Folk horror is a sub-genre generally associated with British films like
The Wicker Man and Blood on Satan's Claw, but in the 1970s, American filmmakers similarly began integrating their
folk heritage into horror narratives. Two such movies are
Arthur Hiller's Nightwing and George McCowan's
Shadow of the Hawk, both of which are set within the milieu of Native American
communities.
The two films will make their UK blu-ray debuts on March 15th as a double
bill courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Bonus features include a new audio commentary on Nightwing by film historians Lee
Gambin and Amanda Reyes; a new Shadow of the Hawk audio commentary with film writer
Mike McPadden and Ben Reiser; trailers; and an audio essay by John Edgar Browning. The first 2000 copies come with a limited
edition slipcase and collector’s booklet featuring essays by film historian
Lee Gambin and film scholar and author Craig Ian Mann.
Check out some clips and Eureka's artwork below.
Are a wave of mysterious deaths on a Native American reservation being caused by killer vampire bats, or a curse from beyond the grave? Featuring special effects work by Carlo Rambaldi (Alien, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial), Nightwing was one of many creature features produced to cash in on the success of Jaws, but director Arthur Hiller (Love Story) also imbues the film with a humanitarian edge. Described in recent years as an “eco-gothic Western”, and “a great exploration of social change and race relations”, Nightwing comes to Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK.
An ageing medicine man (Academy Award nominee Chief Dan George; The Outlaw Josey Wales) recruits his sceptical grandson (Jan-Michael Vincent; Airwolf, The Mechanic) to aid him in a spiritual battle against evil spirits and black magic. Filmed in the forests of British Columbia to stunning effect, Shadow of the Hawk features a number of eerie and effective sequences of supernatural terror, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time ever on home video in the UK.
