Arrow Video has announced that it will release six titles on Blu-ray in June: Terence Fisher's
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Michael Mann's
Thief, Fernando Di Leo's
Milano Calibro 9, Luigi Cozzi's
Contamination, Takashi Miike's
The Happiness of the Katakuris, and Jack Hill's
Spider Baby.
Please note that the announcement includes information for upcoming U.S. and UK releases.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes is the most filmed character of all time but it is arguably this 1959 re-telling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles, from legendary horror studio Hammer and starring genre stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, which stands as the super sleuth's finest cinematic hour.
Rising up out of the swirling mists of Dartmoor, Baskerville Hall stands tall and gloomy. Its occupant, Charles Baskerville, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Could Sir Charles have been the victim of the so-called "Baskerville Curse", which tells of a deadly beast that stalks the surrounding countryside? Unperturbed by the legend, next-in-line Sir Henry Baskerville (a rare leading man performance from Lee) sets out to Dartmoor to assume inheritance of the family estate, under the auspices of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and right-hand man Dr. Watson (Andre Morell).
Imbued with an atmosphere as thick as fog, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a superlative gothic yarn which benefits from game performances from Cushing, Lee and Morell, as well as the expert direction of Terence Fisher, known for helming many of Hammer's most celebrated efforts including The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out.
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) feature presentation
- Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- New audio Commentary with Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby
- Brand new interview with hound mask creator Margaret Robinson
- Brand new interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow
- Andre Morell: Best of British A featurette looking at the late great actor Andre Morell and his work with Hammer
- The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes a 1986 documentary looking at the many incarnations of Conan Doyle's celebrated character, narrated and presented by Christopher Lee
- Actor's Notebook: Christopher Lee an archive interview in the which the actor recalls his experiences of making The Hound of the Baskervilles
- The Hounds of the Baskervilles Excerpts read by Christopher Lee
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Hammer archivist Robert J.E. Simpson, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1.
Milano Calibro 9
Perhaps the one true film noir to emerge from Italy, Milano Calibro 9 is a gritty, ultra-violent masterpiece and an essential entry in the cannon of Italian crime cinema. Centring on the character of ex-con Ugo Piazza (played with stone-cold precision by Gastone Moschin) the film also benefits from the presence of giallo regular Barbara Bouchet (Don't Torture a Duckling, The Black Belly of the Tarantula) and her considerable charms.
Released after a three-year term in prison for a bungled robbery, Ugo Piazza plans to lead the straight life for a while. But no sooner is he back on the street than he's picked up by a bunch of hoodlums under the employ of his former boss, the 'Americano' among them, the psychopathic Rocco who are convinced that Ugo stole $300,000 before his incarceration. The gang forces Ugo to resume working for them in the hope that he'll eventually lead them to their missing cash.
The first part in director Fernando Di Leo's Milieu Trilogy, Milano Calibro 9 is an early example of the poliziotteschi Italian crime films which proliferated in the 1970s. Di Leo eschews the sleazy, more exploitative approach of some his contemporary filmmakers for a more serious take on his subject matter although he's not averse to show-stopping gun fights and long, lingering shots of the lovely Barbara Bouchet.
Special Features:
- New High Definition Digital Transfer
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Caliber 9 a 2004 featurette on the making of the film bringing together interviews with various members of the production team
- Fernando Di Leo: The Genesis of the Genre a documentary looking at the filmmaker's career, including an interview with Di Leo himself
- Scerbanenco Noir a look into the work and history of Giorgio Scerbaneco, author of the original Milano Calibro 9 novel
- An appreciation of Milano Calibro 9 by Matthew Holness, writer and star of cult series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist
- Collector's Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 15.
Thief: Standard Edition
For his first theatrical feature, Michael Mann (Manhunter, Public Enemies) returned to the rain-soaked streets of his hometown, Chicago, for a stunning piece of neo-noir starring James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball) at his toughest.
Caan plays Frank, a jewel thief and former convict who is looking to settle down with his girlfriend (Tuesday Weld, Once Upon a Time in America) and begin a family. But when his 'fence' is thrown from a window and the Chicago mafia begin to flex their muscles, his hopes of a quiet life become anything but
With a sterling supporting cast in the shape of James Belushi, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson and Dennis Farina, lush electronic score by Tangerine Dream and the assured direction of Mann, Thief is a standout eighties crime flick that paved the way for the his later urban thrillers such as Heat and Collateral as well as Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive.
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the director's cut from a new 4K film transfer, approved by director Michael Mann, with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by writer-director Michael Mann and actor James Caan
- The Directors: Michael Mann a 2001 documentary on the filmmaker, containing interviews with Mann, James Belushi, William Petersen, Jon Voight and others
- Stolen Dreams a new interview with Caan filmed exclusively for this release
- Hollywood USA: James Caan an episode of the French TV series Cinι regards devoted to the actor, filmed shortly after Thief had completed production
- The Art of the Heist an examination of Thief by writer and critic F.X. Feeney, author of the Taschen volume on Michael Mann
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm
- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Brad Stevens, illustrated with original archive stills
UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1.
Contamination
Branded as a "video nasty" in the UK, director Luigi Cozzi's Contamination takes the premise of Ridley Scott's classic Alien and peppers it with exploding guts galore and a dangerously infectious soundtrack from celebrated Italian prog-rockers Goblin (Deep Red, Suspiria).
A cargo ship drifts up the Hudson River. Its crew: dead, their bodies horribly mutilated, turned inside out by an unknown force. Its freight: boxes upon boxes of glowing, pulsating green eggs. It soon becomes clear that these eggs are not of this planet, and someone intends to cultivate them here on Earth. But who? And to what end?
Starring Italian horror veteran Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters), Contamination is an ultra-violent sci-fi epic that really gets under the skin. In space, no one can hear you scream but on Earth, the terror rings loud and clear!
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Feature Commentary by filmmaker, Fangoria editor and Contamination super-fan Chris Alexander
- Luigi Cozzi on the Creation of Contamination an archive documentary hosted by the director and including behind-the-scenes footage
- 2014 Q&A with Cozzi and star Ian McCulloch
- Sound of the Cyclops: Goblin's Maurizio Guarini on the music of Contamination the Goblin keyboardist discusses Contamination's dark, progressive rock score and a lifetime of making music for Italian terror
- Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery - A critical analysis of the Italian "Mockbusters" trend of filmmaking which sought to capitalize on the success of Hollywood blockbusters
- Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Alexander, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 29.
U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 30.
The Happiness of the Katakuris
From Takashi Miike, the prolific director of such shocking hits including Audition and Ichi the Killer comes "The Sound of Music meets Dawn of the Dead"!
The Katakuris are a family trying to run a peaceful country inn but with a lack of guests there is much excitement for their first visitor, until they wind up dead! As each guest in turn dies in strange circumstances the family agree to hide the bodies but will the coverups come back to haunt them
In The Happiness of the Katakuris scenes of grotesque stop motion animation, surreal musical numbers and zombies combine to make one of the finest horror-comedies ever made.
Special Features:
- New High Definition digital film transfer
- Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
- Original uncompressed Stereo PCM audio
- Audio commentary by director Takashi Miike
- The Making of the Katakuris An original documentary from the film's production featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the cast and crew
- Interviews with the Katakuris cast members Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Tetsuro Tanba and Miike
- Animating the Katakuris A look at the creation of the film's stop motion effects with animation director Hideki Kimura and Miike
- Trailer and TV Spots
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
- Booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Johnny Mains and a re-printed interview with Miike conducted by Sean Axmaker, illustrated with original stills
U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 23.
UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 22.
Spider Baby
The credits dub this "the maddest story ever told", a promise that's well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She's one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults.
Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the 'children' behave towards their new guests...
This was the first solo feature by Jack Hill, whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed "the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking", and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest.
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature, available in the UK for the first time
- Original 2.0 Mono Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- High Definition transfer of the feature supervised and approved by director Jack Hill
- English SDH subtitles for deaf and hearing impaired
- Audio commentary featuring Jack Hill and star Sid Haig
- Panel discussion from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences FILM-TO-FILM Festival, recorded September 2012, featuring Jack Hill and stars Quinn K. Redeker and Beverly Washburn
- The Hatching of Spider Baby - Interviews with Jack Hill, Sid Haig, star Mary Mitchel, fan Joe Dante and more on the making of the film
- Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein - The composer of 'The Terror' and 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' among others is remembered by Harlene Stein, Jack Hill, American Cinematheque's Chris D. and others
- The Merrye House Revisited - Jack Hill revisits the original house that was used as the main location in the film
- Alternate opening title sequence
- Extended scene
- Original Trailer
- Gallery of behind-the-scenes images
- The Host (1960) Jack Hill's early short film featuring Sid Haig in his first starring role [30 mins]
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and an extensive article re-printed from FilmFax: The Magazine of Unusual Film and Television featuring interviews with the cast and crew, illustrated with original stills and artwork
U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 16.