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Toho’s Trilogy of ’70s Vampire Films Getting US & UK Arrow Video Blu-ray Set
Yes, the studio known for their Godzilla films also made vampire films!
Inspired by the runaway success of the British and American gothic horror films of the ’60s, Toho Studios brought the vampiric tropes of the Dracula legend to Japanese screens beginning in 1970 with The Vampire Doll, followed by Lake of Dracula (1971) and Evil of Dracula (1975) – collectively known as The Bloodthirsty Trilogy.
The trilogy gets a Blu-ray set via Arrow Video, May 14 in the UK & May 15 in the US.
Special Edition contents:
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements
• Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Kim Newman on The Bloodthirsty Trilogy, a new video appraisal by the critic and writer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
“In The Vampire Doll, a young man goes missing after visiting his girlfriend’s isolated country home. His sister and her boyfriend trace him to the creepy mansion, but their search becomes perilous when they uncover a gruesome family history. Lake of Dracula begins with a young girl suffering a terrifying nightmare of a vampire with blazing golden eyes. Eighteen years later, the dream is revealed to be a hellish prophecy when a strange package containing an empty coffin mysteriously turns up at a nearby lake. In Evil of Dracula, a professor takes up a new post at an all-girls school only to discover the school’s principle conceals a dark secret and the pupils are in grave danger.”
The first pressing only will also include a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp.
One of my personal favorite horror movies of all time, 1987’s gateway horror classic The Gate is opening back up on May 14 with a brand new Blu-ray SteelBook release from Lionsgate!
The new release will feature fresh SteelBook artwork from Vance Kelly, seen below.
Special Features, all of which were previously released, include…
- Audio Commentaries
- Director Tibor Takacs, Writer Michael Nankin, and Special Effects Designer & Supervisor Randall William Cook
- Special Effects Designer & Supervisor Randall William Cook, Special Make-Up Effects Artist Craig Reardon, Special Effects Artist Frank Carere, and Matte Photographer Bill Taylor
- Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview
- Featurettes:
- The Gate: Unlocked
- Minion Maker
- From Hell It Came
- The Workman Speaks!
- Made in Canada
- From Hell: The Creatures & Demons of The Gate
- The Gatekeepers
- Vintage Featurette: Making of The Gate
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot
- Storyboard Gallery
- Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery
When best friends Glen (Stephen Dorff) and Terry (Louis Tripp) stumble across a mysterious crystalline rock in Glen’s backyard, they quickly dig up the newly sodden lawn searching for more precious stones. Instead, they unearth The Gate — an underground chamber of terrifying demonic evil. The teenagers soon understand what evil they’ve released as they are overcome with an assortment of horrific experiences. With fiendish followers invading suburbia, it’s now up to the kids to discover the secret that can lock The Gate forever . . . if it’s not too late.
If you’ve never seen The Gate, it’s now streaming on Prime Video and Tubi.
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