi, on the trail of a Milanese criminal outfit following the brutal murder of an underage prostitute. But a killer-for-hire is also on the prowl, bumping off witnesses before they have a chance to talk…

Also starring Mel Ferrer (Nightmare City), Barbara Magnolfi (Suspiria) and Jenny Tamburi (The Psychic), and featuring a script by veteran giallo writer Ernesto Gastaldi (All the Colors of the Dark, Death Walks at Midnight), this unique and lesser-known entry in Martino’s filmography serves as an essential link between two different movements in Italian popular cinema.

Features
– Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
– English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
– New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
– New interviews with director Sergio Martino and cinematographer Giancarlo Ferrando
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV104
UPC: 760137043980
Street Date: 10/03/17
PreBook Date: 08/08/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Run Time: 100 mins
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1975
Director: Sergio Martino
Actors: Claudio Cassinelli, Mel Ferrer
Territory: US
Language: English
SRP: $39.95

 

A Fish Called Wanda [Blu-ray] (10/3)

In 1988, John Cleese, former Python and the mastermind behind Fawlty Towers, teamed up with the veteran Ealing Comedy director Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) to produce another classic of British comedy.

Cleese plays Archie Leach, a weak-willed barrister who finds himself embroiled with a quartet of ill-matched jewel thieves – two American con artists played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, Michael Palin’s animal-loving hitman and London gangster Tom Georgeson – when Georgeson is arrested. Only he and Palin know the whereabouts of the diamonds, prompting plenty of farce and in-fighting as well as some embarrassing nudity and the unfortunate demise of some innocent pooches…

Nominated for three Academy Awards and winning one for Kline’s outstanding supporting turn as the psychopathic Otto, A Fish Called Wanda has stood the test of time, earning its rightful place among its creators’ remarkable comedy pedigree.

Features
– Brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
– Original English mono audio (uncompressed LPCM)
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
– Commentary by writer and star John Cleese
– Brand-new appreciation by Vic Pratt of the BFI National Archive
– Brand-new interviews with composer John Du Prez, production designer Roger Murray Leach, executive producer Steve Abbott and makeup supervisor Paul Engelen
– John Cleese’s Final Farewell Performance, a 1988 documentary on the making of A Fish Called Wanda featuring interviews with actors Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin, Kevin Kline and director Charles Crichton
– Something Fishy, a 15th anniversary retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Cleese, Curtis, Kline and Palin, executive producer Steve Abbott and director of photography Alan Hume
– Fish You Were Here, a documentary on the film’s locations hosted by Robert Powell
– 24 deleted/alternative scenes with introductions by Cleese
– A Message from John Cleese, a tongue-in-cheek introduction recorded for the film’s original release
– Gallery
– Trivia track
– Theatrical trailer

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring writing on the film by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV105
UPC: 760137044086
Street Date: 10/3/17
PreBook Date: 08/15/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Comedy
Run Time: 108 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1988
Director: Charles Crichton
Actors: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin
Territory: US
Language: English

 

Don’t Torture A Duckling [Dual Format] (10/3)

From Lucio Fulci, the godfather of gore (The Psychic, The Beyond), comes one of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced: his 1972 masterpiece Don’t Torture a Duckling.

When the sleepy rural village of Accendura is rocked by a series of murders of young boys, the superstitious locals are quick to apportion blame, with the suspects including the local “witch”, Maciara (Florinda Bolkan, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin). With the bodies piling up and the community gripped by panic and a thirst for bloody vengeance, two outsiders – city journalist Andrea (Tomas Milian, The Four of the Apocalypse) and spoilt rich girl Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) – team up to crack the case. But before the mystery is solved, more blood will have been spilled, and not all of it belonging to innocents…

Deemed shocking at the time for its brutal violence, depiction of the Catholic Church and themes of child murder and paedophilia, Don’t Torture a Duckling is widely regarded today as Fulci’s greatest film, rivalling the best of his close rival Dario Argento. Arrow Video is proud to present this uniquely chilling film in its North American high definition debut.

Features
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
– English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
– New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
– The Blood of Innocents, a new video discussion with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
– Every (Wo)man Their Own Hell, a new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger
– Interviews with co-writer/director Lucio Fulci, actor Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi, assistant editor Bruno Micheli and assistant makeup artist Maurizio Trani
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Timothy Pittides

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV099
UPC: 760137035480
Street Date: 10/03/17
PreBook Date: 07/11/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 108 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1972
Director: Lucio Fulci
Actors: Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Tomas Milian
Territory: US
Language: Italian
SRP: $39.95

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and Howard Hughes

 

Blood Feast [Dual Format] (10/10)

The filmography of late movie maverick Herschell Gordon Lewis brims with the mad, macabre, and just downright bizarre. But perhaps the most unhinged of all his directorial efforts, and certainly the most influential, must surely be his original gore-fest Blood Feast – the first ever splatter movie.

Dorothy Fremont is looking to throw a party unlike any other, and she gets just that when she hires the decidedly sinister Fuad Ramses to cater the event. Promising to provide her guests with an authentic Egyptian feast, Ramses promptly sets about acquiring the necessary ingredients – the body parts of nubile young women!

Featuring a host of stomach-churning gore gags including the infamous tongue sequence and much more nastiness besides, Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast more than lives up to its name and remains essential viewing for any self-respecting splatter fan.

Features
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard DVD presentations
– English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Scum of the Earth – Herschelll Gordon Lewis’ 1963 feature
– Blood Perspectives – Filmmakers Nicholas McCarthy and Rodney Ascher on Blood Feast
– Herschell’s History – Archival interview in which director Herschell Gordon Lewis discusses his entry into the film industry
– How Herschell Found his Niche – A new interview with Lewis discussing his early work
– Archival interview with Lewis and David F. Friedman
– Carving Magic – Vintage short film from 1959 featuring Blood Feast Actor Bill Kerwin
– Outtakes
– Alternate ‘clean’ scenes from Scum of the Earth
– Promo gallery featuring trailers and more
– Feature length commentary featuring Lewis and David F. Friedman moderated by Mike -Grady
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Twins of Evil

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY + DVD
SKU: AV107
UPC: 760137050988
Street Date: 10/10/17
PreBook Date: 09/05/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 67 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1963
Director: Herschell Gordon Lewis
Actors: William Kerwin, Mal Arnold, Connie Mason
Territory: US
Language: English
SRP: $29.95

 

J.D.’s Revenge [Dual Format] (10/31)

It wasn’t long before the Blaxploitation boom moved into the horror market, bringing the world Blacula, Blackenstein, Abby (Blaxploitation’s The Exorcist) and cult favorite J.D.’s Revenge.

Law student Ike is enjoying a night on the town with his friends when his life changes dramatically. Taking part in a nightclub hypnosis act, he becomes possessed with the spirit of a violent gangster murdered in the 1940s. Believing himself to be the reincarnation of murderous J.D., Ike launches a revenge campaign against those who had done ‘him’ wrong all those years ago…

Directed by Arthur Marks (Bucktown, Friday Foster) and starring Glynn Turman (Cooley High) and Academy Award-winner Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman), J.D.’s Revenge is a alternately tough and terrifying – a Blaxploitation gem waiting to be rediscovered!

Features
– Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
– Original 1.0 mono sound
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
– Brand new interview with producer-director Arthur Marks
– More interviews to be announced!
– Original theatrical trailer
– Arthur Marks trailer reel
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet containing new writing by Kim Newman, author of Nightmare Movies

Specs
Format: BLU-RAY + DVD
SKU: AV110
UPC: 760137051183
Street Date: 10/31/17
PreBook Date: 09/26/17
Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 96 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1976
Director: Arthur Marks
Actors: Glynn Turman, Louis Gossett Jr, Joan Pringle
Territory: US
Language: English
SRP: $39.95

The Voice Of the Moon [Dual Format] (10/31)

The swansong of the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (La dolce vita, 8½), The Voice of the Moon emerged without fanfare: it played the Cannes Film Festival out of competition after its Italian premiere and failed to secure distribution in North America and the UK. This new restoration from the original negative seeks to right that wrong and provide the film with a second chance…

Adapted from a novel by Ermano Cavazzoni, The Voice of the Moon concerns itself with Ivo Salvini (Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful), recently released from a mental hospital and in love with Aldini (Nadia Ottaviani). As he attempts to win her heart, he wanders a strange, dreamlike landscape and encounters various oddball characters, including Gonnella (Paolo Villagio, Fantozzi), a paranoid old man prone to conspiracy theories.

Concluding a career that had stretched back more than fifty years, The Voice of the Moon combines the nostalgia of Amarcord (the film is set in Emilia-Romagna countryside of the director’s youth), the surreal satire of City of Women and the naïf-adrift-in-a-brutal-world structure of La strada. Plenty for Fellini fans to get their teeth into.

Features
– Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original 1.0 mono sound (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
– Optional English subtitles
– Towards the Moon with Fellini, a rarely seen hour-long documentary on the film’s production, featuring interviews with Fellini, Roberto Benigni and Paolo Villagio
– Theatrical trailer
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Pasquale Iannone

Specs
SKU: AA017
UPC: 760137056782
Street Date: 10/31/17
PreBook Date: 09/12/17
Label: Arrow Academy »
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 121 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1990
Director: Federuci Fellini
Actors: Roberto Benigni, Paolo Villaggio, Nadia Ottaviani
Territory: US
Language: Italian