In a world where men are men and women are women, we also have films, many-many films of all shapes and sizes. One could be an action-adventure starring people with dodgy facial hair and very nice underwear. Another could be a horror film about a crazed artist out on the prowl. Or better yet, one of these films could be an Italian-giallo about death, intrigue, a family curse, and, you know, other stuff of that nature. Nature, the spice of life.
Hired To Kill
Starring the legendary actors Oliver Reed (Gladiator) and George Kennedy (The Naked Gun), Hired to Kill is a hugely entertaining action-adventure featuring guns, girls, plus a plethora of budget-busting explosions thrown in for good measure.
Action movie staple Brian Thompson (whose brief turn in 1984's The Terminator led to a starring role in the 1986 Sylvester Stallone vehicle, Cobra) stars as Frank Ryan, a mercenary sent to track down a rebel leader in hostile territory. Posing as a fashion designer, he'll be aided by a posse of beautiful (but deadly) women.
Although the opportunity to see Oliver Reed chewing up the scenery behind an elaborate moustache merits the price of admission alone, Hired to Kill is also noteworthy as being co-directed by Nico Mastorakis: The man behind such cult favorites as Island of Death and The Zero Boys.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 4K restoration of the film, approved by writer-director Nico Mastorakis.
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations.
- Original Stereo 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio options.
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Brand new audio commentary with editor Barry Zetlin.
- Hired to Direct - a brand new interview with director Nico Mastorakis on the making of Hired to Kill.
- Undercover Mercenary - a brand new interview with star Brian Thompson.
- Original Theatrical Trailer.
- Stills Gallery.
- Original Screenplay, entitled Freedom or Death (BD/DVD-ROM Content).
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.
- Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver.
Films produced by Roger Corman are often known for their behind-the-scenes stories as they are the stories unfolding in front of the screen. Famously he made Little Shop of Horrors in just two days using sets left over from A Bucket of Blood and shot The Terror over a long weekend because bad weather prevented him from playing tennis. But none of these tales are quite so complex, or quite so extraordinary, as the making of Blood Bath.
It began when Corman invested in a Yugoslavian Krimi-like picture entitled Operation Titian just prior to it going into production. Insisting it be filmed in English, he sent actors William Campbell and Patrick Magee, and uncredited story editor Francis Ford Coppola (all fresh from Dementia 13), to Dubrovnik to make a US-friendly movie but wasn't satisfied with the end results.
First it was re-cut and re-scored to create Portrait in Terror, a film more in line with drive-in tastes. Then it was handed over to Jack Hill (Spider Baby), followed by Stephanie Rothman (Terminal Island), each undertaking re-shoots that resulted in a vampire picture by the name of Blood Bath.
One final twist was provided when a TV version was required, chopping scenes and adding others to create Track of the Vampire. For this release Arrow Video has searched through the vaults to bring you all four versions of Blood Bath, newly restored from the best materials available to provide a definitive release of one of Corman's craziest ventures.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of four versions of the film: Operation Titian, Portrait in Terror, Blood Bath, and Track of the Vampire.
- Brand new 2K restorations of Portrait in Terror, Blood Bath, and Track of the Vampire from original film materials.
- Brand new reconstruction of Operation Titian using original film materials and standard definition inserts.
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on all four versions.
- The Trouble with Titian Revisited - a brand new visual essay in which Tim Lucas returns to (and updates) his three-part Video Watchdog feature to examine the convoluted production history of Blood Bath and its multiple versions.
- Bathing in Blood with Sid Haig - a new interview with the actor, recorded exclusively for this release.
- Archive interview with producer-director Jack Hill.
- Outtakes from Track of the Vampire, scanned from original film materials.
- Stills gallery.
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artworks.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford.
- Limited edition booklet containing new writing on the film and its cast by Anthony Nield, Vic Pratt, Cullen Gallagher, and Peter Beckman.
During the height of the Italian giallo boom in the early seventies, scores of filmmakers everywhere turned their hand to crafting their own unique takes on these lurid murder-mystery thrillers. This limited edition double pack features two distinctive offerings by Emilio P Miraglia, which merge twisty whodunit narratives with gothic chills.
In The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, troubled aristocrat Alan Cunningham (Anthony Steffen), haunted by the death of his first wife Evelyn, tries to move on by marrying the seductive Gladys (Marina Malfatti). Marital bliss is short-lived, however, as various relatives meet untimely and gruesome deaths, prompting speculation that a vengeful Evelyn has risen from the grave.
Meanwhile, in The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, an age-old family curse hits sisters Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) and Franziska (Marina Malfatti) following the death of their grandfather Tobias (Rudolf Schündler). So the legend goes, every hundred years the bloodthirsty Red Queen returns and claims seven fresh victims. Was Tobias just the first, and are Kitty and Franziska next? Watch to find out, baby!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Limited Edition box set (3000 copies) containing The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times.
- Brand new 2K restorations of the films from the original camera negatives.
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations.
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (lossless DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray Discs).
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks.
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks.
- Limited Edition 60-page booklet containing new writing by James Blackford, Kat Ellinger, Leonard Jacobs, and Rachael Nisbet.
THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE
- New audio commentary by Troy Howarth.
- Exclusive introduction by actress Erika Blanc.
- Writer Stephen Thrower on The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave.
- The Night Erika Came Out of the Grave - exclusive interview with Erika Blanc.
- The Whip and the Body - archival interview with Erika Blanc.
- Still Rising from the Grave - archival interview with production designer Lorenzo Baraldi.
- Original Italian theatrical trailer.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx.
THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES
- New audio commentary by Alan Jones and Kim Newman.
- Exclusive new interview with actress Sybil Danning.
- Writer Stephen Thrower on The Red Queen Kills Seven Times.
- Archival introduction by production/costume designer Lorenzo Baraldi.
- Dead à Porter - archival interview with Lorenzo Baraldi.
- Rounding Up the Usual Suspects - archival interview with actor Marino Masé.
- If I Met Emilio Miraglia Today - archival featurette with Erika Blanc, Lorenzo Baraldi, and Marino Masé.
- My Favorite Films - archival interview with actress Barbara Bouchet.
- Alternative opening.
- Original Italian theatrical trailer.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx.
ARROW VIDEO PRESENTS: KILLER DAMES / BLOOD BATH / HIRE TO KILL
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
May 19, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
May 19, 2016
Rating:
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