Re-Animator: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1985
Director: Stuart Gordon
Writers: Dennis Paoli, William Norris, Stuart Gordon
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson

Release Date: August 8th, 2017
Approximate running times: 86 Minutes 6 Seconds (Unrated Version), 104 Minutes 56 Seconds (Integral Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English (Both Versions), LPCM Stereo English (Unrated Version), LPCM Mono English (Unrated Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: OOP

"When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It's not long before Dean finds himself under West's influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Unrated Version, Integral Version)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Both the Unrated and Integral versions of Re-Animator were fully restored at TLEFilms FRPS, sources from the original film and audio elements. The original 35mm camera negative and interpositive elements were scanned in 5K sensor/4K resolution on the IMAGICA Imager XE Advanced Plus film scanner. The colour grading was completed on the Baselight using a 6-meter screen via 2K-native Christic DCI projector, a 10- bit OLED TV and CRT studio reference monitors.

Extensive digital restoration work was performed using Furnace, Combustion and PF Clean to repair issues such as dirt, scratches, torn or missing frames, and photochemical lab damage. The work was performed carefully to ensure no digital artefacts would be created."

Re-Animator unrated version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 27 GB

Re-Animator integral version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.5 GB

Feature: 28.8 GB

The transfers for both versions are in great shape, and any imperfections are minor. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, contrast is good, black levels are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English), 4.25/5 (LPCM Stereo English, LPCM Mono English)

The unrated version comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, a LPCM stereo mix in English, and a LPCM mono mix in English. The integral version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both versions come with removable English SDH subtitles.

The two DTS-HD 5.1 tracks are similar, and the stereo and mono tracks are comparable quality-wise. All four audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. And though the two DTS-HD 5.1 tracks open up the sound spectrum, notably the rear channels, the other two tracks are more preferable choices that provide very satisfying audio experiences.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include a stills gallery, five T.V. spots (2 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), three scenes with multi-angle storyboard (48 seconds, 2 minutes 51 seconds, 1 minute 20 seconds), deleted scenes (2 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended scenes (23 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna (48 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Dennis Paoli (10 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Richard Band (14 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Fangoria editor Tony Timpone (4 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a second archival interview with Richard Band titled Music Discussion (16 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Barbara Crampton in Conversation (16 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Theater of Blood - Re-Animator: The Musical (12 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled The Catastrophe of Success: Stuart Gordon and the Organic Theater (13 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Re-Animator: Resurrectus (68 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an Isolated music track, an audio commentary track is with Stuart Gordan, an audio commentary track is with Brian Yuzna and actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and Robert Sampson and an audio commentary track is with Stuart Gordon, and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical.

Extras on disc two include an audio supplement featuring Jeffrey Combs reading Lovecraft’s original short story titled Doug Bradley’s Spinechillers: Herbert West – Reanimator (98 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a featurette titled A Guide to Lovecraftian Cinema (54 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles). 

Other extras include four postcard sized lobby card reproductions (only available as part of this limited-edition release), Re-Animator the original 1991 comic book adaptation (92 pages), reprinted in its entirety (only available as part of this limited-edition release), and a twenty-four page booklet (only available as part of this limited-edition release) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Yucking it Up: The Black (And Red) Humor of Re-Animator written by Michael Gingold and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Re-Animator was directed by Stuart Gordon, who is best known for his adaptations of the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft. His other notable films are From Beyond, Dolls, and Dagon.

Although there have been numerous film adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's literary works, the final results have frequently failed to capture the essence of the stories that inspired them. By the 1980s things looked bleak for fans of H.P. Lovecraft who were hoping for a cinema adaptation that perfectly captured the vibe of his literary works. This brings us to Stuart Gordon’s adaptation of Herbert West—Reanimator, a film that has since become regarded as the best cinematic adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s literary works.

Content-wise, Re-Animator skillfully balances H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic sense of wonder with a dark sense of humor that is deeply rooted in the macabre. From the very beginning, Re-Animator makes it clear that it is willing to embrace the well-worn tropes of the horror genre. Its unflinching approach to portraying mayhem stands out as one of its greatest strengths.

There are so many things that can go wrong when making a film, and even if everything falls into place, nothing is more devastating than miscasting. Fortunately, Re-Animator is a film that's perfectly cast, and one could not see anyone else in these roles, especially Jeffrey Combs's (Frightmare) inspired portrayal of Herbert West. His character is focused on one goal, and his performance flawlessly gets across his determination to achieve it at any cost. The other performance of note is David Gale (Syngenor) in the role of Dr. Carl Hill, a professor who will do anything to obtain Herbert West’s research on reanimating the dead.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Re-Animator does not excel. The narrative is a perfect blend of mayhem and carnage that does an exceptional job building to an outlandish finale that serves as a very satisfying conclusion. While gore is the main attraction, one should not overlook how effectively Re-Animator employs humor, especially when it comes to the most blood-soaked moments. Although cinema has become more favorable to H.P. Lovecraft since Re-Animator, this film still remains the high-water mark for adaptations. Ultimately, Re-Animator is an exceptional film that deserves its reputation as one of horror cinema’s best films.

Arrow Video gives Re-Animator its best home video release to date, highly recommended.

Note: The limited-edition release is OOP. Arrow Video has since released a standard version that drops the Blu-ray disc with the integral version, four lobby cards, the comic book, and the booklet.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Bride of Re-Animator: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1988
Director: Brian Yuzna
Writers: Rick Fry, Woody Keith, Brian Yuzna
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio, David Gale, Kathleen Kinmont, Mel Stewart

Release Date: April 11th, 2016 (UK), April 12th, 2016 (USA)
Approximate running times: 97 Minutes 44 Seconds (Unrated Version), 97 Minutes 45 Seconds (R Rated Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Stereo English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"It has been eight months since the bloody massacre at the Miskatonic medical school. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Unrated Version), 4.25/5 (R Rated Version)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Bride of Re-Animator was restored in 2013/2014 using the best elements available to achieve complete presentations of both the R- Rated and Unrated versions of the film.

For the R-Rated version, a second generation intermediate interpositive was used. For the Unrated version, locating a 35mm element that was suitable for the restoration involved a near year-long search until a DeLuxe Composite Master Positive Print with the cut sequences intact was eventually found.

Both the 35mm Intermediate Positive and the 35mm Composite Master Postive Print elements were scanned at 2K resolution at 16-bit colour depth on a pin-registered IMAGICA Imager XE Advanced Plus. . .The colour grading was performed on a Baselight."

Bride of Re-Animator Unrated version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.3 GB

Feature: 26.7 GB

Bride of Re-Animator R-Rated version comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 24.7 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB

The sources for both versions are in great shape; both have been cleaned up. The transfer of the unrated version is superior to the other two versions. The colors are nicely saturated, the image looks crisp, the black levels and compression are strong, and the grain remains intact. That said, the main difference between these two transfers is that there are times when the unrated version looks softer than its counterpart.

Audio: 4.25/5

Both versions come with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in English, and both versions come with removable English SDH subtitles. Range-wise, both audio tracks more than hold their own, as the score always sounds robust and the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and there are no issues with distortion or background noise.

Extras:

Extras on the unrated Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 53 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two deleted scenes: Meg is Re-Animated (8 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Carnival Sequence (2 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archive making-of featurette titled Getting Ahead in Horror (23 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Splatter Masters: The Special Effects Artists of Bride of Re-animator (14 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Brian Yuzna titled Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride of Re-animator (9 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Brian Yunza, an archival audio commentary with Brian Yuzna, actor Jeffrey Combs, Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman, Tom Rainone, Mike Deak, Screaming Mad George, John Buechler, and an archival audio commentary with Jeffrey Combs and actor Bruce Abbott.

Extras on the R-rated disc include a Behind the Scenes reel (14 minutes, 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles). This disc is exclusive to this limited-edition release.

Other extras include reversible cover art, and a twenty-four-page booklet (only available as part of this limited-edition release) with cast & crew information, an essay about the film titled Here Comes the Bride… written by Michael Blyth and information about the transfer.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray, including an unrated version of the film.

Summary:

Bride of Re-Animator was co-written and directed by Brian Yuzna, whose other notable films as a director include Society and The Dentist. Other notable films that he worked on as a producer include Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Bride of Re-Animator, like its predecessor, was adapted from H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West—Reanimator. Another influence on The Bride of Re-Animator includes James Whale's Frankenstein.

Adapting the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft for the silver screen has been a daunting task, and the majority of those who have tried have failed to retain the essence of the source. with the first feature film adaptation, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, being released as The Haunted Palace in 1963. By the end of the 1960s, there would be more key Lovecraft adaptations: Die, Monster, Die! (The Color Out of Space), The Shuttered Room, and The Dunwich Horror.

Then, over the next fifteen years, there would be a drought until the release of Re-Animator, a film that would single-handedly revive interest in adapting H.P. Lovecraft for the silver screen. And after making two highly successful Lovecraft adaptations, Re-Animator and From Beyond, The majority of the cast and crew from these two films would return for a third time to the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft, though the original idea was to shoot The Shadow over Innsmouth. The idea was put on hold in favor of making a sequel to Re-Animator.

Unlike the majority of sequels, which just try to rehash the elements that made their predecessors successful, The Bride of Re-Animator goes the other route by creating a film that not only stands on its own but also brings several new elements into the mix that enhance the story at hand. Another advantage of this sequel is that it continues the story of the previous film. With the time between the two films summarized by the sequel's opening scene, humor plays a significant role in this sequel, as it did in its predecessor. 

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Bride of Re-Animator is how well it holds up in regards to the look of the film. From a creative standpoint, there would be two major charges with regards to the crew. With Brian Yuzna replacing Stuart Gordon (Castle Freak) as director and Rick Fichter (Society) taking over for Mac Ahlberg (The Seduction) in the role of cinematographer, In other areas of this production, such as special effects, Bride of Re-Animator exceeds expectations. The effects are often shocking to look at, and there is never a shortage of gore. With the most memorable moment being the scene where West resurrects Cain’s dead girlfriend.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is excellent in their respective roles. with Jeffry Combs (Lurking Fear) in the role of Herbert West and Bruce Abbott (Bad Dreams) in the role of Dan Cain. Both actors are reprising the roles they played in Re-Animator. They have a tremendous amount of chemistry, and the moments they share are by far and away this film’s most durable asset. Other notable performances include Fabiana Udenio (Summer School), who provides plenty of eye candy, and David Gale, who returns as Doctor Carl Hill, or more precisely as Doctor Hill's severed head. Ultimately, Bride of Re-Animator is a rare example of a sequel that is on par with its predecessor.

Arrow Video continues to raise the bar when it comes to deluxe special edition releases with Bride of Re-Animator, which is highly recommended.

Note: The limited-edition release is OOP. Arrow Video has since released a standard version that drops the Blu-ray disc with the R-rated version and the booklet.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Dagon – Umbrella Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 2001
Director: Stuart Gordon
Writers: Dennis Paoli, H.P. Lovecraft
Cast: Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Meroño, Macarena Gómez, Brendan Price

Release Date: July 4th, 2018
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 51 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R 18+ (Australia)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English/Gallegan/Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B (Australia)
Retail Price: $14.00

"A boating accident off the coast of Spain sends Paul and his girlfriend to the dilapidated fishing village of Imboca looking for help. As night falls people start to disappear and things not quite human start appearing. Whilst running for his life as the entire town pursues him, Paul discovers Imboca's dark secret... the freakish half-human creatures that populate the town.

They pray to Dagon, a monstrous God of the sea. All outsiders are sacrificed - the men are flayed alive and the women offered as unwilling brides to bear Dagon's unholy children." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.5/5

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

Disc Size: 39.1 GB

Feature: 29.6 GB

This transfer has been sourced from an outdated transfer. Image clarity is inconsistent, and there are issues related to DNR that give that image a waxy look. It should be noted that the Blu-ray that was released by Vestron also suffers from all of these issues.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with two audio mixes. Both of these audio mixes are listed as DTS-HD 5.1 mixes. Both audio mixes sound clear and balanced throughout. The second of these two DTS-HD 5.1 audio mixes sounds slightly more robust than the other DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. It should be noted that most of the dialog spoken in this film is in English. The English SDH subtitles do not translate any of the dialogue that is not in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a slipcover (limited to first pressing), H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Dagon printed on the inside cover (limited to first pressing), two TV spots (1 minute 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical teaser (2 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), B-Roll / Making of Footage (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival interviews from the set: director Stuart Gordon (3 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and actor Ezra Godden (2 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Macarena Gómez (12 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Stuart Gordon (17 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Raquel Meroño (14 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival interview with Ezra Godden (20 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Dagon was directed by Stuart Gordon, who is best known for his adaptations of the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft. Though Dagon gets its title from the H.P. Lovecraft short story of the same name, it also draws heavily from H.P. Lovecraft’s novella The Shadow over Innsmouth. Stuart Gordon has adapted H.P. Lovecraft five times (four feature films and an episode from the television series Masters of Horror). And, in terms of content, Dagon is the adaptation that comes closest to capturing the essence of H.P. Lovecraft.

From a production standpoint, Dagon achieves all of its goals. The premise is superbly realized, the special effects are well executed, and there is an ample amount of gore. And the atmospheric visuals do a good job of reinforcing the foreboding mood. The foreshadowing dream sequence that opens Dagon, the scene where the protagonist discovers what the townspeople are doing with tourists, and the finale provide an extremely satisfying conclusion to the events that have just unfolded and are all standout moments.

Performance-wise, the cast is all very good in their respective roles. The most memorable performance comes from Macarena Gómez (Sexy Killer), who played Uxa Cambarro, a half-woman, half-amphibian. Other notable performances include Ezra Godden (Band of Brothers) in the role of the protagonist, Paul Marsh, and Francisco Rabal (L’Eclisse) in the role of an alcoholic vagrant named Ezequiel, whom the worshipers of Dagon avoid because alcohol has infected his body. Ultimately, Dagon is a faithful adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft that stands out as one of Stuart Gordon’s best films.

Though this release comes with solid audio and an assortment of informative extras, it is ultimately marred by a mediocre transfer.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Dunwich Horror – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1970
Director: Daniel Haller
Writers: Curtis Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkosky
Cast: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire

Release Date: January 9th, 2023 (UK), January 10th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate running time: 87 Minutes 35 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Dean Stockwell stars as Wilbur Whateley, a mysterious young man who travels from the small town of Dunwich to the library of the Miskatonic University which holds one of the only copies of the Necronomicon, a legendary book of occult lore that Wilbur hopes to borrow. Graduate student Nancy Wagner (Sandra Dee) falls under his malign influence and travels with him back to his home where Wilbur has plans to use her in a ritual to raise 'The Old Ones', cosmic beings from another dimension. But who, or what, is in the locked room at the top of the stairs? And what will happen if they get out?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution at Company 3, Los Angeles.

The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at Dragon DI, Wales.

All the materials for this new restoration were made available by MGM."

The Dunwich Horror comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great; there are no source-related imperfections. Colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid; flesh tones look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid; and grain remains intact. That said, when optical effects occur, the source does not look as strong as it does for the bulk of this transfer.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and included are removable English SDH subtitles. The audio is in great shape; it sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should, especially Les Baxter’s score.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (33 images-stills/poster), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with music historian David Huckvale in which he takes a closer look at Les Baxter’s score for The Dunwich Horror titled The Sound of Cosmic Terror (32 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with science fiction and fantasy writer Ruthanna Emrys, author of The Innsmouth Legacy series titled After Summer After Winter (16 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a conversation between film historian Stephen R. Bissette and horror author Stephen Laws in which they discuss The Dunwich Horror, Lovecraft, and their memories of seeing the film on release titled The Door into Dunwich (2 hours 10 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Guy Adams and Alexandra Benedict, creators of the audio drama Arkham County, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to first pressing), and a thirty-six page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Dark Psychedelia of The Dunwich Horror written by Jack Sargeant, an essay titled Daniel Haller, Almost Supernatural written by Johnny Mains, Further Reading: The more you know, the more you see…, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

H.P. Lovecraft film adaptations can be traced back to Roger Corman's 1963 film The Haunted Palace, which was based on the H.P. Lovecraft novella "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." Over the next seven years, four more feature film adaptations were released, including Die, Monster, Die! (1965), based on the short story "The Colour Out of Space," The Shuttered Room (1967), based on the short story of the same name, Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), based on the short story "The Dreams in the Witch House," and The Dunwich Horror (1970), based on the short story of the same name. The 1970s and 1980s were a relatively quiet time for works of H.P. Lovecraft, with the only major adaptations being "Cool Air" and "Pickman’s Model," which were adapted into episodes for the television series Night Gallery.

It wasn’t until 1985, with the release of the film Re-Animator, based on the short story "Herbert West, Re-Animator,"  and a year later, with the release of From Beyond (based on a short story of the same name), that adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s writings really hit their stride. Though most feature films that followed Re-Animator and From Beyond failed to capture the essence of H.P. Lovecraft or were only loosely based on his work, they were only faint reminders of the brilliant source material from which they were adapted. There have been several short films that have done an admirable job adapting H.P. Lovecraft, with most of these finding their way to home video via Lurker Films.

This brings us back to The Dunwich Horror, director Daniel Haller’s second H.P. Lovecraft adaptation; Die, Monster, Die! is the other adaptation. Though The Dunwich Horror is the stronger of his two H.P. Lovecraft adaptations, one must not overlook how a film like Rosemary’s Baby influenced Daniel Haller’s The Dunwich Horror. In the wake of Rosemary’s Baby, there was an influx of occult-themed horror films, many of which also had a psychedelic vibe to them.

When discussing a film like The Dunwich Horror, its most interesting aspect is the casting choices for its two leads. Dean Stockwell (Compulsion) in the role of Wilbur Whateley, a young man wanting to fulfill his family's destiny, and Sandra Dee (Gidget) in the role of Nancy Wagner, a young woman who is seduced by Wilbur Whateley Both of these actors became famous as child actors, and most of their roles were in contrast to the characters they portray in The Dunwich Horror. That said, performance-wise, they both deliver well-rounded performances that suit the story at hand.

The rest of the cast is good in their respective roles. Other notable cast members include Ed Begley (Sweet Bird of Youth) in the role of Dr. Henry Armitage, Sam Jaffe (The Asphalt Jungle) in the role of Wilbur’s grandfather, and Talia Shire (The Godfather) in one of her first film appearances.

Though The Dunwich Horror is a low-budget production from AIP, it is in the same vein as their Poe cycle films. Just like their Poe films, The Dunwich Horror is a film that far exceeds its budget. It is a film that is overflowing with atmosphere and trippy, psychedelic moments. Another area where The Dunwich Horror excels is Les Baxter’s (House of Usher) superlative score, which is arguably his best. Ultimately, The Dunwich Horror is a solid adaptation that does a great job of remaining faithful to the cosmic wonder that is synonymous with the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Dunwich Horror gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

 Written by Michael Den Boer

The Executioner Collection – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1974 (The Executioner, The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)
Director: Teruo Ishii (Both Films)
Cast: Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, Eiji Go, Yutaka Nakajima, Makoto Satô, Ryo Ikebe, Hiroyuki Sanada (The Executioner), Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, Eiji Go, Yutaka Nakajima, Makoto Satô, Ryo Ikebe, Sue Shihomi (The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)

Release Date: January 9th, 2023 (UK), January 10th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 38 Seconds (The Executioner), 85 Minutes 51 Seconds (The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Fiilms)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (Both Fiilms), LPCM Mono English (The Executioner)
Subtitles: English (Both Fiilms), English SDH (The Executioner)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

The Executioner: "Ryuichi Koga (Chiba) is a descendent of the Koga Ninja school, now earning his living through more nefarious means as a gun for hire. When he is enlisted to take down a drug cartel alongside Hayabusa (Makoto Sato), a disgraced former narcotics detective now operating within the criminal underworld, and renegade Aikido master Sakura (Eiji Gō), tensions grow among this three-man team of ne'er-do-wells as each come to question each other's motives." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Executioner II: Karate Inferno: "Koga returns in the even more gung-ho follow up, Karate Inferno, as the ringmaster of a gang of thieves plotting to steal a priceless jewel from a master criminal." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (The Executioner), 4/5 (The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, “The High-Definition masters were produced and supplied by Toei from the best available archival materials, with additional grading and picture restoration by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios.”

The Executioner and The Executioner II: Karate Inferno come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 22.1 GB (The Executioner), 19 GB (The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)

The transfers for both films are in excellent shape. They both look better overall than Arrow Video’s other Sonny Chiba Blu-ray releases. The colors are nicely saturated, the image looks crisp, the black levels are strong, and the compression is solid.

Audio: 4.25/5 (The Executioner, The Executioner II: Karate Inferno)

The Executioner comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Also, there are two subtitle options: removable English for the Japanese language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

The Executioner II: Karate Inferno comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and there are removable English subtitles.

All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented, and fight sequences sound appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery for The Executioner (26 images-posters/stills), an image gallery for The Executioner II: Karate Inferno (22 images-posters/stills), The Executioner Japanese theatrical trailer (2 minutes 40 seconds, DTS-HD mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), The Executioner English theatrical trailer (1 minute 55 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), The Executioner II: Karate Inferno theatrical trailer (2 minutes 25 seconds, DTS-HD mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Teruo Ishii filmography, a featurette on the legendary Sonny Chiba titled Sonny Chiba, Karate King (29 minutes 51 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English and Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow for The Executioner, reversible cover art, a double sided poster (limited to first pressing), a slipcover (limited to first pressing), and twenty page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast and crew information for both films, an essay titled Making Martial Arts Funny: Sonny Chiba and Company Deliver Laughs Together with Hardcore Action in Teruo Ishii’s Two Executioner Films written by Mark Schilling, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

1974 was a busy year for Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, who would star in a total of seven films. Most notably, there are three Street Fighter films. In 1974, he also starred in two Executioner films that were directed by Teruo Ishii, who also directed The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge, the delirious conclusion to the Street Fighter series.

Though Teruo Ishii is known best for his adaptations of mystery author Edogawa Rampo stories and work within the Ero Guro film genre, When it came to action films, specifically karate films, he did not enjoy working in this genre. That said, the two Executioner films show that he was more than capable of delivering when it came to karate films.

The Executioner is more coherent than The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge, Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s previous collaboration with Teruo Ishii. Despite the fact that The Executioner contains all of the ingredients that one would expect from a karate film. It is actually a parody of karate films in which he turned the humor up to eleven and let anarchy run rampant in hopes that Toei would not ask him to direct another karate film. Unfortunately for Teruo Ishii, The Executioner would be a bonafide success at the box office.

With The Executioner, Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s talents as one of cinema’s badasses are on full display. Whether he gets to show off his ninja skills by crawling on the ceiling or his brutal fighting style that often leads to the removal of body parts, The Executioner lets Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba do what he does best: kick ass. Though there are many similarities between Ryuichi Koga and Takuma "Terry" Tsurugi, the latter is an antihero, while the former is a straight-up bad guy who is only interested in money. Also, one of Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s protégés, Hiroyuki Sanada, would make his debut in The Executioner in the role of Ryuichi Koga when he was a young boy.

Though Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba is the most known of the cast, The Executioner is actually part of an ensemble cast that has three other characters that share screen time with Ryuichi Koga. Makoto Satô (The Killing Machine) is cast in the role of Takeshi Hayato, the leader of the four-person crew that Ryuichi Koga is part of. His character bears a strong resemblance to Lee Van Cleef’s Angel Eyes character in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. In one scene, right before Takeshi Hayabusa is about to kill a man, the man offers him money to kill the man who hired him, and he replies, "I always finish every job." When he later reports that he has completed the job to the original man who hired him, he tells him the story of how the other man hired him before finally killing him to complete the cycle. This sequence of events and most of the dialog is almost exactly how it happens in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Takeshi Hayabusa is the most level-headed of the four lead characters, and there are several instances in which he has to break up near fights between Ryuichi Koga and Ichiro Sakura.

The other two members of the crew are Ichiro Sakura, a sexual deviant who is deliriously portrayed by Eiji Go (Bodyguard Kiba). This character ends up being the focal point of every prank or joke, and his nickname is "klutz." And Yutaka Nakajima (The Street Fighter) is in the role of Emi, whose job it is to keep the other three in line and on task.

The Executioner’s fight scenes are among the most brutal and some of the best of Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s career. The anything goes aspect of The Executioner is without a doubt its greatest asset. Instead of yet another "by the numbers" karate film, The Executioner goes against the grain and turns everything one expects on its head. That said, from a purely visceral level, The Executioner is one of Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba's best films.

The Executioner II: Karate Inferno opens up in a similar fashion to The Executioner. We are introduced to all the lead characters, and this time around we are told what they have been up to since their last mission. This time around, instead of taking on drug dealers, this film shifts its focus to a heist caper that has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Teruo Ishii returns as director, and once again he injects the right amount of chaos into the mix. He keeps the action flowing, and there are several inventive compositions throughout The Executioner II: Karate Inferno.

All the main actors, Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, Eiji Go, Yutaka Nakajima, and Makoto Satô, reprise their roles from the previous film. This time around, there isn’t as much action, and the main emphasis is on comedy. Most of the situations and jokes are sophomoric, like farting, picking noses, and scratching dandruff into another person's drink. Some of these comedic bits are pretty funny, like when Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s character Ryuichi Koga is hanging outside of a high-rise building and a bikini-clad woman leans out of the window with her enormous breasts hanging over his head. Another funny moment that almost crosses the barrier of good taste is when Ichiro Sakura's body catches fire and, when all else fails, Ryuichi Koga puts out the fire with his urine.

Though The Executioner II: Karate Inferno isn’t as action-heavy as The Executioner, there is some bone-crunching action near the end that rivals some of Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba’s best work. Also, there is a surreal moment when Ryuichi Koga is being chased by two thugs who stop to look at an advertisement on a wall that has Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba on it. As a team, nothing ever seems to go right, as they end up getting cheated in some way, and one has to wonder why they keep on working with each other. The Executioner II: Karate Inferno has it all and then some; if you like eyeballs popping out of their sockets and intestines being ripped out, then you should thoroughly enjoy The Executioner: Karate Inferno. Seriously though, even though The Executioner: Karate Inferno ignores the ingredients that made The Executioner so successful, The Executioner II: Karate Inferno is still a lot of fun in a it's so good it's bad way.

The Executioner Collection is another solid release from Arrow Video that comes with strong audio/video presentations and a pair of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer