Body Snatchers - Vinegar Syndrome (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1993
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writers: Raymond Cistheri, Larry Cohen, Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, Nicholas St. John
Cast: Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Gabrielle Anwar, Reilly Murphy, Billy Wirth, Christine Elise, R. Lee Ermey, Kathleen Doyle, Forest Whitaker, G. Elvis Phillips

Release Date: July 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 25 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $69.98

"Environmental Protection Agency officer Steve Malone (Terry Kinney, The Firm) travels to a US Army base in rural Alabama to investigate potentially toxic materials which have been causing curious symptoms amongst soldiers. His family — teenage daughter Marti (Gabrielle Anwar, Scent of a Woman), young son Andy (Reilly Murphy, Dangerous Game), and wife Carol (Meg Tilly, Psycho II) — go along for the ride and begin interacting with, and being threatened by, locals who are visibly unwell. As events unfold on and around the Army base, it becomes eerily apparent that increasing numbers of people are being replaced by alien replicants while they sleep." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Body Snatchers comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61 GB

Feature: 60.2 GB

Although Warner Archive's 2016 Blu-ray release had a solid transfer, this new transfer still improves upon it. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic appearance.

Body Snatchers comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.8 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both tracks sound excellent; the dialogue always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. While the 5.1 track opens things up, I still prefer the stereo track. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with author and film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an image gallery (stills/posters), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Joe Delia titled The Brass Ring (24 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with second unit director Phil Neilson titled Adults in the Room (12 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Anthony Redman titled The First Cut is Mine (17 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Abel Ferrara titled Who Are the Good Guys? (13 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 7,000 units) and a 40-page perfect-bound book (limited to 7,000 units) with an essay titled No One Like You Left on Meg Tilly and Body Snatchers written by Willow Catelyn Maclay, Who Are You: The Inescapable Alienation of Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers written by Glenn Kenny, and an essay titled Same as It Ever Was written by Elena Lazic.

Summary:

Abel Ferrara directed Body Snatchers. He’s known for The Driller Killer, Ms. 45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Addiction, and The Funeral.

A teenage girl whose family is living on a military base discovers alien clones are replacing humans.

Jack Finney’s The Body Snatchers premise is something that most are aware of, even if they have not seen any of the four film adaptations. While most of the elements from Jack Finney’s novel remain in the film adaptations, the first three have bleaker endings than the novel’s optimistic ending. Beyond their similarities, it is the things that are unique to each adaptation why they hold up as well as they do.

Body Snatchers went through several rewrites. The initial screenplay was written by Larry Cohen, then Stuart Gordon and Dennis Paoli, with the intention of the former directing it. When Body Snatchers came around to Abel Ferrara, he had a frequent collaborator, Nicholas St John, refashion the screenplay to suit his filmmaking style. That said, the changes made by Abel Ferrara and Nicholas St John make it a far more interesting film than what was proposed in earlier drafts.

Paranoia is central to all adaptations of The Body Snatchers, and Abel Ferrara does a remarkable job conveying characters' experiencing psychosis. Another theme at the forefront is conformity, and Abel Ferrara drives it home by showing how much the military and aliens overlap. That said, while Abel Ferrara injects some social commentary, his adaptation is not as overtly political as earlier film adaptations were.

Although none of the performances really stand out, the strongest one is Gabrielle Anwar (For Love or Money) in the role of Marti Malone. The narrative is told from her character's perspective, and she provides a voice-over narration that further fleshes things out. Another performance of note is Forest Whitaker (Fast Times at Ridgmont High), who portrays a medical officer that refuses to go to sleep and is replaced by the alien clones.

Besides not performing well financially, working within the rigid studio framework did not suit Abel Ferrara’s instincts as a filmmaker. That said, when it comes to creating tense moments and delivering an eerie atmosphere, he delivered in spades. The special effects, especially moments where characters are being taken over and replaced, are very effective. Ultimately, Body Snatchers' positives far outweigh its negatives, making it a solid companion film to Invasion of the Body Snatchers' 1956 and 1978 adaptations.

Body Snatchers gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Fear City – Shout! Factory (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1984
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
Cast: Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Scalia, Melanie Griffith, Rossano Brazzi, Rae Dawn Chong, Joe Santos, Michael V. Gazzo, Jan Murray, Maria Conchita Alonso, Ola Ray

Release Date: July 7th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 94 Minutes 42 Seconds (Theatrical Version), 97 Minutes 8 Seconds (Unrated Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: R (Theatrical Version), NR (Unrated Version)
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $26.98

"There's a psychopath on the loose in Manhattan who is stalking and mutilating beautiful strippers employed by booking agents Matt Rossi (Tom Berenger) and Nicky Parzeno (Jack Scalia). But when the madman targets Matt's ex-girlfriend, Loretta (Melanie Griffith), he must confront his own violent past to stop the sadistic killer. Welcome to Fear City, where thrills are cheap, and human life is even cheaper." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "new 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive."

Fear City comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.1 GB

Feature: 20.6 GB (Theatrical Version), 21.3 GB (Unrated Version)

The source looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, and image clarity and black levels are strong. There are no issues with compression and the image retains an organic appearance.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

Each version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

There are no extras.

Summary:

Abel Ferrara directed Fear City. He’s known for The Driller Killer, Ms. 45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Addiction, and The Funeral.

A psychopath is stalking and maiming strippers. When the police are unable to capture the psychopath, two managers wanting to project their talent take matters into their hands.

Abel Ferrara’s film throughout the 1980s and 1990s had a common thread: New York City. While there were other films from this time frame that showed less attractive areas of New York City, Abel Ferrara’s films always managed to locate the grimiest locations, places only a true New Yorker would know. This brings us to Abel Ferrara’s Fear City, set in a New York City that is at the height of its decay.

The opening setup does a solid job of fleshing out characters, and once the first woman is attacked, the narrative hits its stride. The narrative is very effective at creating tense moments that build upon each other, and there are a few surprises along the way that go against your typical crime film. Another strength of the narrative is how well it weaves multiple storylines, which come together for the finale. While some may find Abel Ferrara’s narrative tangents jarring, for those who are familiar with his films, it will not be a problem.

Where Driller Killer and Ms. 45 were made on a modest budget with mostly unknown casts, Fear City offered Abel Ferrara a substantial amount of resources. The biggest of these was an impressive cast, which features Tom Berenger (Platoon), Billy Dee Williams (Nighthawks), Melanie Griffith (Body Double), and Maria Conchita Alonso (Colors). The most interesting character is Matt Rossi (portrayed by Tom Berenger), a former boxer who now works as a talent manager. Rossi killed a man during his last fight, and since then he’s been searching for redemption. The most memorable performance is John Foster, who portrays a psychopath who’s carving up strippers.

While the look of Fear City is firmly rooted in Neo-noir, the vibe is a down-in-the-guerrilla exploitation film. Not surprising that there are many exposed breasts, since the narrative prominently features strippers. The scenes where the killer attacks women are unflinching in their brutality, giving them an intensity that heightens them. Ultimately, Fear City is a well-crafted crime drama that fans of Neo-noir should thoroughly enjoy.

Shout! Factory’s Fear City comes with two versions of the film and a strong audio/video presentation. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

New Rose Hotel – Cinématographe (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1998
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writers: Abel Ferrara, Christ Zois
Cast: Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Asia Argento, Annabella Sciorra, John Lurie, Yoshitaka Amano, Gretchen Mol, Victor Argo

Release Date: December 2nd, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $49.98

"In the near future, Fox (Christopher Walken, King of New York) and X (Willem Dafoe, Light Sleeper) are industrial spies who are hired by corporations to bring sought-after employees to the highest bidder, leaving their current employers in the dust. When they are hired to help move Hiroshi (played by anime artist Yoshitaka Amano), a brilliant scientist, from a German company back to Japan, they enlist the help of a call girl named Sandii (Asia Argento, Boarding Gate) to seduce him. The actions of Fox, X, and Sandii result in a play of power, sex, and violence that takes them around the globe, not knowing who either can trust." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 2K restoration from the best surviving elements."

New Rose Hotel comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 39.8 GB

Feature: 26 GB

The source is a marked improvement over this film’s previous home media releases. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression and digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English with removable English SDH. There are no issues with distortion or background hiss; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with composer Schooly D tilted I Had to Be Cool (17 minutes 16 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a video conference with actress Asia Argento titled Doing Your Homework (7 minutes 55 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Willem Dafoe titled Wild & Wooly (15 minutes 15 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas titled Checking Into the New Rose Hotel (10 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction to the film by director Abel Ferrara (16 minutes 51 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film critic Adrian Martin, a J-card MediaBook slipcase and a 40-page booklet with an essay titled Near Future: william Gibson, Abel Ferrara anf Two New Rose Hotels written by Justin LaLiberty, an essay titled You’ve Got Me Confused written by Nick Newman, and an essay titled An Economy of Perfotmative Presences written by Filipe Furtado.

Summary:

Abel Ferrara directed New Rose Hotel. He’s known for The Driller Killer, Ms. 45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Addiction, and The Funeral. New Rose Hotel is based on a William Gibson short story of the same name.

Two industrial spies hire a call girl to help them lure a genius scientist away from his employer and family.

Abel Ferrara is not a filmmaker whose films are always easily accessible, and after watching a few of his films, it will be clear if you click with his cinema. He’s a creative force whose singular vision never diverges from what he wants to do. That said, no matter what direction he decides to take, you can always count on him delivering something intriguing.

Set in a near-future dystopia, New Rose Hotel is more of a thriller than it is a science fiction film. Its neo-noir style aligns well with its cyberpunk origins, as both genres share several overlapping elements. These include moral ambiguity, darkly lit settings, and the presence of femme fatales.

While Abel Ferrara is a filmmaker with a clear vision, when it comes to his cast, he gives them a freedom to create, and they deliver exemplary performances that evaluate everyone around them. Cast in the roles of Fox and X, two industrial spies, are Christopher Walken (King of New York) and Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ). These two actors are frequent collaborators of Abel Ferrara; New Rose Hotel would mark Christopher Walken’s third and final collaboration, while Willem Dafoe would work with him for the first of six collaborations. Rounding out the cast is Asia Argento (The Stendhal Syndrome), in the role of a call girl named Sandii. She gives one of her most compelling performances in the role of a femme fatale.

Although the narrative does a superb job holding your attention, it could have fleshed out some things better. The performances make any shortcomings a non-factor, and the 30 minutes do a solid job putting everything into focus. The unsung hero of New Rose Hotel is Schooly D’s score, which does an exemplary job reinforcing mood. Ultimately, New Rose Hotel is a film fans of Abel Ferrara will thoroughly enjoy, while those making their first foray into his filmography would be better served with films like King of New York or Bad Lieutenant.

Cinématographe gives New Rose Hotel an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Ms. 45: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1981
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
Cast: Zoë Lund, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto, Helen McGara, Nike Zachmanoglo, Peter Yellen, Editta Sherman 

Release Date: October 27th, 2025 (UK), October 28th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"New York, 1980. Raped at gunpoint on her way home from work, mute seamstress Thana returns to the safety of her apartment only to be assaulted again by a burglar; but this time she fights back. Bludgeoning her assailant with an iron, she takes his gun and begins to dispose of the body piece by piece. Fuelled by her trauma, Thana sees that sexual threat is everywhere in the city and decides to bring a .45 caliber solution to the problem." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Ms. 45 has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. The films is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16 bit at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The film was restored in 4K and color graded at Resillion. All materials sourced for this new master were made available by Giant Pictures via Warner Bros. This newly restored master was reviewed by Sean Williams and approved by director Abel Ferrara."

Ms. 45 comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

DiscSize: 73.1 GB

Feature: 56 GB

Ms. 45 is given a brand new transfer for this release, which is a marked improvement over all of its previous home media releases. Flesh tones and colors look perfect; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (13 images - poster/home video art/stills), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two short films about Zoë Lund directed by Paul Rachman: Zoë XO (6 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Zoë Rising (5 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with creative consultant Jack McIntyre (10 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Joe Delia (10 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Abel Ferrara (7 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with film critic Kat Ellinger titled Where Dreams Go to Die (15 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with film critic BJ Colangelo titled The Voice of Violence (18 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape Revenge Films: A Critical Study and Cultographies: Ms .45, reversible cover art, a double-sided fold-out poster, a slipcover, and a 60-page perfect-bound book with cast & crew information, Zoë as Thana as Zoë written by Robert Lund, A Biographical Sketch in the First Person written by Zoë Lund, an essay titled Ms. 45 written by Brad Stevens, an essay titled Death walks in High Heels written by Kier-La Janisse, The Ship With Eight Sails written by Zoë Lund, an essay titled Zoë Lund: Writer, Muse, and Rebel written by Paul Rachman, previously unseen photographs of Zoë Lund, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Ms. 45 was directed by Abel Ferrara, whose other notable films include The Driller Killer, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Addiction, and The Funeral.

After experiencing sexual assault twice in a single day, a mute seamstress spirals into madness. As she drifts further into madness, she stalks the streets with a .45, which she uses against random men.

Ms. 45 combines elements of both vigilante and rape/revenge films. In the case of the latter, it puts a unique spin on this subgenre, where the victim takes out her aggression, not on those who violated her, but on random men who she feels threatened by. That said, her violent outbursts are more of a reaction to her environment than they are calculated moments of vengeance.

Ms. 45 opens with a shocking and brutal setup, where the protagonist is sexually assaulted twice by two different men. While the first man leaves the scene, she struggles against the second and ultimately kills him. Instead of calling the police, she decides to cut up his body and drop pieces of it around the city. The narrative maintains its relentless momentum, culminating in an outstanding finale that acts as an ideal conclusion.

The most remarkable aspect of Ms. 45 is Zoë Lund’s portrayal of a mute seamstress named Thana. Her performance depends entirely on her emotional responses and physicality, with her first and only words being spoken in her final moment. The narrative unfolds through her perspective, and her portrayal effectively immerses the viewer in her character's mindset. That said, although the other performances all pale in comparison, they all work well within the story that unfolds.

The one constant throughout Abel Ferrara's cinema is New York City, and he has a talent for selecting locations that enhance the mood. It is especially clear in scenes where Thana uses her .45 to express her rage. Two of these moments stand out more than the others; the first is a scene where Thana is encircled by five men, whom she systematically shoots with the utmost calm as they charge her, and the second is a costume party finale in which she dresses like a nun.

Although Abel Ferrara has been active for six decades and continues to create films on his own terms, he rarely missed the mark during his peak period in the 1980s and 90s. When discussing a film like Ms. 45, one cannot overlook his growth as a filmmaker from The Driller Killer; the result is a remarkable film in which everything perfectly falls into place. That said, when considering what Abel Ferrara’s best films are, there are only three that can be seriously considered: King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, and Ms. 45.

Ms. 45 gets a definitive release from Arrow Video. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Addiction: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1995
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
Cast: Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Annabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Paul Calderon, Fredro Starr, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Imperioli

Release Date: December 9th, 2024 (UK), December 10th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR, R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Philosophy student Kathleen (Lili Taylor, The Conjuring) is dragged into an alleyway on her way home from class by Casanova (Annabella Sciorra, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and bitten on the neck. She quickly falls ill but realizes this isn’t any ordinary disease when she develops an aversion to daylight and a thirst for human blood…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16-bit resolution at MPI / Warner Brother, Los Angeles. The film was restored in 4K and graded in HDR10 at R3Store Studios, London. Dolby Vision grading was completed by Fidelity in Motion, Florida."

The Addiction comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 78.1 GB

Feature: 59.3 GB

As outstanding as Arrow Video’s 2018 Blu-ray release looked, this new release is even better. The source used for this transfer is in immaculate shape. Details look sharp, contrast and black levels look solid throughout, grain remains intact and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio mixes are in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and, range-wise, the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (17 stills), a theatrical trailer (38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival piece from the time of production titled Abel Ferrara Edits The Addiction (8 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), An Appreciation by Brad Stevens (8 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Abel Ferrara (16 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary about the film titled Talking with the Vampires made by Abel Ferrara especially for this release, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lili Taylor, composer Joe Delia, Ken Kelsch, and Abel Ferrara titled (30 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Abel Ferrara and moderated by Brad Stevens, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing) and a 32-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled This is my Blood: Ferrara’s Addiction written by Michael Ewins, an essay titled Vampire Chronicles written by Paul Duane and information about the restoration.

Summary:

The Addiction was directed by Abel Ferrara, whose other notable films include The Driller Killer, Ms. 45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, and The Funeral.

Many films have explored vampirism and the lore that surrounds vampires. Early examples of vampirism in cinema include F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu and Todd Browning’s Dracula. And though there is no denying these two films' influence on how other films have depicted vampires. There have been a few films that have avoided the vampire’s well-treaded clichés by breathing new blood into one of horror cinema’s most celebrated characters.

Case in point Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction, a film that features what is arguably the most inventive spin on vampirism. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to how this film depicts the vampires. With their lust for blood being rooted in addiction, not survival. Symbolism and philosophy play a significant role in how this film depicts the vampires.

Although the characters are lacking when it comes to backstories. This ultimately works in The Addiction's favor by allowing the words and images to become the focal point. With that being said, the cast are excellent in their respective roles. With the standout performance being Lili Taylor (I Shot Andy Warhol) in the role of the protagonist, Kathleen Conklin. Other performances of note include Christopher Walken (The Dead Zone) in the role of Peina, a vampire who tries to educate Kathleen about her addiction, and Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever) in the role of Casanova, a mysterious stranger whose bite transforms Kathleen into a vampire.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Addiction does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, and the black and white cinematography is overflowing with atmosphere. Standout moments visually include the scene where Casanova drags Kathleen into an alley and drinks her blood, the scene where Kathleen meets Peina, and the film's finale, which provides the perfect coda for the events that have just unfolded.

The Addiction makes its way to 4K UHD via another exceptional upgrade from Arrow Video, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer