Editorials
5 Arrow Films Releases You Need for Halloween
Throughout October I am going to highlight 5 releases from some of my favorite Blu-ray labels that every horror fan needs in their collection for October. Think of it as a Christmas shopping guide, but with a Halloween slant.
Arrow Films launched in the UK way back in 1991. It didn’t take long for the company to establish themselves as a premier player in the home video market thanks to their state-of-the-art in house restorations and overwhelming amount of expertly curated bonus features. After becoming the undisputed leader in the cult and horror home video spectrum on the UK, the company teamed with distribution mega-force MVD Entertainment and expanded their scope into the US in the early part of 2015.
With a collection of hundreds of titles, offering up something for every type of horror fan, it can be difficult narrowing down recommendations. I’ve taken on the task, however, and have chosen five of the more recent releases from Arrow’s US slate that every horror fan is going to want to get their hands on this Halloween.
Doom Asylum (1987)
I unabashedly love Doom Asylum. This is a silly, ultra campy, mostly bad slasher, but hidden somewhere, deep within all its faults is something charming and fun. Filmed on a real-life abandoned insane asylum, this story revolves around a lunatic should-be dead doctor that brutally murders teens that enter the asylum. Each gory murder is followed by a cheesy one-liner. Throw this one on at your Halloween party this year and I assure you that your friends will thank you.
The film is available to be watched in either 1.78:1 or 1.33:1. Both versions look awesome. In addition the two different framings, there are plenty of fun bonus features:
- Tina’s Terror – interview with the film’s star Ruth Collins
- Movie Mad House – interview with DP Larry Revene
- Morgues & Mayhem – interview with makeup effects creator Vincent J. Gaustini
- Archival Interviews with executive producer Alexander W. Kogan Jr, director Richard Friedman and production manager Bill Tasgal
- Stills Gallery
- Audio Commentary with screenwriter Rick Marx
- Audio Commentary with The Hysteria Continues
The interviews included fantastic, especially the ones with Collins and Gaustini. Collins discusses the cult status of the film and her career in general. Gaustini, who has since gone on to be a big name in makeup effects, recalls his experience working on Doom Asylum, which was his first film. At the time he hated, but has since changed his tune and remembers it fondly.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a staple of ’80s horror. I don’t think I need to tell you, but just to be safe I’ll remind everyone that the film is about a spaceship that lands in an empty field near a small town and out come killer klowns that turn people into cotton candy. I will forever be grateful to Stephen and Charles Chiodo for providing this film for me to grow up on. I feel like every night of every summer in my childhood was spent watching this on repeat on VHS.
Fortunately, I no longer have to watch it on VHS because earlier this year Arrow released a gorgeous Blu-ray. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K and the result is one of the best looking Blu-rays you’ll find. And a film like, with so many bold and vivid colors, was made for 4K Blu-ray presentation. And then you have the special features and they fall out of this disc like clowns coming out of a clown car.
- Let the Show Begin – interview with the Dickies, the band behind the film’s incredible theme song
- The Chiodos Walk Among Us – a retrospective on the brothers featuring clips from their early childhood films
- Chiodo Brothers Early Films – a number of the brothers early films are presented in their entirety
- Land of Terror
- Beast from the Egg
- Africa Danny
- Eskimo
- Sludge Grubs
- Free Inside
- Bringing Life to These Things – a tour of the Chiodo Brothers’ production facility
- Killer Interviews
- Grant Cramer
- Suzanne Snyder
- Chiodo Brothers
- Charles Chiodo
- Charles Chiodo & Dwight Roberts
- John Massari
- Behind the Screams with the Chiodos
- Klown Auditions
- Deleted Scenes
- Killer Bloopers
- Image Galleries
- Trailer
- Audio Commentary with the Chiodo Brothers
I told you there was a lot. Every interview is great, especially those with the Chiodo Brothers because those dudes rule. And the early films, those are fantastic and give you some insight on how the brothers got their start and honed their craft.
The Bloodthirsty Trilogy
Thanks to the success of Hammer’s string of films in the ’60s, Japan’s Toho studios decided they would take a stab at the gothic horror world and thus came three films — The Vampire Doll, Lake of Dracula, Evil of Dracula — collectively known as The Bloodthirsty Trilogy. They’re not likely to be anyone’s favorite vampire movies, but they’re strange, unique and at times kind of wild. It’s Toho doing Dracula and that’s very much worth seeing. If your plan for October is to watch new-to-you stuff, this is a good place to start.
Special features are a little light here by Arrow standards, but still good:
- Kim Newman on The Bloodthirsty Trilogy
- Original Trailers for all three films
- Stills Galleries
The Newman feature is great. In about 15 minutes he dives into the films while touching on Japanese horror in general. Newman always brings so much passion to the screen making it a pleasure every time he pops up.
The Crazies (1973)
A combat virus spreads throughout a small Pennsylvania town as the military desperately tries to contain it in this classic from George A. Romero. Everyone knows Romero built his horror empire on the backs of zombies and his Living Dead series, but he did a lot of other great stuff as well with The Crazies being maybe the best of the bunch and this new Arrow Blu-ray is the best release to date.
The Crazies comes with a brand-new 4K restoration from Arrow that greatly improves on past efforts. There are still a few small imperfections throughout, but generally speaking this is a very detailed presentation with quality film grain present. Included are the following special features:
- Audio Commentary with Travis Crawford
- Romero Was Here: Locating The Crazies
- Crazy for Lynn Lowry
- Q&A with Lynn Lowry
- Lee Hessel Audio Interview
- Behind the Scenes Footage
- Alternate Opening Titles
- Image Galleries
- Trailers and TV Spots
The Romero Was Here feature is a nice looking at some of the locations used in Pennsylvania.
Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972)
If you’re anything like me you can’t have Halloween without Lucio Fulci. Where you get your Fulci fix from can vary, but I’d suggest going with Don’t Torture a Duckling because it’s, well, awesome. The story revolves around a reporter trying to solve a series of child murders in a small Italian town. This doesn’t feature the same level of gore and Euro trash that Fulci is typically known for, but I’d argue that it may be some of his best directing and is still incredible provocative. This is an engaging thriller that keeps you glued to the screen.
I waited for this film to get a US Blu-ray release for a long time and the wait was worth it. The restoration is a 2K digitally restored version using a 35mm duplicate negative. It’s not the best work from Arrow, with some variations throughout, but unless you’re super picky you won’t notice anything significant. It’s an overall fabulous presentation.
- Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth
- Giallo a la Campagna
- Hell is Already in Us
- Lucio Fulci Remembers
- Cast and Crew Interviews
- Florinda Bolkan
- Sergio D’Offizi
- Bruno Micheli
- Maurizio Trani
The commentary is great because if you’re going to have a Fulci commentary track you need Fulci expert Troy Howarth. The winner here though is Luci Fulci Remembers, which are taped audio interviews from the late ’80s with Fulci himself. There’s nothing better than hearing Fulci on Fulci.
For more information and to purchase these US Arrow releases, please visit MVDEntertainment.com.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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