The Arrow Thread

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man@Cult Labs

You be buying the Arrow Amarays when they arrive mate?



Seriously don't know whether to get rid of that sphere boxset.....

Not sure tbh. I'd only be getting it for the different extras, and cover for part 3 (as I mentioned before about the shocking quality of the Well Go cover compared to the poster).

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Plus. The part of the reason for getting the set just now was the extra disc, which will be dropped on the individual Arrow release. Both sets had the Phantasmagoria doc and a couple of other things.

[The TENANT]

Hi there.

I'm new to the forum and a relative newbie to Arrow Video releases (last 8 months). I've collected a good few in that time. I've been a horror film fan for as long as I can remember.

I have a question for people on here. Do you have an Arrow Video wish list and if so what would be in your top 10 wishes?

I know Arrow only seem to release cult cinema obscure films but I would like a few mainstream cult films (oxymoron I know) but you'll see what I mean:

The Shining - this film has been neglected with its many half-hearted releases in my opinion. There is so much lore behind this film and its enigmatic plot leaves different questions and conclusions each time. There could be hours of interviews and documentaries on the film alone. I'd love to see a proper Arrow special edition of it like the recent Argento special editions.

Near Dark - need I say any more?

The Hitcher - what a fabulous cult film - 80s synth horror/thriller classic - neglected to this point. They should do everything to get the rights to this and do it justice. Runaway Train was a similar film they released but even that is nowhere near as good as the Hitcher.

Breakdown with Kurt Russell - classic road thriller and it's got Kurt Russell - doesn't have a blu ray release yet

Dead Calm - I love that horror thriller

Blood Beach - the sand consuming people - very scary - no release as yet

Trapped (1989) - Employee locked in a high-rise shopping mall and office block at night with a crazed loon in pursuit - great late night thriller from the late 80s - no DVD or Blu Ray

IT - imagine a special edition of Stephen King's IT!!!

Poltergeist II - They've released TCM II and Psycho II - Poltergeist II is a classic and it features the uber scary Kane old man - Let Me In!!

Damien Omen II - an excellent sequel to the Omen

Halloween III Season of the Witch - saw this in the late 90s on TV and was SO disappointed to see there was no Michael Myers - but it really grew on me once I got over that - very creepy stand-alone classic.

I have probably forgotten lots of others but I would really love to see the above given the treatment they deserve.

What do you think?

[Michael Brooke]

You probably won't be at all surprised to hear that most of those titles are either tied up with other UK labels or owned by major rightsholders like Warner Bros who don't sublicense to independent labels (except in extremely rare circumstances). I can't imagine Warners handing over 'The Shining', for instance.

[The TENANT]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

You probably won't be at all surprised to hear that most of those titles are either tied up with other UK labels or owned by major rightsholders like Warner Bros who don't sublicense to independent labels (except in extremely rare circumstances). I can't imagine Warners handing over 'The Shining', for instance.

You've brought me right back down to earth, Michael!

How do Arrow get their hands on some of the more mainstream and popular releases they've made?

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by The TENANT

You've brought me right back down to earth, Michael!

How do Arrow get their hands on some of the more mainstream and popular releases they've made?

Michael will probably have a better answer but i think its just down to luck has to who owns the rights. Warner for one are notoriously hesitant to sublicense stuff even if they have no intention of putting a release out themselves.

[Michael Brooke]

A successful release boils down to two core elements: availability of rights, and availability of decent materials.

Usually the first is the biggest stumbling block, but it can sometimes be the second - for instance, Night of the Living Dead is notoriously in the public domain thanks to a copyright registration cock-up, but you're not going to get your hands on high-quality pre-print materials without a formal agreement with the film's producers, who understandably aren't inclined to charge mere pennies.

But the much more common problem is with rightsholders, and the sad fact is that some will sublicense their catalogues to labels like Arrow and some won't. For instance, Arrow has put out films held by Universal, MGM and Fox but not Disney, Paramount, Sony or Warner Bros, which either distribute their own stuff (Disney, Warner) or have exclusive deals with other labels (Paramount, Sony).

And even if a label is prepared to release some of its titles, they'll hang on to their crown jewels. I suspect there's a reason why Arrow released Psycho II and not Psycho, and it's almost inconceivably unlikely that Warners would give up The Shining even if they allowed Arrow access to other titles.

And if the person who owns the film says no, I'm afraid that's that - the ball's in their court and it's up to them to change their mind. But never say never - the UK situation with Sony titles has changed dramatically in the last year with Criterion UK, Eureka and the currently Sony-only Indicator putting out titles that seemed very unlikely even as recently as last summer.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

A successful release boils down to two core elements: availability of rights, and availability of decent materials.

Usually the first is the biggest stumbling block, but it can sometimes be the second - for instance, Night of the Living Dead is notoriously in the public domain thanks to a copyright registration cock-up, but you're not going to get your hands on high-quality pre-print materials without a formal agreement with the film's producers, who understandably aren't inclined to charge mere pennies.

With regard to NotLD in particular Michael, there have been at least two blu releases in the UK and numerous dvds, but nothing that one would call a definitive release in terms of both extras and av. James White has mentioned in at least one article that i know of that its a title he'd love to see properly restored and be involved in. Is the problem down to obtaining original negs or simply the fact that being in the public domain Arrow or anyone else for that matter would be hesitant to throw any real money into a definitive ultimate release?

[Michael Brooke]

There's been a 4K restoration, so a definitive edition will be coming out somewhere, and most likely sooner rather than later. My money's on Criterion to handle it, and most likely on both sides of the Atlantic (since there's nothing to stop them releasing it on their UK label).

[Rob4]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

There's been a 4K restoration, so a definitive edition will be coming out somewhere, and most likely sooner rather than later. My money's on Criterion to handle it, and most likely on both sides of the Atlantic (since there's nothing to stop them releasing it on their UK label).

hi Michael, i've heard that the new restoration of NotLD might have a few extra minutes restored. will this give the producers a chance to get their copyright back?