Arrow Video are starting 2018 the way they mean to go on - with a batch of quality new, and classic, releases that you won’t want to miss, including a double dose of giallo from Italian maestro Dario Argento, and an outstanding Aussie thriller you might want to watch from between your fingers.

First off, Dario Argento’s devilishly good 1971 horror mystery Cat O’ Nine Tails gets a superb limited edition 4K restoration. Starring James Franciscus (City On Fire) and Karl Malden (On The Waterfront), this brilliantly byzantine thriller cemented Argento’s reputation as a master genre director. The limited edition Blu-ray is packed with extras, and features a new audio commentary, new cover artwork and comes with a poster, lobby cards and a limited edition booklet. 

January also sees the release of Argento’s gory 80s classic Phenomena, starring Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth) alongside Donald Pleasence (Halloween)  in a terrifying slice of fear cinema that mixes extreme violence, pounding Metal music, a vicious chimp wielding a scalpel, and enough buzzing insects to choke an entire school – all presented in a sumptuous new 4K restoration, and with a newly created “hybrid” English/Italian audio track on the full length 116-minute Italian version, and featuring a new feature-length documentary on the film.

Finally, the UK Blu-ray debut of the extraordinary and intense Hounds of Love. Described by Variety as a ‘powerhouse thriller’, this Aussie gem, based on real life crimes, stars Ashleigh Cummings (Tomorrow, When The War Begins) as a young girl who must fight for her life, after being abducted by a dangerously deranged couple, Stephen Curry (The Castle) and Emma Booth (Once Upon a Time). In the tradition of Wolf Creek and Snowtown, The Hounds of Love is an unforgettable film experience.

As an additional bonus this month, Arrow Records are also delighted to announce their second release - the original soundtrack to Nico Mastorakis’ thrilling action-horror hybrid ‘The Zero Boys.’ There will be a limited edition translucent blue vinyl (500 copies). Featuring newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys, and accompanying film notes by Nico Mastorakis. 

The Cat O’ Nine Tails | Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD | 8 January 2018 | £29.95

Following the success of his debut feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, distributor Titanus tasked writer/director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as “nine times more suspenseful” than its predecessor, was The Cat O’ Nine Tails.

When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arnò (Karl Malden – Patton, One-Eyed Jacks), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute’s scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus – Beneath the Planet of the Apes) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperilled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis – Cannibal Apocalypse), Franco’s young niece, may also be in the killer’s sights…

This second entry in the so-called “Animal Trilogy” found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak (Il Sorpasso) and Rada Rassimov (Baron Blood), and featuring another nerve-jangling score by the great Ennio Morricone (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly), The Cat O’ Nine Tails remains one of Argento’s most suspenseful and underrated films.

Limited Edition contents:

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman
• New interviews with co-writer/director Dario Argento, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, actress Cinzia De Carolis and production manager Angelo Iacono
• Script pages for the lost original ending, translated into English for the first time
• Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• 4 lobby card reproductions
• Limited edition booklet illustrated by Matt Griffin, featuring an essay on the film by Dario Argento, and new writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes

Phenomena | Blu-ray and DVD | 15 January 2018 | £19.99 (Blu-ray) & £15.99 (DVD)

From master of horror Dario Argento (Suspiria, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) comes Phenomena – one of his most eccentric and unique thrillers, featuring telepathic insects, maggots galore, and even a razor-wielding chimp!

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 entomologist 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…

Released in 1985, towards the end of Argento’s decade-long golden age as a director, Phenomena co-stars Dalila Di Lazarro (Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein), Patrick Bauchau (Clear and Present Danger) and Daria Nicolodi (Tenebrae), and features lush cinematography by Romano Albani (Inferno) and a pounding prog rock score by Goblin (Deep Red, Suspiria). Presented here in a sumptuous new 4K restoration of the film and with a newly created “hybrid” English/Italian audio track on the full length 116-minute Italian version, this is the definitive release of Argento’s creepy classic.

Blu-ray and DVD Special Edition contents:

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the full-length 116-minute Italian cut of the film, standard definition on the DVD
• New 5.1 surround mix of the Italian soundtrack in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio, derived from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements
• New hybrid English/Italian soundtrack in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo*
• Italian soundtrack in lossless PCM 2.0 stereo
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• Of Flies and Maggots, a new feature-length documentary including interviews with co-writer/producer/director Dario Argento, actors Fiore Argento, Davide Marotta, Daria Nicolodi and Fiorenza Tessari, co-writer Franco Ferrini, cinematographer Romano Albani, production manager Angelo Jacono, special optical effects artist Luigi Cozzi, special makeup effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, makeup artist Pier Antonio Mecacci, underwater camera operator Gianlorenzo Battaglia, and composers Claudio Simonetti and Simon Boswell
• Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
• “Jennifer” music video, directed by Dario Argento
• Rare Japanese vintage pressbook
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp

*The 116-minute Italian cut features approximately six minutes of footage for which English audio does not exist. In these instances, the hybrid track reverts to Italian audio with English subtitles.

Hounds of Love | Blu-ray | 22 January 2018 | £19.99

Loosely based on real-life events, this harrowing psychological thriller from Australian writer-director Ben Young is set to join the likes of The Silence of the Lambs as one of the most gruelling serial killer movies ever realised.

In 1980s Perth, Australia, a depraved couple are abducting and murdering young girls. When seventeen-year-old Vicki Maloney accepts a ride from the duo late one night, she finds herself catapulted into a nightmare beyond her imagining.

Bolstered by astonishing performances from its three main leads, Hounds of Love is bold and powerful piece of filmmaking which proves that Australian genre cinema is alive and well.

Blu-ray Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Interviews with actors Stephen Curry, Emma Booth and Ashleigh Cummings
• Behind-the-Scenes
• Two short films from Hounds of Love director Ben Young: Something Fishy (2010) and Bush Basher (2011)
• John Butler Trio “Only One” music video, directed by Ben Young
• Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options

The film will also be available on DVD from Arrow Films on 22nd January 2018.

The Zero Boys | on Vinyl from Arrow Records | 24th November | £24.99

This previously unreleased gem combines adrenaline pumping electronic compositions by the legendary film composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Inception) with tasteful orchestral cues by the renowned scorer of cult films Stanley Myers (Frightmare). This limited vinyl edition has been newly mastered from the original 1/4” analogue tapes by James Plotkin and is presented on 180 gram wax, housed inside a 350gsm sleeve.