As the nights draw in, it just means more time to enjoy October’s superb lineup from Arrow Video, including some wonderful Halloween treats in the form of a grindhouse classic, a box set collection of genre oddities, one of the greatest horror remakes ever, a cult paranoia thriller, and a blaxploitation chiller. Lavishly packaged and including limited edition steelbooks, Christmas has come early for film collectors!
First 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.
Finally arriving on UK DVD and Blu-ray is Miracle Mile, the Eighties sci-fi paranoia classic starring Anthony Edwards (Top Gun), that is gripping, unique and unforgettable. Featuring a memorable score from Tangerine Dream (Thief) and a finale like no other, this fantastic dual format release includes audio commentaries, short films and brand new interviews.
The first class horror just keeps coming in October, with a new Limited Edition Blu-ray release of John Carpenter’s creature feature The Thing from 1982, that mixes wintry chills with mind-blowing special effects, quotable dialogue and a career best performance from Kurt Russell. This release is packed with extras, including an all-new documentary on the film, and features a stunning 4K transfer supervised by Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey. There’s also a lavish must-have Limited Edition steelbook edition produced exclusively by Arrow Video.
Legendary horror cinema innovator, George A Romero, is responsible for arguably the most influential zombie films of all time. But he doesn’t just make undead epics, and the three films collected here in the box set George Romero Between Night and Dawn – There’s Always Vanilla, Season of the Witch and The Crazies – showcase the versatility and dynamism of this American auteur. As well as the films there are Romero interviews and documentaries and much more.
And finally, 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.
