Winter chills mean just that this November, as Arrow Video release a snowy horror sci-fi, a contemporary thriller, a Fifties sci-fi frightener, as well as a jailhouse classic, a cult Brit crime comedy, and a limited edition collection of a Japanese auteur’s early works. Plenty to keep the cold from the door for film fans!

First up, the end of October sees the Blu-ray premiere of The Villainess, an extraordinary Korean actioner about a former assassin (Thirst’s Ok-bin Kim) whose past comes back to haunt her. Exploding onto the screen in a kinetic flurry of hyper-stylised action, this is a stunning vengeance film that draws its inspiration from western classics including Nikita and Kill Bill.

In November, Michael Caine and Mike Hodges, the star and director of British classic Get Carter, reunite for 1972’s Pulp, a crime comedy about a paperback writer inadvertently drawn into the world he writes about.The DVD and Blu-ray release of this neglected gem (a favourite of author J.G. Ballard) features a brand new, and long overdue, 2K restoration from original film elements, supervised and approved by director of photography Ousama Rawi, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release.

Next up, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Jack Arnold’s superlative adaptation of Richard Matheson’s sci-fi novel, about a man, who, whilst on a holiday cruise with his wife, finds himself enveloped by a luminous mist – which causes him to start shrinking at an alarming rate. The release includes a documentary on director Arnold (It Came From Outer Space), and an interview with the son of I Am Legend scribe Matheson.

More sci-fi horror this month, with the Standard Edition Blu-ray release of John Carpenter’s creature feature The Thing from 1982, that mixes wintry chills with mind-blowing special effects, quotable dialogue and a career best performance from Kurt Russell as part of an all-male research crew in Antartica, besieged by a terrifying, shape-shifting creature. This release is packed with extras, including an all-new documentary on the film, and features a stunning 4K transfer supervised by Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey.

More ‘men stuck together’ this November in the shape of Animal Factory, a searing look at life inside a maximum security prison, directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Willem Dafoe and Edward Furlong. This was Buscemi’s second stint in the director’s chair and sees him marshalling a formidable ensemble cast, for a powerful and sincere account of the men caught up in the penal system.

The late great Japanese director Seijun Suzuki is celebrated with the release of Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years. Vol. 1 – Seijun Rising: The Youth Movies. With a career spanning half a century, the prolific Suzuki was famous for his wildly entertaining, offbeat and innovative Japanese crime dramas. Here, the B-movie maverick’s early youth movies are presented in a limited edition Dual Format collection, along with 60-page illustrated collector's book.

The Villainess | Blu-ray + DVD | 30 October 2017 | £15.99 (DVD) / £19.99 (Blu-ray)

Sook-hee is a trained assassin who takes revenge on the men who murdered her father in a breathtaking opening sequence. After losing consciousness she awakes at the National Intelligence Service who recruit her as an agent to undertake confidential missions. Initially refusing, Sook-hee soon realises it is her only method of escape, until she is given a new assignment that suddenly changes everything…

Deliriously indulging in the excesses of South Korean action, recalling Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, The Villainess is a visionary new take on the neo-noir genre and an incredible thrill ride not to be missed.

Blu-ray & DVD Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation on Blu-ray
• Optional English subtitles
• Original 5.1 DTS HD-MA (Blu-ray) and 5.1 surround (DVD)
• Audio commentary with filmmakers and critics Sam Ashurst and Dan Martin
• Trailer
• More TBC
• First Blu-ray pressing only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Anton Bitel

Pulp | Blu-ray + DVD | 6 November 2017 | £15.99 (DVD) / £19.99 (Blu-ray)

Michael Caine plays Mickey King, a successful pulp novelist responsible for such titles as My Gun Is Long and The Organ Grinder, who is invited to ghost-write the autobiography of a mystery celebrity. His client turns out to be a former actor, played by Mickey Rooney, well-known for his gangster roles and real-life gangster connections – but death is around the corner, and King finds his commission to be a lot more complicated than he first imagined.

A favourite of J.G. Ballard, Pulp has long existed in the shadow of its predecessor, Get Carter. Tonally, it could not be more different – Get Carter never had the time for sight gags and one-liners – but it’s a real gem in its own right and fully deserving of a wider audience. This brand-new restoration from Arrow Films aims to right that wrong.

Blu-ray & DVD Special Edition contents:

Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements, supervised and approved by director of photography Ousama Rawi, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation (Blu-ray) / Standard Definition presentation (DVD)

• Original 1.0 mono sound
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Brand-new interview with writer-director Mike Hodges
• Brand-new interview with director of photography Ousama Rawi
• Brand-new interview with assistant director John Glen
• Brand-new interview with Tony Klinger, son of producer Michael Klinger
• Original theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
• First pressing only (Blu-ray): Collector’s booklet containing new writing by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Incredible Shrinking Man | Blu-ray | 13 November 2017 | £24.99

He baffles science! He confounds medicine! Submitted for your approval, the strange story of Scott Carey – an ordinary young man who, through an extraordinary set of circumstances, becomes The Incredible Shrinking Man!

Whilst on a holiday cruise with his wife, young Scott finds himself enveloped by a luminous mist which cover him in a strange, glittery dust. Several months later, he’s accidentally sprayed with an insecticide. Soon, Scott starts shrinking at an alarming rate, and before long he’s thrust into a terrifying world of gigantic cats, spiders and other over-sized pitfalls!

Adapted for the screen by celebrated fantasy scribe Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) from his own novel, The Incredible Shrinking Man – directed by sci-fi pioneer Jack Arnold (It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon) – is rightly regarded as being one of the finest science-fiction films of all time.

Blu-ray Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Auteur on the Campus: Jack Arnold at Universal – an extended documentary about the early career of director Jack Arnold at Universal-International studios
• There Is No Zero: Writing The Shrinking Man – an in-depth conversation with author Richard Christian Matheson about his father and the creation of the original 
• Incredible Shrinking Man novel
• Super 8 cut-down version
• Original theatrical trailer
• Teaser
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
• First pressing only: Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman

The Thing | Standard Edition Blu-ray | 20 November 2017 | £24.99

Over the years, star Kurt Russell and master of horror John Carpenter have teamed up on a multitude of films (Big Trouble in Little China and Escape from New York to name a few) but of all their collaborations, 1982 s horror/sci-fi amalgam The Thing surely tops the list.

A research team based out in the snowy wilds of Antarctica find themselves besieged by a terrifying, shape-shifting creature which has found its way into their base. When it becomes clear that the creature can take the form of any organism it so chooses, the tension within the team reaches breaking point any one of them could be... The Thing.

Critically panned at the time of its release, John Carpenter’s The Thing has rightly gone on to become one of the most celebrated sci-fi horror efforts ever made now newly restored by Arrow Video in a stunning 4K transfer supervised by Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey.

Blu-ray Special Edition contents:

• Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative, supervised and approved by director John Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell
• Who Goes There? In Search of The Thing: an all-new feature length documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures exploring the history of The Thing, from the original novella to John Carpenter's terrifying science fiction classic. Featuring new interviews with the cast and crew, as well as authors, historians, and critics
• 1982: One Amazing Summer: an all-new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures about the unforgettable films released in the summer of 1982
• John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape: archive documentary on the background and production of the film
• Vintage Featurettes
• Outtakes
• Behind-the-scenes
• Trailers, Teasers, TV and Radio Spots
• Stills galleries
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin

Animal Factory | Blu-ray + DVD | 27 November 2017

Troubled youth Ron Decker (Edward Furlong, American History X) is sentenced to a ten-year stint in the notorious San Quentin State Prison for a drug-dealing conviction. Inexperienced in the ways of prison life, he’s taken under the wing of Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe, To Live and Die in LA), an experienced con with the entire prison in the palm of his hand – inmates and guards alike. But as Ron grows increasingly cocky in his privileged role as Earl’s confidant, is he in danger of biting off more than he can chew with some of the jail’s more volatile inhabitants?

Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Eddie Bunker (Reservoir Dogs), Animal Factory was Steve Buscemi's (Lonesome Jim, Interview) second stint in the director’s chair and sees him marshaling a formidable ensemble cast, including Bunker, Danny Trejo (Machete) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), for a powerful and sincere account of the men caught up in the penal system and the deals they cut with each other, and themselves, in order to survive.

Blu-ray & DVD Special Edition contents:

• High Definition digital transfer
• Lossless original 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Interview with critic Barry Forshaw covering Eddie Bunker's varied career (Blu-ray only)
• New bonus features TBC
• Audio commentary by novelist/co-writer/actor Eddie Bunker and co-producer/actor Danny Trejo
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips
• First pressing only (Blu-ray only): Collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Glenn Kenny

Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years. Vol. 1 – Seijun Rising: The Youth Movies | Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD | 27 November 2017 | £49.99

Making their home-video debuts outside Japan, this diverse selection of Nikkatsu youth movies (seishun eiga) charts the evolving style of the B-movie maverick best known for the cult classics Tokyo Drifter (1966) and Branded to Kill (1967).

The Boy Who Came Back (1958) marks the first appearances of “Nikkatsu Diamond Guys” and regular Suzuki collaborators Akira Kobayashi and Jo Shishido, with Kobayashi cast as the hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past. The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (1961) is a carnivalesque tale of a young student who hooks up with a down-at-heels travelling circus troupe. Teenage Yakuza (1962) stars Tamio Kawaji as the high-school vigilante protecting his community from the extortions of mobsters from a neighbouring city. The Incorrigible (1963) and Born Under Crossed Stars (1965), both based on Toko Kon’s novels about young love, represent Suzuki’s first films set in the 1920s era later celebrated in his critically-regarded Taisho Trilogy.

Limited Edition contents:

• Limited Edition Dual Format Collection [3000 copies]
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
• Optional English subtitles
• New introduction to the films by critic Tony Rayns
• 60-page illustrated collector's book featuring new writing by critic and author Jasper Sharp