On November 12th, Arrow Video delivers the beloved horror-comedy classic, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark on 4K UHD, starring the campy “hostess with mostest.” In 1988, Elvira departed the red sofa on the Movie Macabre set to star in her first major motion picture, solidifying her status as a major comedy/pop culture icon. The Limited-Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and hours of special features.
Elvira (Cassandra Peterson, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold) quits her job and is down on her luck when the phone rings with the news that a distant aunt has died and named her in the will. She embarks on a cross-country trip to accept the inheritance. As it turns out, the relative has left Elvira a poodle, a decrepit manor, and a family cookbook. The prudish locals, led by Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), aren’t happy that the goth temptress remains in their precious town, and Elvira appears bound for a one-night bonfire instead of the lush life she envisioned.
The special features include three vintage audio commentaries, a feature length making-of documentary with cast and crew, a featurette on the special effects, an introduction by the director, original storyboards, image galleries, and an Illustrated collector’s booklet with essays.
Watch the trailer for Elvira: Mistress of the Dark here:
On November 12, The Invasion makes its global debut on 4K UHD, as well as Blu-ray. This 2007 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers puts humanity at risk from alien invaders, only this time it happens through an epidemic, instead of the pods used in previous versions. Featuring a 4K transfer, the film is presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and filled with both new and archival special features.
When a space shuttle wrecks upon re-entry, the debris scatters from Washington D.C. to Texas. Eager souvenir hunters grab the chunks of heat shield without having a clue that they’re covered in alien spores. The collectors are becoming infected and transforming into new beings. A psychiatrist, Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut), hears from a patient (Veronica Cartwright, Alien) who swears her husband is a different person. After their meeting, the psychiatrist notices strange things about the people around her: they are either freaking out or displaying no emotions. There are also reports of a fast-moving dangerous flu. After a night of trick-or-treating with her son, Carol makes a grisly discovery that she shares with her boyfriend, Dr. Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig, Knives Out), and a leading biologist (Jeffrey Wright, Casino Royale). Can they discover the true nature of the infection and what happens when people fall asleep? The Invasion was eerily ahead of its time, with its tale of the effects of a post-pandemic world.
The special features include a brand-new audio commentary, a new visual essay, vintage featurettes with cast and crew interviews, trailer, an illustrated collector’s booklet with essays, and a double-sided fold out poster with new and original artwork.
Watch the trailer for The Invasion here:
On November 19, the neo-noir crime thriller A Simple Plan arrives from director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. The Academy Award®-nominated film shows what can go wrong when an unexpected fortune falls from the sky. Featuring a 4K remaster from the original camera negative and approved by director Sam Raimi, the film is presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and contains both new and archival special features.
Brothers Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton, Apollo 13) and Jacob Mitchell (Billy Bob Thornton, Bad Santa), with their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe, Twin Peaks: The Return), search in the snowy woods for a lost dog. What they find instead is a crashed plane with a bag stuffed with over $4 million in hundred-dollar bills inside. When they decide to keep the money and not tell anyone about it, things begin to unravel quickly.
The special features include two brand new audio commentaries, a new visual essay, new interviews with cast and crew, vintage on-the-set interviews with the stars and crew, trailer and an Illustrated collector’s booklet with essays.
Watch the trailer for A Simple Plan here:
On November 19, the ‘90s J-Horror box office hit Tomie makes its U.S. debut in a Limited Edition Blu-ray release.
Based on the smash-hit series by cult manga artist Junji Itō (Uzumaki), Tomie is about a detective Harada (Tomoro Taguchi, Tetsuo: The Iron Man), who investigates the murder of high school girl Tomie Kawakami (Miho Kanno, Dolls). He quickly learns this is a bigger case since several of her classmates and a teacher have committed suicide or have gone insane. The detective’s research shows that there was someone also named Tomie Kawakami who was murdered three years ago in a rural part of Japan. Further startling evidence reveals that numerous women named Tomie Kawakami have been murdered for over a century. The detective locates Tsukiko (Mami Nakamura, Tales of the Unusual), a surviving classmate of the latest Tomie. Instead of losing her mind, she merely suffers from amnesia. She has no memory of the time around Tomie’s murder. Tsukiko also doesn’t notice her neighbor’s fast-growing child who begins calling herself Tomie. What is the secret to this woman who won’t stay dead? Tomie’s box office success spawned seven sequels.
The special features include a brand-new audio commentary, new interviews with cast and crew, image gallery, trailer and an Illustrated collector’s booklet with essays.
Watch the official trailer here:
On November 26, Shawscope Volume 3 arrives with a Limited-Edition Blu-ray box set containing 14 movies from the vault of Hong Kong’s legendary Shaw Brothers Studio: The One-Armed Swordsman, Return of The One-Armed Swordsman, The New One-Armed Swordsman, The Lady Hermit, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, The 14 Amazons, The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger, Sentimental Swordsman, The Avenging Eagle, Killer Constable, Buddha’s Palm, and Bastard Swordsman. Shawscope Volume 3 explores the wuxia genre that features heroic warriors wielding legendary weapons. Thirteen of the movies feature new 2K restorations by Arrow Films from the original negatives, and a new 4K restoration of The One-Armed Swordsman by Celestial Pictures.
Jimmy Wang Yu (Master of the Flying Guillotine) became a superstar with one arm tied behind his back to play Fang Gang in The One-Armed Swordsman. Fang must retrain to be able to sword fight with his left arm after losing his right arm in a fight involving a jealous woman. Can his new one-armed technique defeat the long-armed Devil and his goons? Return of The One-Armed Swordsman has Fang Gang (Jimmy Wang Yu) happily retired with his wife. A group of wicked warriors calling themselves the Eight Sword Kings arrive on the scene and terrorize all the local schools. They want rival students to cut off their sword arms as a sign of surrender. Fang once more picks up his sword to defend the students before they suffer his fate. The New One-Armed Swordsman introduces David Chiang (Shaolin Temple) as the new title character. Lei Li (Chiang) cuts his own arm off after losing a duel that he doesn’t realize was crooked. He takes a humble job as a waiter until one night, he steps up to help someone. During the fight, he’s joined by Feng (Ti Lung, A Better Tomorrow). He relearns how to fight with Feng’s help. Eventually Lei Li seeks revenge against the cheater who cost him his arm. All three of The One-Armed Swordsman films were directed by Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms).
The Lady Hermit puts a sword back in the hands of Cheng Pei Pei (Come Drink With Me). Swordswoman Leng Yushaung (Pei Pei) gets injured in a fight with the Black Demon (Wang Hsieh, Jade Tiger) and hides out as a cook at a protection order. She quietly trains a female student before the Black Demon and his men show up. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is a murder mystery. A wealthy businessman is found dead, and the prime suspect is the courtesan Ainu (Lily Ho, The 14 Amazons). A masked fighter attempts to derail the police investigation into Ainu and the activities at the Four Seasons brothel.
The 14 Amazons has a grandmother (Lisa Lu Yan, Crazy Rich Asians) lead her clan into battle when she gets frustrated with the ineffective military leaders. Her women-led force proves formidable on the battlefield.
The Magic Blade declares Fu Hongxue (Ti Lung, The Avenging Eagle) as the best swordsman in the empire. His biggest opponent Yan Nanfei (Lo Lieh, King Boxer) can’t touch him at tournaments. The rivals must unite when the up-and-coming Gong Ziyu (Tang Ching, The Black Dragon) seeks the revolutionary “Peacock Dart” so he can claim Fu’s title.
Three leaders of clans are poisoned with spiritual water in Clans of Intrigue. Swordsman Chu Liuxiang (Ti Lung) arrives on the scene with three female disciples and is immediately suspected as the killer. In order to prove his innocence, Chu must uncover the culprit within a month otherwise he’ll be put to death.
Jade Tiger tells the tale of a bitter family feud. Zhao Wuji (Ti Lung) interrupts his wedding day for a fight. He returns victorious only to discover the ceremony has been raided by the rival Tang Clan. His father’s head has been cut off. Can the Zhaos get revenge for ruining this special day? Sentimental Swordsman has Li Xunhuan (Ti Lung) head back home to protect an old girlfriend (Candice Yu On-On, Death Duel) from a villainous swordsman. Sentimental Swordsman was a massive hit for Shaw Brothers with the mix of action and broken romance. The Avenging Eagle has Black Eagle Qi Mingxing (Ti Lung) rescue Zhuo Yifan (Alexander Fu Sheng, The Chinatown Kid) from dying in the desert. Qi was part of the legendary Thirteen Eagles but is now being hunted down by his former brothers.
Leng Tianying (Chen Kuan-Tai, Executioners from Shaolin) is assigned to find the thieves that robbed the palace vault in Killer Constable. This isn’t an easy investigation since the head of the robbers Fang Fengjia (Ku Feng, One-Armed Swordsman) orders the “Killer Constable” murdered. Leng can’t learn what palace insider was part of the heist. Buddha’s Palm is a fantastical tale of a secretive technique. Swordsman Lung Kim-Fei (Derek Yee Tung-Sing, Sentimental Swordsman) is taken by a giant bird to a cave to meet the blind Koo Hon-Wan (Alex Man Chi-Leung, Bastard Swordsman). He’s taught the supernatural Buddha’s Palm and wants to repay Koo by tracking down a magical pearl that can restore his vision. Bastard Swordsman features the Silkworm Style of swordplay in a tale of rival clans. Yun Feiyang (Norman Tsui Sui-Keung, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) seems to be a mere minion to the Chief of the Wudang, but turns out to have a deeper connection.
The special features include hours of compelling bonus features, including feature commentaries on each movie, several cast-and-crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive, the Korean cut of Killer Constable, a compact disc with soundtrack music from different films and an Illustrated collector’s booklet with essays.
Watch the trailer for Shawscope Volume 3 here: https://youtu.be/Rq9ARhDRZw8?si=1P7papjNFe2RlslF
