Dragon Inn
Happiest Retro Film Discoveries of 2018
Dragon Inn (King Hu, 1967) – Criterion Collection
King Hu, who would later direct A Touch of Zen (1971), delivers a wuxia with physics-defying swordplay and virtually nonstop action, dispensing with any necessary exposition within the first few minutes. Fugitives, wandering swordsmen (and -woman), and a ferocious army serving a eunuch general and martial arts master all gather at the titular inn; flying arrows, aerial flips, and slashed flesh ensue, all leading to a memorable climax featuring a variety of combatant combinations in unexpectedly lyrical action scenes.
Born of Fire (Jamil Dehlavi, 1987) – Indicator
This modern fable from Pakistani director Dehlavi is almost impossible to describe, but suffice it to say that it involves a moon eclipsed by a skull, a djinn, flute battles, whirling dervishes, stunningly surreal Turkish landscapes, and full frontal nudity. It’s fantastic.
Hell Night (Tom DeSimone, 1981) – Scream Factory
Though I’d seen bits of this slasher film on TV before, I was surprised at how effective the whole shebang is. Linda Blair leads a group of college sorority/fraternity pledges into a haunted house for a sleepover, but the pranksters out to frighten them get picked off one by one by the feral killers living in the basement. The characters are more likable than most slasher movie cannon fodder, and the last half hour features genuine suspense.
Schlock (John Landis, 1973) – Turbine Medien and Arrow Films
I’d been meaning to get around to Landis’ first feature for a very long time, but the fact that it was long out of print put the task on the backburner. When German company Turbine Medien released a limited edition earlier this year, I jumped on it. (It was followed later in the year with an Arrow Region 1 Blu-ray which featured most of the same extras.) For the first half hour I thought I’d discovered a lost comedy classic. Admittedly the single joke wears its welcome very thin after that, but it’s still a delightful riff on killer-ape-on-the-rampage schlock from a director still cutting his teeth.
Night of the Living Dead
Classiest Presentation of Midnight Movie Classics
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) – Criterion Collection
We were all eagerly awaiting Criterion’s promised release of the seminal zombie film after an acclaimed restoration hit theaters in 2017. Romero’s film has been in the public domain for so long that it’s rare to watch a version that isn’t taken from a badly neglected print. Though it’s still a low budget film and you can’t claim that it looks like it was shot yesterday, Criterion’s edition is still the best it’s ever appeared, accompanied by a rare workprint, Night of Anubis, and a bottomless well of extras.
Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) – Synapse
Technically Synapse was shipping its Suspiria restoration in steelbook format at the tail end of 2017, but in 2018 their Blu-ray became more widely available. I made my thoughts known in a review last December, but it’s a good time to remind everyone that this is the version to own, with eye-gouging colors and the option to listen to the rare, original quadrophonic mix of the soundtrack.
Matinee
Best Excuse to Remember What a Treasure Joe Dante Is
The ‘Burbs (Joe Dante, 1989) – Shout Select
Matinee (Joe Dante, 1993) – Shout Select
This was the year Shout! Factory released two of Dante’s very best films, The ‘Burbs and Matinee, in the special editions they deserved. Though most of the special features were previously available in Region 2 editions, for U.S. fans it was an opportunity to finally view the workprint of The ‘Burbs (which includes many deleted scenes, including the full version of Tom Hanks’ nightmare about the Klopeks) and the “complete” version of “Mant,” the monster movie promoted by John Goodman’s William Castle-like huckster in Matinee. Whereas The ‘Burbs showcases Dante’s gift for comedy, Matinee is a sweetly nostalgic coming of age story set in the duck-and-cover era.
Best Classic TV Set
The Outer Limits, Season 1 – Kino
This 7-disc collection of the 32 episodes of The Outer Limits’ first season (1963-64) features a booklet with writing by David J. Schow and numerous audio commentaries. It’s the perfect companion to Image’s Twilight Zone box set and a portrait of science fiction TV in bloom.
The Snorkel
Best Box Sets
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema – Criterion Collection
I was lucky enough to get this as a Christmas present, and I’m already three films into the massive, career-spanning retrospective celebrating what would have been Bergman’s centennial year. Though it’s not quite comprehensive (losing most of Bergman’s television work, for example), it’s comprehensive enough, covering his classics and a great many lesser known works. The heavy paperback which accompanies the set offers essays on each and every film, and an introduction by Bergman expert Peter Cowie.
Hammer Volume 2: Criminal Intent – Indicator (Region Free)
Hammer Volume 3: Blood and Terror – Indicator (Region Free)
Indicator continued their box set series of Hammer films, and although the company doesn’t have the license to the studio’s better known monster films, it’s compensated by casting light on thrillers and war pictures that can be just as accomplished. I especially enjoyed revisiting The Snorkel (1958) on Vol. 2: Criminal Intent – one of the best black-and-white suspense films they ever did – and seeing for the first time Yesterday’s Enemy (1959) on Vol. 3: Blood and Terror*, a film that’s masterful in many ways. Alas that it comes bundled with one of my least favorite Hammers, the tired yellow peril (and yellowface) exercise The Terror of the Tongs (1961). As with all of Indicator’s sets, detailed booklets and thoughtful extras accompany every film.
William Castle at Columbia Volume 1 – Indicator (Region Free)
A lovely step up from the William Castle DVD set, the two volumes of William Castle at Columbia (again, from Indicator) spotlight most of his best known work, particular on this first volume, which includes The Tingler (1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Homicidal (1961), and Mr. Sardonicus (1961). Extras dive into Castle’s extravagant marketing gimmicks; indeed, to best appreciate these films you have to make yourself a participant, filling in the gaps in Castle’s budget and scripts. Admittedly I’m skipping Volume 2 because I don’t find the selections as inspiring (for me, DVD is good enough when it comes to 13 Frightened Girls and Zotz!, for example) – but I’m glad it’s out there for those who don’t own them or desire the upgrade.
The Bloodthirsty Trilogy – Arrow
These 70’s films from Toho studios and director Michio Yamamoto are an unexpected side alley from the many European Gothic vampire films being made by Hammer, Mario Bava, Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, and others. The trilogy imagines corners of rural Japan infested by European expat vampires, encountered by Japanese schoolgirls and the like. Gorgeously dream-like and colorful.
Night of the Demon
Best Bells and Whistles Presentation of a Horror Classic
Night of the Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957) – Indicator (Region Free)
It’s hard to top Indicator’s deluxe edition of Tourneur’s renowned Night of the Demon, which comes with a thick book on the film, every possible cut of the movie, a poster, and even a business card with invisible ink to hex the lucky purchaser. The only thing missing here is Kate Bush herself (“It’s in the trees! It’s coming!”).
So Glad To Have Them Awards (just films I’m glad to see getting attention on Blu-ray)
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926) – Milestone Cinematheque
The first full-length animated film uses cut-out silhouettes to tell an Arabian Nights fairy tale. Milestone’s 2018 Blu-ray includes a bevy of short animated films as well.
The Church (Michele Soavi, 1989) – Scorpion Releasing
Released in both a stand-alone and 2-disc special edition, Scorpion’s long-awaited release of Soavi’s tale of demonic forces released from beneath an ancient cathedral does justice to the film’s baroque visuals and pulsating soundtrack (featuring Keith Emerson, Goblin, and Philip Glass).
The Maze (William Cameron Menzies, 1953) – Kino
Love it or hate it, this horror film with Surrealist roots deserved a release showing off its immersive 3-D visuals, and we finally got it courtesy the 3-D Film Archive and Kino.
In the Mouth of Madness (John Carpenter, 1994) – Scream Factory
John Carpenter has always been well represented on Blu-ray, but it took a while for a company to revisit one of his most overlooked films. It only gets better with age, as Sam Neill faces down the cosmic horror released upon the world by a bestselling author.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba (Don Weis, 1954) – Twilight Time
John Derek stars in this strange bit of Orientalist camp which is hugely enjoyable nonetheless, with a title song sung by Nat “King” Cole, a beautiful princess (Elaine Stewart), and an army of Amazonian bandits.
*Correction – an earlier version of this post stated that Ten Seconds to Hell was included on Hammer Vol. 2. I had watched that film at the same time I was working my way through the box set earlier this year, thus the confusion. Ten Seconds to Hell is available separately from Kino.
