Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

For those familiar with the famed House franchise, you’ll be well aware that each of the four entries in the series are largely unrelated bar the fact that the action of each film centres around a mysterious creepy house. Well, each of the four entries bar House III, that is. And now, that third franchise entry is getting a new Blu-ray release from the fantastic crew over at Arrow Video.

Plot-wise, House III: The Horror Show revolves around a vicious serial killer and the detective on his trail. When Brion James’ ominously-named Meat Cleaver Max is finally brought down by Lance Henriksen’s Detective McCarthy, the crazed killer doesn’t even let a small matter like death stop him from continuing his bloody rampage. Despite meeting his maker courtesy of a stint in the electric chair, Max returns from the grave intent on piling up his body count and getting some brutal revenge on McCarthy.

Initially released in the US as simply The Horror Show – free from the ties of the House franchise name – the film has now taken its place as a straight-up part of the House series. Regardless of whether it’s in or out of the franchise, there’s no escaping the fact that House III is a stinker of a movie. Lance Henriksen does his best with what he has to work with, but you could put in an Oscar-worthy performance and still not make a smidge of difference to a film like House III. As for the rest of the cast, their performances range from excessively hammy to outright awful. One huge plus point, though, is the effects work on display. With greats such as Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger working their magic with the explosive and excessively graphic scenes dotted throughout The Horror Show, it’s this SFX work that is the hands-down best part of this threequel. As the old saying goes, however, you can’t polish a turd, and no matter how great the practical make-up and effects, there’s no dressing up just how disappointing a picture this is.

When it comes down to it, House III: The Horror Show is easily the weakest entry in the House franchise and sadly seems like nothing more than a desperate attempt to draw in an audience purely based on gore and profanities. Of course, here at STARBRUST we love us some bloodshed and we swear like a sailor for the most part, but House III just seems like excessive blood ‘n’ guts and strong language simply for shock value – ultimately feeling like a cheap gimmick to compensate for a poor story. And considering that the House franchise was built on family-friendly scares with a warm, humourous charm to them, The Horror Show just feels completely out of synch with the rest of the series. So much so, you almost wish the powers-that-be stuck to their original plan of releasing The Horror Show as a standalone picture not associated with the House franchise.

As for the special features included on this release, the major highlight is The Show Must Go On; an interview with legendary stuntman and franchise mainstay Kane Hodder. And in case you were wondering, yes, this release of House III: The Horror Show is the same Blu-ray that was included earlier this year in Arrow Video’s House: The Complete Collection boxset – just now, like the rest of the franchise, the film is getting a solo Blu-ray release.

Special Features: Audio commentary / Slaughter, Inc. featurette / Two interviews / Behind-the-scenes footage / Workprint footage / Trailer / Stills gallery

HOUSE III: THE HORROR SHOW / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JAMES ISAAC / SCREENPLAY: LESLIE BOHEM, ALLYN WARNER / STARRING: LANCE HENRIKSEN, BRION JAMES, RITA TAGGART, DEDEE PFEIFFER, ARON EISENBERG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With the prolific guys at Arrow Video currently releasing new Blu-ray versions of the famed House franchise, it’s now time to turn to our attention to 1987’s House II: The Second Story. While the first film became a huge favourite of many genre fans, it was decided to switch the attention to another batch of characters and another eerie house for the follow-up to the ’86 original. Still, with shocks and surprises aplenty, let’s see if The Second Story is worth a second look.

Much like the first movie saw Bill Katt’s Roger move in to his grandmother’s mysterious old house, House II centres on Arye Gross’ Jesse and the old family property where his parents were murdered years prior. While pal Charlie (Jonathan Stark) joins Jesse to explore this spacious, creepy abode, it’s the arrival of Jesse’s long-dead mummified great-great grandfather that ups the weird ante. Fear not, for this dead relative is well meaning. The zombie cowboy with a snarly grin and mean intentions, however, is not quite as friendly – particularly in his mission to claim a strange crystal skull (obviously way before Indy and his alien shenanigans).

Upon first viewing, House II: The Second Story will always be compared to its predecessor. Once you get past the fact that the two films are not interconnected in terms of ongoing narrative, you soon realise that this is a fun and warm sequel tinged with slight overtones of horror. But that’s part of the charm of the House franchise as a whole – House III notwithstanding. In the barmy, bonkers tale here, we have a whole host of genre tropes ticked off; from zombies, to cowboys, to spirits, to dinosaurs, to strange new creatures, to alternative dimensions, and plenty more.

House II doesn’t quite have anything similar to the strong performance of the original’s Bill Katt anchoring the picture, but it still has plenty to make it a worthwhile follow-up that’s definitely worth watching. And due to the way that the franchise doesn’t follow one overreaching story, The Second Story is perfect to pick up and check out as a standalone movie. Performance-wise, it’s Cheers’ John Ratzenberger who steals the show in a small but brilliant role as he devours scenery and quips wise, and writer/director Ethan Wiley deserves a lot of credit for the enjoyable dialogue and story that’s put together in general.

Like the new Blu-ray release of the original House, this release of House II is the same as the version included in House: The Complete Collection that Arrow released earlier this year. As such, the special features are plentiful and a joy to take in – particularly the brand-new It’s Getting Weirder! retrospective documentary that brings some of the film’s key players back to discuss the sequel.

House II: The Second Story is a vastly underrated follow-up to a true genre classic, and it’s a movie that’s so often overlooked by many. Ultimately, it’s not quite as good as that original ’86 film, but this new release is the perfect chance to delve back in to this sequel and to appreciate it for its own unique charms.

Special Features: Audio commentary / It’s Getting Weirder! The Making of House II: The Second Story documentary / Vintage EPK / TV Spot / Trailer / Stills gallery

HOUSE II: THE SECOND STORY / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ETHAN WILEY / STARRING: ARYE GROSS, JONATHAN STARK, ROYAL DANO, BILL MAHER, JOHN RATZENBERGER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Every now and again, an ‘art’ film is re-released and lauded as a classic to the bemused public who would have normally never gone anywhere near it. The Cremator is one such film. However, this time, the plaudits are valid and if you’re a fan of Lynch or Jarmusch, or cinema in general; if you love pitch-black comedy or prefer your horror a little more abstract, this is for you.

Set in the 1930s, we are instantly put into the world of small village cremator Karl Kopfrkingl (Hrusínský), a softly spoken, moonfaced family man, whose philosophy of death (and, indeed, his work) is influenced by the Tibetan Book of the Dead. He also influenced by a friend who has joined ‘the Party’ – not named, but clearly the Nazis and also an allegory for the impending communist invasion the Czech’s were about to face (don’t panic: the allegories are not densely veiled and even if you ‘don’t get it’, you’ll still enjoy the movie). They can put Kopfrkingl’s unique talent for body burning to a greater cause. As his mind descends into psychosis (syphilis is clearly a concern since he has regular blood tests, and hypocritically, monthly visits to a brothel and furthered from a trip around the sideshow exhibit at the fair), his closest friends and loved ones become dispensable.

Juraj Herz’s The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol) has been forgotten for many years, celebrated only by those who have sought to seek it out, and was banned in its native Czechoslovakia by the communist government until 1989. Not only is it an immensely entertaining movie, it’s a work of art that should be on the list of anyone looking to understand filmmaking and cinematography. Just as Orson Welles is heralded for his visual innovations, Herz, cinematographer Stanislav Milota, and editor Jaromír Janáček should be applauded for some of the most unique and captivating images here.

The transitions are brilliant; they disorient the viewer in the seamless way we move from scene to scene, often not knowing until a moment or two has passed that we are in a different location and timescale. These and some of the other flourishes are stunning and allow the viewer to be fully absorbed into Kopfrkingl’s descent into madness. The frequent use of fish-eye and wide angle lenses, coupled with fantastical narrative leaps depicting the protagonist’s internal thoughts and quick-cut close-ups are often breathtakingly beautiful.

Second Run’s Blu-ray shows the film at its best. Accompanied by a commentary, introduction, additional podcast, and booklet should one wish to delve deeper into the movie’s meaning and more about the director, the standout extra feature is Herz’s debut short film The Junk Shop (1965), which is another delicious black comedy.

THE CREMATOR (1969) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JURAJ HERZ / SCREENPLAY: LADISLAV FUKS, JURAJ HERZ / STARRING: RUDOLF HRUSÍNSKÝ, VLASTA CHRAMOSTOVÁ, JANA STEHNOVÁ / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 11TH

For many longtime horror hounds, the House franchise is one that’s maybe often overlooked at times. Sure, there was no constant, unrelenting bogeyman churning out bodies consistently throughout the franchise ala Michael, Jason or Freddy, but there was still a whole host of fun and scares to be had with this series. And now, the fantastic crew over at Arrow Video have put together a new Blu-ray release of Steve Miner’s original 1986 picture.

For those of you who’ve yet to knock at House’s door, don’t be expecting an edge-of-your-seat terror-ride. Instead, House is a movie which keeps a tinge of humour to its horror. William Katt – who made a huge splash with genre fans in Brian De Palma’s Carrie – takes centre-stage as Roger, a novelist whose life has taken a major nosedive. Since the disappearance of his son, his marriage has come to an end and his creative juices have dried up. Following the suicide of his grandmother, Roger ends up moving in to her creepy old house in an effort to get his spark back and get to work on his next work: a look back at his military days hauntingly served in Vietnam. When it soon becomes clear that the mysterious house is full of plenty of things that go bump in the night, Roger sets out to prove that he’s not crazy and that there’s something sinister at play within the home’s walls and beyond.

Part haunted house story, part PTSD tale, part an examination of struggling with loss, House is a beloved favourite of many for a whole slew of reasons. With Bill Katt never less than charming and endearing at the centre of Steve Miner’s movie, you find yourself constantly engaged as Roger falls further and further in to a mystery full of twists and turns. Even better for longtime horror fans, there’s some absolutely fantastic practical effects work at play, even if one or two of them may now understandably look a tad dated by this point.

As a film, House is still as much of a warm, at times bonkers, family-friendly horror as it’s ever been. Where the release really comes in to its own, however, is with the excessive special features included here – particularly the brand-new Ding Dong, You’re Dead! all-encompassing documentary that brings all of the picture’s key players back to discuss their thoughts on the film. It’s a fascinating and hugely engaging watch, and is one of the best retrospective docs we’ve seen in a long while.

Additionally, in case you were wondering, yes, this is essentially the exact same release that was a part of House: The Complete Collection earlier this year. That release had all four House efforts together in one swanky boxset, and this new Blu-ray release of House is just the first film’s content from that boxset. That’s not particularly a bad thing, for this now gives those unwilling to splash £70 on the boxset the chance to grab the movies individually.

Complete with a 2K transfer of this 1986 effort, this new release of House is the perfect overall package for longtime fans of the film, while newcomers will never find a better opportunity to explore this genre classic.

Special Features: Audio commentary / Ding Dong, You’re Dead! The Making of House documentary / Making-of / TV spots / Trailers / Stills gallery / First draft screenplay and Fred Dekker’s original 15-page Twilight Zone-inspired story

HOUSE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: STEVE MINER / SCREENPLAY: ETHAN WILEY / STARRING: WILLIAM KATT, GEORGE WENDT, RICHARD MOLL, KAY LENZ, MARY STAVEN / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 11TH

It probably seemed like a good idea: everyone has a smartphone, and all those icons you use to express yourself through text can feel like a little community of their own – so why not tell their story, by making a film about the private lives of those little digital impulses, that reflects the life and impulses of the person using the phone? Like a version of Tron for the pre-tweens, except – crucially – without the literal interaction between user and device.

And that’s where this breaks down, not because it lacks the humour, insight, imagination and soul that might have made it worth attempting – although it is sorely lacking in humour, insight, imagination and soul – but because nobody thought far enough beyond that initial idea to figure out how this might connect with an audience. This is a film that’s really only going to appeal to those too young to be using smartphones – our three-year-old test audience of one judged it “Not bad” – so those who understand it are going to find it puerile, and those who don’t find it puerile aren’t really going to understand what it’s doing.

Which is not to say it hasn’t found enough audience to become a success. It’s bright and colourful and fast and noisy enough to distract from its mid-range animation budget, but although the plot keeps you moving quickly from one set-piece to another, despite the brashness there’s really nothing here that’s very stimulating visually. Almost every set or action or line of dialogue feels like the substandard equivalent of something you’ve seen or heard being done better elsewhere.

Anyway, the plot. Boy meets girl, boy sends girl emoji text, emoji doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, girl leaves boy hanging, and emoji is scheduled for deletion due to its “malfunction”. The emoji – Gene (Miller) – then goes on the run inside Textopolis (the smart phone’s innards), after being accidentally rescued by Hi-5 (Corden) until eventually, the electronic circuits discover that hey, it’s okay for them to have emotional lives too.

It’s a reasonable cast and it sounds like they’re mostly having fun, although Corden for one feels considerably less interested the further in you get, and rapidly becomes irritating. There’s just no reason to care about any of them, without the collision between worlds that you got in Tron, so the whole thing ends up feeling a bit “So what?”

In fact, the best thing about the disc is the Hotel Transylvania short they’ve included that only feels like it’s there in order to make sure they sell some copies of the main feature. Now that was rather funny, and felt like it had had some thought put into it.

Extras: Hotel Transylvania short Puppy, featurettes, songs, games

THE EMOJI MOVIE / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: TONY LEONDIS / SCREENPLAY: TONY LEONDIS, ERIC SIEGEL, MIKE WHITE / STARRING: T.J. MILLER, JAMES CORDEN, ANNA FARIS, MAYA RUDOLPH, PATRICK STEWART, CHRISTINA AGUILERA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Digimon Adventure Tri: The Movie – Part 3 collects all the Digimon Adventure Tri episodes from the Confession segment of the series.

Confession is the mid-point for the series, and it shows. Much of the run time is devoted to dealing with the fallout of the way that Part 2: Determination and setting up the situation that the DigiDestined will find themselves in Part 4: Lost.

This highlights the most frustrating aspect of Digimon Adventure Tri so far: its pacing. Individually each part so far has had a reason to focus largely on the human drama of the characters, but as a whole the result is a Digimon series that doesn’t seem particularly focused on Digimon at times. This problem is particularly true of Part 3: Confession. Despite the movie ostensibly being about them, the digimon barely feature in this movie. This does not mean that this movie is lacking in action. The action scene it does get is fast paced, and well animated. There continues to be not set music for digivolutions in this series. This means that the transformations always fit the mood of the scene in which they take place.

To its credit, Part 3 does have make up for its flaws with some strong characterisation. For a long time, this iteration of Digimon has managed to be almost entirely free of genuine, negative consequence. This movie provides a welcome change to that.

The titular confession most likely refers to the problem faced by T.K. and the way that he deals with it. T.K.’s dilemma is a sympathetic one, and it exemplifies how well Digimon Adventure Tri succeeds in terms of its emotional stakes.

Furthermore, as frustrating as it is that the plot has not progressed further by this point, it does progress over the course of the movie. The problems in pacing come from the structure of each movie. Each part of Digimon Adventure Tri has the same number of episodes, and this part in particular really did not the run time it got in order to tell its story.

Each part of this series has had a little something extra when it comes to special features, and part 3 is no different. This time the special feature on offer is a recording of a Digimon Q&A panel from Anime Expo 2017. The cast of Digimon Adventure Tri are in their element for this panel. Everyone involved seems to be having a blast talking about their experiences working with the franchise, and what working on Digimon means to them.

Digimon Adventure Tri – The Movie – Part 3 takes some time to focus on questions raised by the series so far, and to show the emotional impact of its events on the main characters. If long-time fans can look past the pacing issues they will be rewarded with a worthy addition to the long running franchise. When this is combined with the energetic, heartfelt Q&A the result is an installment that is worth checking out.

Extras: Anime Expo 2017 Premiere Panel

DIGIMON ADVENTURE TRI: THE MOVIE- PART 3 / CERT: PG / DIRECTORS & SCREENPLAY: WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: JOSHUA SETH, VIC MIGNOGNA, COLLEEN O’SHAUGHNESSEY, MONA MARSHALL, PHILECE SAMPLER, ROBBIE DAYMOND, JOHHNY YONG BOSCH, TARA SANDS, CRISTINA VEE / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 26TH

It is a rare treat to encounter a period horror film which says a lot about the relationship between man and woman and man-versus-nature, whilst providing a satisfyingly eerie psychological drama.

Angelica, written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein and adapted from the novel of the same name by Arthur Phillips, was produced in 2015 and screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival that year. It has taken a while for the film to finally grace theatrical screens and has only just got a November 2017 release in the USA, but if you have been anticipating this release, then the delay to it getting a chance in the marketplace is well worth your time.

Set in Victorian London, Angelica tells of Constance (Jena Malone), married to Dr Joseph Barton (Ed Stoppard), a reputed doctor on the up who wants to cure the world of all diseases in the context of contemporary science. She considers herself very lucky, but after the birth of her first child, she is advised against future offspring by doctors who consider her lucky to have survived this blessed event.

However, sexual tensions and desires, as well as Constance’s curiosity to know more about her husband’s endeavours at her laboratory begins to impact on their relationship, whilst other factors in their lifestyle are starting to shape their destiny….

Having viewed a number of recent Hammer titles as part of the Studio Canal celebration of their work, Angelica not only brings home the effectiveness of a good period horror film in that vein, as well as satisfying fans who are partial to the recent works of Guillermo del Toro like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.

What also elevates the film above the standard horror fare is the additional depth of reflection about how man and woman relate to one another, which is not dissimilar to that which we see in many a David Cronenberg film, particularly in the post-birth sequences.

Jena Malone, who graced the screen in The Neon Demon, gives a convincing performance as a Victoria Brit with a faultless diction that belies her American roots. Stoppard holds his own as the ambitious doctor who hides a dark secret in his work. Good support comes from Janet McTeer in a pivotal role as a medium.

There is a genuinely dark and creepy allure about the film, with some great visual effects and style courtesy of cinematographer Dick Pope. Composer Zbigniew Preisner – who collaborated with Krzysztof Kieślowski on the Three Colours Trilogy and the Andy Garcia/Meg Ryan drama When a Man Loves a Woman) – provides a lush, atmospheric score.

Angelica is a fantastic example of good genre filmmaking

ANGELICA / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MITCHELL LICHTENSTEIN / STARRING: JENA MALONE, JANET MCTEER, ED STOPPARD, TOVAH FELDSHUSH / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Adapted from Michael McDowell’s acclaimed novel Cold Moon Over Babylon, Griff Furst’s directorial feature debut Cold Moon is a mixed affair. Part supernatural horror, part psychological thriller, it is a film that would have benefitted from a clearer central vision, and never fully recovers from an over-complicated opening act.

On her way home the teenage Margaret Larkin (Bellamy) is attacked and murdered by a masked assailant. The discovery of her body sends her surviving family members Evelyn (Clark) and Jerry (Rushing) into a desperate mission to identify her murderer before they befall the same fate.

Perhaps what’s surprising, given how Cold Moon opens, is its preferential focus on the psychological element of the story. Revealing the identity of the killer early on – which we won’t do here – flips the tale on its head, but this, in turn, becomes the film’s strength; the killer suffering his own personal haunting, as the guilt of his crimes and subsequent battle with remorse threaten to overpower him. In that role, the actor in question impresses, dislikeable from the beginning and barely deserving of empathy, the character’s descent into what he sees as madness is well crafted and entirely convincing. Some slightly suspect CGI aside, the hauntings themselves are well defined, with an appropriate number of jump scares adequately, if predictably included.

It is in the peripheries of the story where Cold Moon falls short. Plot strands are begun without ever truly finding resolution. An early thread regarding an inappropriate parent-teacher relationship is never investigated, despite the film dropping some very strong nudges and winks in that direction. Christopher Lloyd is largely wasted as an eccentric patriarch, holder of the purse strings for the town’s wealthiest family, and with an odd interest in having a young woman cavort for his pleasure. All potentially interesting ideas to follow through, but ones that fade into the background once the film decides upon its preferred premise.

These frustrations aside, Cold Moon is worth watching. Furst has harnessed a Southern Gothic aesthetic and style that gives the film a sense of being a living, breathing town. The performances are good, if a little caricatured in places, and the film skips along at a decent pace. If you avoid trying to work out the rather obvious twists and turns, you can spend a pleasant 90 minutes, but sadly that’s about as long as it will live in the memory.

COLD MOON / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: GRIFF FURST / SCREENPLAY: GRIFF FURST, JACK SNYDER / STARRING: TOMMY WISEAU, CHRISTOPHER LLOYD, ROBBIE KAY, JOSH STEWART / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 22ND 2018

The Maltese Falcon. Revered by film studies tutors across the land and often trotted out as (possibly) the first and one of the finest examples of a MacGuffin centred plot in cinematic history. Oh, and it could be said the definitive ‘Film Noir’ too. Here is Bogart, Astor, Greenstreet and Lorre. Here is the P.I., the femme fatale and the ‘Fatman’. Here is the classic story of detective tasked with finding the titular Falcon and the scum he meets along the way. Here is the debut of one John Huston.

Huston’s obsession with keeping the film under budget resulted in a near-fetishistic fastidiousness that produced an eye for detail rarely rivalled since. Every inch of the celluloid was mapped out months before being put behind the lens. With this film, black and white found its zenith, with very little room for grey. Those low angled shots remind us we are down in the dirt and this Blu-Ray release only accentuates those shafts of light across the face, now synonymous with the noir style.

Which brings us to the only fault with The Maltese Falcon; in being the archetype of its style, it has every single element of Noir contained within. To a new viewer, this could give it the ‘John Carter Effect’ of seeming to pastiche everything that came after it instead of realising this truly is the beginning of the art form. If that is the only thing to be found wrong with this, you can already guess at the star rating below.

The late 20s had seen the American public wolfing down all the pulp Dashiell Hammett could pen and this, the adaptation of his 1929 novel, would begin a similar cinematic gorging (a sequel was mooted, but never came to fruition). It’s not hard to see why. The film takes all the tropes of the classic gangster movie and, whilst never skimping on the violence or seediness, presents something slicker, more complicated. The only grey on show here is the blurring of Bogart’s honourable Sam Spade with a questionable motive. Mary Astor simmers. Peter Lorre plays, well, Peter Lorre, but is worth the price of admission alone.

Hammett had once worked for Pinkerton’s (the same ‘tec agency Felix Leiter would go to work for after his run-in with the shark, fact fans) and it’s this background of knowledge and Huston’s burgeoning genius that keeps the film’s plot from becoming a twisty run-around.

Often found languishing at the bottom of top 100 lists (no mean feat), The Maltese Falcon deserves to sit on a perch somewhat higher than it does. It is a film that somehow started Film Noir and yet was also its peak. It is a film that should be beloved by all, not just Film Studies tutors.

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JOHN HUSTON / STARRING: HUMPHREY BOGART, MARY ASTOR, GLADYS GEORGE, PETER LORRE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Wow. What really is there left to say about Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s famed Carrie? Originally hitting cinema screens in 1976, the tale of poor troubled Carrie White was actually the first of King’s work to be given the big-screen treatment, and many still revere it to be one of his best adaps to date. Now, the guys over at Arrow Video have given this genre classic a swanky new release that includes a new 4K restoration of the film – but is it a worthy addition to your collection or merely another cash-in of yet another old favourite?

In terms of plot, Carrie sees Sissy Spacek in breakout form as the titular teenager. Bullied during the school day, coddled by her religious fanatic of a mother in her home life, young Carrie White is more special than anyone could possibly know. Upon finally being pushed way past her limits, Carrie ultimately snaps and unleashes her telekinetic powers for all to see. Featuring a who’s who of up-and-comers of the day – Spacek, Amy Irving, Bill Katt, P.J. Soles, John Travolta – and with Piper Laurie receiving an Oscar nomination as Carrie’s bonkers mother, De Palma had dished up a bone fide classic of its time and beyond.

Of course, the meat of the matter here is the bonus content included on this new release. And what a brilliant collection of extras they are! As far as we’re aware, this is the first time that the majority of the excessive featurettes featured have appeared on a UK release of Carrie. In amongst said featurettes, we’ve got looks at every possible angle of the movie with the likes of Writing Carrie, Acting Carrie, Shooting Carrie and Visualising Carrie spending a decent chunk of time examining certain elements of the production. Then there’s the audio commentary from genre experts Lee Gambin and Alexander Heller-Nicholas – exclusively recorded for this release – which gives a detailed and engaging insight in to this beloved picture. What’s sure to be a personal highlight of many, however, is the brand-new visual essay which compares the three adaptations of Carrie that we’ve seen over the years (this 1976 version, the 2002 made-for-TV take, and 2013’s Chloe Grace Moretz-headlined redo). This visual essay looks at the vast similarities and differences between these three, showing how Carrie has been adapted to fit the climate of the times over the decades. If we’re being honest, it would’ve been nice to have maybe seen a new retrospective documentary included on this release, but there’s still a ridiculous amount of extra content to keep even the most ardent of Carrie fans busy.

One of the most charming aspects of this new release is the new 4K restoration, adding a further sense of warmth to the more tender bits of Carrie while also allowing for the more intense and erratic moments to ‘pop’ from the screen in a way that again accentuates the whole intimate yet explosive nature of De Palma’s movie.

To conclude – and to return to the point raised in the opening of this review – Arrow Video has garnered a reputation for special features-crammed must-have new releases of old favourites over the years, and this new release of Carrie is yet another essential purchase for any fans of De Palma’s picture or of film in general. Carrie has long been seen as a true classic of genre cinema, and this is a release that not only reinforces that but brings a whole lot more to the viewing experience with its plentiful special features and uber-sharp 4K transfer.

Special Features: New visual essay / Audio commentary / Eleven featurettes / Trailers / TV spots / Radio spots / Gallery / Limited edition 60-page booklet

CARRIE / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN DE PALMA / SCREENPLAY: LAWRENCE D. COHEN / STARRING: SISSY SPACEK, PIPER LAURIE, AMY IRVING, WILLIAM KATT, JOHN TRAVOLTA, NANCY ALLEN, P.J. SOLES / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 11TH