A Story Written with Water: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1965
Director: Kiju Yoshida
Writers: Toshirô Ishidô, Rumiko Kora, Kiju Yoshida
Cast: Mariko Okada, Yasunori Irikawa, Ruriko Asaoka, Isao Yamagata, Shin Kishida, Masakazu Kuwayama, Keiko Yumi

Release Date: March 25th, 2024 (UK)
Approximate running time: 120 Minutes 10 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Telling the story of a man torn between his fiance and the familial bond of his mother, Yoshida creates a dazzling narrative that uses flashbacks to tell its story of obsession and desire." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "A Story Written with Water was transferred in High-Definition by Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Definition digital file."

A Story Written with Water comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.3 GB

Feature: 32.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option: a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras: 

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 25 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Kiju Yoshida (2 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Mariko Okada (11 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with scholar Jennifer Coates, author of Making Icons: Repetition and the Female Image in Japanese Cinema, 1945-1964 (21 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 20-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Ebb and Flow: The Decline of the Studios, The Growth of Independent Production and Kiju Yoshida Stories Written on Water written by Alexander Jacoby, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by Kiju Yoshida, whose other notable films are Eros + Massacre, Heroic Purgatory, and Coup d'Etat.

The narrative revolves around a young man whose bond with his mother is driving a wedge between him and his fiancee.

Though Kiju Yoshida considers himself an anti-auteur, he has a strong visual eye. His films have many striking moments, and many of them are filled with symbolism. One such moment in A Story Written with Water that springs to mind is the way that he juxtaposes the mother's face over the fiance's face during lovemaking.

At two hours in length, the well-constructed narrative does an amazing job holding your attention. Despite a deliberately paced narrative, there is never an issue with pacing. Another strength of the narrative is how it gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate. With a phenomenal finale, which perfectly summarizes A Story Written with Water, the title of the film.

The non-linear narrative takes place in present and past time periods, and there is even one moment that takes place in neither time frame. Also, when the narrative shifts from one time period to another, it does so in a way that never announces itself. That said, despite its non-linear narrative that jumps around from present to past, the result is a story that is easy to digest.

Mariko Okada (Floating Clouds) portrays Shizuka, the mother of the protagonist. Though she was only 32 at the time, her casting in a role that would usually go to a much older actress actually works in A Story Written with Water’s favor. She delivers an exceptional performance that is utterly convincing, and there is never a moment where you doubt her authenticity.

Another performance of note is Yasunori Irikawa (The Living Skeleton) in the role of the protagonist, Shizuo. He delivers an equally powerful performance that complements Mariko Okada’s performance. That said, the rest of the cast are very good in their roles.

Though A Story Written with Water deals with taboo subject matter, when it comes to intimate moments between son and mother, they are never explicit. Also, without giving away too much about the plot, there is a subplot involving who the protagonist's father really is that is connected to the film’s main theme of incest. Ultimately, A Story Written with Water is an extraordinary melodrama that quickly draws you in and lingers on in your mind after its final haunting image.

A Story Written with Water gets an exceptional release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note: This is a single pressing that is limited to 3,000 copies.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Tony Arzenta: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/France/Denmark, 1973
Director: Duccio Tessari
Writers: Franco Verucci, Ugo Liberatore, Franco Verucci, Roberto Gandus
Cast: Alain Delon, Richard Conte, Carla Gravina, Marc Porel, Roger Hanin, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Erika Blanc, Rosalba Neri, Anton Diffring

Release Date: March 25th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 112 Minutes 27 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Alain Delon (Le Cercle Rouge) stars as efficient and ruthless mob assassin Tony Arzenta. With a young family, Tony wants to leave his life of crime to ensure his young son will not get caught up in the revenge killing that so often accompanies people in his position. But the bosses don't make it easy and Tony finds himself on a bloody mission that takes him across Europe to eradicate his former employers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Tony Arzenta was scanned in 4K resolution and restored by Titanus/RAI Com in Italy. The film was supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Defintion digital file."

Tony Arzenta comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.8 GB

Feature: 32.8 GB

This release uses a brand new 4K restoration for its source, and compared to Explosive Media’s German Blu-ray release, it is a noticeable improvement in every area. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic. Black levels are strong; this release does not have the black crush and compression issues Explosive Media’s release does. Also, this is another exemplary encode from Fidelity in Motion.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. The audio, like the video, has undergone additional restoration by Radiance Films; the audio tracks for this release do not have the distortion issues that are present on Explosive Media’s German Blu-ray release. That said, both audio tracks are in great shape, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, both audio tracks sound very good. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track. And when watching with the English language track, there is a second removable English subtitle track for two dialog exchanges that are in Italian.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Alain Delon (12 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), a featurette with Eurocrime authority Mike Malloy titled Not a Gangster, Not a Cop, the Eurocrime Genres Other Professions (11 minutes 13 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), six scene specific audio commentary tracks with film critic Peter Jilmstad (53 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled Beautiful But Dangerous: The Crime Cinema of Alain Delon written by Leila Wimmer and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Tony Arzenta was directed by Duccio Tessari, a filmmaker who was not a stranger to Poliziotteschi cinema. Other Poliziotteschi that he directed include The Bastard, Tough Guys, and a Poliziotteschi/Giallo hybrid, Death Occurred Last Night.

The main attraction of Tony Arzenta is Alain Delon (Le Samouraï), in the role of the protagonist. Once again, he delivers a solid performance as a cold-blooded hitman whose wife and son are murdered by his former employer when he tries to walk away from his job as a hitman. Another strength of his performance is how the film balances his character's life between his family life and his life as a killer.

Without a doubt, one of the hallmarks of Poliziotteschi cinema is its action sequences. And in this regard, Tony Arzenta delivers in spades. The two most memorable action sequences are a car chase and a torture scene. The first car chase happens after the funeral of Tony’s wife and son. This is a fantastic car chase in which Tony recklessly purses a car with hitmen who tried to kill him after the funeral. The torture scene takes place at a junkyard, where a man is tortured with a blowtorch.

Another area where Tony Arzenta excels is in its fabulous cast of who’s who of European cult cinema. (Thieves' Highway) in the role of a crime boss named Nick Gusto; Marc Porel (Don't Torture a Duckling) in the role of Domenico Maggio, Tony’s trusted friend; Carla Gravina (The Antichrist) in the role of Sandra, a woman who saves Tony’s life; and Rosalba Neri (Amuck!) in the role of the crime boss's wife.

Though the premise retreads familiar ground, one can even draw some similarities between Tony Arzenta and Jef Costello, the character Alain Delon portrayed in Le Samouraï. The result is an exhilarating experience that quickly establishes tension that builds to a fever pitch by the time its ending arrives. Ultimately, Tony Arzenta is a solid example of Poliziotteschi cinema.

Though this is a UK release, it is region-free. That said, this is a must-have purchase if you are a fan of Poliziotteschi. Tony Arzenta gets a solid release from Radiance Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism: Limited Edition – Arrow Academy (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1969 (Eros + Massacre), Japan, 1970 (Heroic Purgatory), Japan, 1973 (Coup d’Etat)
Director: Kiju Yoshida (All Films)
Cast: Mariko Okada, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Yûko Kusunoki, Kazuko Inano, Etsushi Takahashi, Daijirô Harada, Toshiko Ii (Eros + Massacre), Mariko Okada, Kaizo Kamoda, Naho Kimura, Yoshiaki Makita, Kaneko Iwasaki, Tôru Takeuchi, Kazumi Tsutsui (Heroic Purgatory), Rentarô Mikuni, Yasuo Miyake, Akiko Kurano, Tadahiko Sugano, Masako Yagi, Yasuyo Matsumura, Kei Iinuma, Masao Imafuku, Kazunaga Tsuji, Taketoshi Naitô (Coup d’Etat)

Release Date: May 8th, 2017 (UK), May 9th, 2017 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 216 Minutes 25 Seconds (Eros + Massacre Director’s Cut), 165 Minutes 15 Seconds (Eros + Massacre Theatrical Version), 118 Minutes 7 Seconds (Heroic Purgatory), 109 Minutes 51 Seconds (Coup d’Etat)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Eros + Massacre), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Heroic Purgatory / Coup d’Etat)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free/Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

"The work of Kijû Yoshida is one of Japanese cinema's obscure pleasures. A contemporary of Nagisa Ôshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses) and Masahiro Shinoda (Pale Flower, Assassination), Yoshida started out as an assistant to Keisuke Kinoshita before making his directorial debut at age 27. In the decades that followed he produced more than 20 features and documentaries, yet each and every one has proven difficult to see in the English speaking world.

This collection brings together three works from the late 60s and early 70s, a loose trilogy united by their radical politics and an even more radical shooting style. Eros + Massacre, presented here in both its 164-minute theatrical version and the full-length 215-minute director's cut, tells the parallel stories of early 20th-century anarchist (and free love advocate) Sakae Osugi and a pair of student activists. Their stories interact and intertwine, resulting in a complex, rewarding work that is arguably Yoshida's masterpiece.

Heroic Purgatory pushes the dazzling cinematic language of Eros + Massacre even further, presenting a bleak but dreamlike investigation into the political discourses taking place in early 70s Japan. Coup d'état returns to the past for a biopic of Ikki Kita, the right-wing extremist who sought to overthrow the government in 1936. Yoshida considered the film to be the culmination of his work, promptly retiring from feature filmmaking following its completion." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Eros + Massacre Director’s Cut), 4.25/5 (Eros + Massacre Theatrical Version), 4.5/5 (Heroic Purgatory), 3.5/5 (Coup d’Etat)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "The transfers of Eros + Massacre, Heroic Purgatory and Coup d'état were supervised and approved by Kiju Yoshida, and supplied to Arrow Films on master tape via Carlotta Films, France."

Eros + Massacre director’s cut comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 44.3 GB

Eros + Massacre theatrical version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 41.6 GB

Heroic Purgatory and Coup d’Etat come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46 GB

Feature: 22 GB (Heroic Purgatory), 21.2 GB (Coup d’Etat)

The sources used for these transfers are in great shape, and though there are some moments that look overly bright, they have a bleached white look. These look intentional. Image clarity is strong and at times solid, and though black levels look very good, there are times they are not as convincing, notably Coup d'Etat's transfer. Also, there are no issues with compression. That said, the moments exclusive to the Eros + Massacre director’s cut are not as strong as the footage it shares with the theatrical cut. Heroic Purgatory has the strongest transfer, while the two versions of Eros + Massacre are not that far behind, while Coup d'Etat is the weakest.

Audio: 4/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and each film comes with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background noise. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, these audio trucks sound very good.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an introduction with author David Desser for the director’s version of Eros + Massacre (9 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and nine scene specific audio commentary tracks with David Desser for the director’s version of Eros + Massacre.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for Eros + Massacre (3 minutes 30 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an introduction with author David Desser for the theatrical version of Eros + Massacre (11 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Yoshida …or: The Explosion of the Story (30 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese and English with removable English subtitles) and eight scene specific audio commentary tracks with David Desser for the theatrical version of Eros + Massacre.

Extras on disc three include a theatrical trailer for Heroic Purgatory (3 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Heroic Purgatory (2 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), introduction’s with Kiju Yoshida for Heroic Purgatory (6 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles) and Coup d’Etat (5 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), introduction’s with David Desser for Heroic Purgatory (9 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Coup d’Etat (8 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), ten scene specific audio commentary tracks with David Desser for Heroic Purgatory and seven scene specific audio commentary tracks with David Desser for Coup d’Etat.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a 80-page with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Yoshida, a Career written by David Desser, an essay titled The Revolution Triptych written by Isolde Standish, an essay titled Kiju Yoshida and ATG: The Reluctant Partner written by Dick Stegewerns and information about the transfers.

Included with this release are DVDs that have the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Eros + Massacre, Heroic Purgatory, and Coup d’Etat are a trilogy of films directed by Kiju Yoshida that are all linked by radicalism.

Eros and Massacre: The narrative follows two parallel stories. The first of these stories revolves around an anarchist named Sakae Osugi and his relationships with three women. The second of these stories revolves around two activists who are researching Sakae Osugi.

Eros + Massacre’s dueling narratives take place in different eras; the scenes revolving around Sakae Osugi take place during the 1920s, and the scenes with the activists take place during the 1960s. Structurally, the way in which Eros + Massacre’s narrative is presented is far from conventional, and there is not an even balance between these two distinctively different time periods.

Though Eros + Massacre is based on the life and death of Sakae Osugi, there were some changes that had to be made to Eros + Massacre due to one of Sakae Osugi’s former lovers threatening director Kiju Yoshida for using her name. She was an active politician in Japan. while the Eros + Massacre was being made.

The advantage of having two versions of Eros + Massacre is more than just one version being shorter than the other version. The shorter version removes more from the narrative that takes place during the 1920s. Ultimately, Eros + Massacre deserves its reputation as Kiju Yoshida’s masterpiece.

Heroic Purgatory: After interacting with a lost teenager that his wife brought home, a man recalls his youth as a revolutionary.

Though Heroic Purgatory was inspired by real-life individuals and historic events like Eros + Massacre and Coup d’Etat, the other films make up Kiju Yoshida’s trilogy about radicalism. Those two films are more straightforward adaptations of their sources, while Heroic Purgatory’s use of real-life people and events is more obscure.

Heroic Purgatory's narrative follows an abstract structure that defies space and time. The narrative takes place in three different eras’: the past, the present, and the future. Despite a conventional opening setup that is easy to follow, the further the narrative progresses, things get more complicated.

Coup d’Etat: An ultranationalist intellectual’s ideas inspire a military coup against the Japanese government.

Out of the three films that make up the Kiju Yoshida radicalism trilogy, Coup d’Etat has the most conventional narrative. The attempted coup in Japan in 1936, inspired by the writings of an intellectual named Ikki Kita, is the source of the Coup d’Etat.

Radicalism, fragmented narratives, and destructive bourgeois female characters are elements that Eros + Massacre and Heroic Purgatory share. And with Coup d’Etat switching the gender in regards to this type of character, while it shares all of the other elements.

When discussing these three films, one cannot overlook or understate the role that the visuals play. Another strength is how the music and visuals work together to heighten the mood.

Content-wise, though, these three films are often challenging as they push the boundaries of cinema. Fortunately, these films take on universal themes that are easy to identify with.

Arrow Academy’s Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism is an exceptional release, highly recommended.

Note: This has been re-released as a standard version that drops the box and book that are part of the limited edition release.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Specters / Maya – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1987 (Specters), Italy, 1989 (Maya)
Director: Marcello Avallone
Cast: John R. Pepper, Trine Michelsen, Donald Pleasence, Massimo De Rossi, Riccardo De Torrebruna, Lavinia Grizi, Riccardo Parisio Perrotti, Giovanni Bilancia, Matteo Gazzolo, Laurentina Guidotti, Erna Schurer, Giovanni Tamberi (Specters), Peter Phelps, Mariella Valentini, Cyrus Elias, Mariangélica Ayala, Mirella D'Angelo, Antonello Fassari, Erich Wildpret, Antonella Antinori, Tullio Cavalli, Vilma Ramia, Enrique Soto, William Berger (Maya)

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 34 Seconds (Specters), 98 Minutes 17 Seconds (Maya)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Italian (Both Films), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Specters), English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.98

Specters: "Whilst excavating the catacombs at an archaeological site in Rome, a team of researchers make an astonishing discovery when nearby drilling work in the subway system causes a wall to collapse, revealing a passageway leading to a series of hitherto unexplored tunnels. Delving deeper into the subterranean labyrinth, the team uncover a cavernous tomb filled with ominous inscriptions, as well as strange, unidentifiable skeletons and a crude, sacrificial weapon. Little do the archaeologists realize that the uncovering of this burial chamber, long-since sealed off from the world, has unleashed an ancient evil intent on wreaking bloody havoc." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Maya: "Lisa, a young woman from New York, arrives in a small Mexican seaside town to identify the body of her father, a researcher into Mayan culture who has been brutally murdered in a sacrificial-style killing. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father’s death, Lisa decides to stay in town, where she learns about the local folklore and superstitions with the help of Peter, a young American and friend of her father. As more people are found dead, all slaughtered in a similarly gruesome fashion, and the town’s celebrations of the dead loom, could the legend of a vengeful and bloodthirsty Mayan king returning from the dead prove to be true?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Specters, Maya)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from their 35mm original camera negatives".

Specters comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.3 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

Maya comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 27.5 GB

The sources used for these two films are comparable; both transfers look great, and any source imperfections that remain are very minor. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and both films always look organic.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Stereo Italian - Specters, DTS-HD Stereo Italian - Maya), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Specters, DTS-HD Mono English - Maya)

Here’s a disclaimer about the English audio tracks, "Although both Specters and Maya were initially finished with an English stereo soundtrack, for reasons we are unclear of, the left channel of both stereo tracks suffered extreme and intermittent ringing and hiss resulting in their only ever having been distributed in mono. Despite our efforts to rectify these issues, we found that the tracks were irreparable and are therefore presenting the sound in mono, in accordance with all previous versions."

Each film comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track for Specters and removable English SDH for both films. Both Italian language tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and range-wise, this track sounds robust when it should. The above disclaimer about the English-language tracks gives you a good indication of what to expect. That said, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, these two tracks sound good. Also, there are no English subtitles for the Italian-language track for Maya.

Extras:

Extras for Spectors include alternate Italian titles and end credits (3 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), an audio interview with actress Erna Schürer titled Simply Emma (12 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian Eugenio Ercolani tilted A Horrific Anomaly (30 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti titledLittle Specters, Little Demons (26 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer/screenwriter Maurizio Tedesco titled Paranormal Roman Activity (26 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director/screenwriter Marcello Avallone titled Little Roman Ghosts (27 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani.

Extras for Maya include alternate Italian titles and end credits (4 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), an interview with composer Gabriele Ducros titled Mystical Mayan Melodies (21 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Mirella D'Angelo titled Scream Queen Memories (27 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Marcello Avallone titled Second Time Around (20 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Marcello Avallone titled The Mexican Connection (20 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 6,000 units).

Summary:

Specters: Archaeologists make a startling discovery when a wall collapses, revealing a passageway to a labyrinth of tunnels beneath a subway in Rome.

The late 1980s were a lean time for genre cinema in Italy, and though horror was one of the few genres hanging on despite limited resources, that said, despite having many of the same issues that plague most of late 1980s Italian horror cinema, Specters often exceeds expectations. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to production design, especially in regards to the underground tunnels.

One thing that Italian horror cinema is known for is its gory murder-death set pieces. And though there are a few on-screen kills, they lack the foresight and visual flair that are synonymous with Italian horror cinema. That said, Specters is a film that relies more on atmosphere than gore, and there are a few well-timed jump scares.

The performances are serviceable; if there are any performances that leave any impression, it would be Donald Pleasence (Halloween) in the role of a professor named Lasky. Surprisingly, his performance is not as operatic as in most of the Italian films he has appeared in. His presence gives Specters an actor with name recognition.

Despite there being a few areas where Specters comes up short, there is none more glaring than when it comes to pacing, which has many lulls and, for the most part, just drags along. Ultimately, Specters is a lethargic film that is sure to let down most Italian horror cinema fans.

Maya: Something evil is lurking in a rural Mexican village as the bodies start to pile up.

Maya is one of two horror films directed by Marcello Avallone. When compared to his other horror film, Specters, Maya is superior in every way. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to its gory murder-death set pieces.

Right from its opening moments, Specters does a great job drawing you in and building tension. The supernatural premise is well executed. And though the narrative has some lulls, fortunately, these moments never derail the momentum.

The performances range from adequate to good, with most of the cast falling into the former. The most memorable performance is Mariangélica Ayala, who portrays a Mexican woman that two American tourists harass. The only recognizable cast member is William Berger (Face to Face), whose character's death sets the story that unfolds in motion.

From a production standpoint, Maya is a film that succeeds all around. The special effects are very good, and there are an ample number of gory deaths. The visuals do a great job of heightening the mood. Also, there are a few wonderfully executed tense moments. Ultimately, Maya is a very good horror film, and yet at best, it is a mid-tier Italian horror film.

Specters and Maya get a solid release from Vinegar Syndrome; both films get strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer