The Movie Waffler Cult Gems From Argento, Fukasaku & Henenlotter In Arrow Video's May Lineup | The Movie Waffler

Cult Gems From Argento, Fukasaku & Henenlotter In Arrow Video's May Lineup

Arrow Video announces another tasty lineup for May.






May sees cult gems from Dario Argento (Phenomena), Kinji Fukasaku (Cops vs Thugs) and Frank Henenlotter (Brain Damage, Evil Ed), along with Italian crime drama The Climber, join the Arrow Video roster.


Psychic flies, deformed kids and razor-wielding chimps - even by Dario Argento's standards, Phenomena (aka Creepers) is bonkers, and a whole lot of fun, coming towards the end of the director's golden age. This 4K restoration features three versions of the film: the 116-minute Italian, 110-minute international and 83-minute “Creepers” cuts. Extras include a commentary by author Troy Howarth, a new feature length documentary and a visual essay comparing the various cuts of the film. Available May 8th.

Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth), daughter of a world-renowned movie star, arrives in the so-called “Swiss Transylvania” to attend an exclusive girls’ school. However, a vicious killer is targeting the pupils, and sleepwalker Jennifer finds herself in the assassin’s headlights when her nocturnal wanderings cause her to witness the death of a fellow pupil. Aided by paraplegic etymologist John McGregor (Donald Pleasence, Halloween) and her own uncanny ability to communicate telepathically with insects, Jennifer sets out to track down the killer before she herself becomes the latest victim…



A staple of the '80s VHS era, Frank Henenlotter's Brain Damage is best known for some outrageously gory scenes and good old-fashioned practical effects. Extras include a Q+A and audio commentary from Henenlotter. Available May 8th.

Meet Elmer. He’s your local, friendly parasite with the ability to induce euphoric hallucinations in his hosts. But these LSD-like trips come with a hefty price tag. When young Brian comes under Elmer’s addictive spell, it’s not long before he finds himself scouring the city streets in search of his parasite’s preferred food source – brains!

Joe Dallesandro may be best known for his collaborations with Andy Warhol, but during the '70s he starred in a host of European genre movies, including this Italian crime thriller from director Pasquale Squitieri, presented here in a 4K restoration. Extras include a new interview with Dallesandro. Available May 15th.

The Climber follows in the tradition of gangster classics such as The Public Enemy and Scarface as it charts the rise and inevitable fall of small-time smuggler Aldo (Dallesandro). Beaten and abandoned by the local gang boss after he tries to skim off some profits for himself, Aldo forms his own group of misfits in order to exact revenge…

Japan's Kinji Fukasaku directed everything from monster movies (The Green Slime) to dystopian sci-fi thrillers (Battle Royale), with a host of crime dramas like Cops vs Thugs, one of the most acclaimed of the many Yakuza thrillers of the '70s, in between. Extras include a commentary by film scholar Tom Mes, video interview with Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane and a new visual essay on Fukasaku's career by Marc Walkow. Available May 22nd.

It's 1963 in the southern Japanese city of Kurashima, and tough-as-nails detective Kuno (Sugawara) oversees a detente between the warring Kawade and Ohara gangs. Best friends with Ohara lieutenant Hirotani (Hiroki Matsukata), he understands that there are no clear lines in the underworld, and that everything is colored a different shade of gray. But when random violence interrupts the peace and an ambitious, by-the-books lieutenant (Tatsuo Umemiya) comes to town, Kuno's fragile alliance begins to crumble. Greedy bosses and politicians alike seize the opportunity to wipe out their enemies, and Kuno faces the painful choice of pledging allegiance to his badge and keeping a promise to his brother.

Arrow's second Henenlotter release is a three-disc limited edition of Evil Ed, the director's meta-commentary on the psychological effects of exposure to horror movies. Extras include a new extended version of the film and a three hour making of documentary. Available May 29th.

Mild-mannered film technician Edward enjoys his job. That is, until he finds himself transferred from his regular post to the “Splatter and Gore department”, where he’s forced to edit hours upon hours of grisly video nasty footage. Traumatized by the onscreen violence, Ed starts to lose his grip on reality – with ghastly (and bloody) consequences…