Eureka Entertainment today announced three new Blu-ray titles for UK release in June: Sammo Hung's unique ground-breaking action-horror comedy, Encounter of the Spooky Kind; Johnnie To's immersive crime thriller, PTU; and Robert Wiene’s triumphant work of sinister German Expressionism, The Hands of Orlac.
ENCOUNTER OF THE SPOOKY KIND [GUI DA GUI] (1980) | Blu-ray | 21 June 2021 | £17.99
A defining film in Hong Kong genre cinema, Encounter of the Spooky Kind blended kung fu, special effects, and Chinese folklore to invent a whole new sub-genre of asian cinema, the jiangshi film, which only a few years later would spawn the iconic and hugely successful Mr. Vampire.
Sammo Hung plays Courageous Cheung, a man well known in his local village for his lack of fear. His reputation is soon put to the test after he is tricked into spending the night in a temple full of spirits, zombies, and vampires!
Not content with delivering a bucket load of supernatural chills and thrills, Sammo also delivers some of the finest action choreography of his career. Eureka Classics presents Encounter of the Spooky Kind on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, from a brand new 2K restoration!
BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
- Limited Edition reversible poster featuring the film’s original HK artwork [2000 copies]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration (worldwide debut of this restoration on home video)
- Cantonese audio (original mono presentation)
- Rare alternate Cantonese soundtrack
- Optional English dubbed audio
- Optional English Subtitles (newly translated for this release)
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Archival interview with Sammo Hung
- Alternate English opening & closing credits
- Stills Gallery
- Original trailer
- Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver [2000 copies]
PTU (2003) | Blu-ray | 21 June 2021 | £16.99
Set against a Hong Kong that never sleeps, a stolen police gun triggers a suspenseful chain of events. Tracking down his missing gun before dawn, Sergeant Lo first has his car vandalised and is then beaten up. Suddenly he finds himself edged between two gangs on the brink of a bloodbath, whilst at the same time staving off investigations by both Vice Squad and Homicide Units embroiled in their own turf war. His only lifeline is a maverick Police Tatical Unit squad who have one night to help him find his gun.
An atmospheric noir thriller from director Johnnie To, The Masters of Cinema Series presents PTU in its UK debut on Blu-ray.
BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [2000 units]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray
- Cantonese audio (DTS-HD MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options)
- Optional English dubbed audio
- Optional English Subtitles and English SDH
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Archival interview with director Johnnie To
- Archival interview with actor Simon Yam
- Archival interview with actress Maggie Siu
- Trailers
- A collector’s booklet featuring new writing by David West (NEO Magazine)
THE HANDS OF ORLAC [ORLAC'S HÄNDE] (1924) | Blu-ray | 14 June 2021 | £16.99
Reuniting the star and director of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, The Hands of Orlac [Orlac’s Hände] is a deliciously twisted thriller that blends grand guignol thrills with the visual and performance styles of German Expressionism.
Based on a novel by medical-horror novelist Maurice Renard, it charts the mental disintegration of a concert pianist (Conrad Veidt) whose hands are amputated after a train crash, and replaced with the hands of an executed murderer. When Orlac’s father is murdered by the dead man’s hands, Orlac begins a steady descent towards madness.
The Masters of Cinema Series presents The Hands of Orlac for the first time on home video in the UK in a special Blu-ray edition.
BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase [2000 copies]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements by Film Archiv Austria
- LPCM 2.0 audio
- Original German language intertitles with optional English subtitles
- Brand new feature length audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman
- Brand new video essay by filmmakers David Cairns and Fiona Watson
- Alternate presentation of The Hands of Orlac [SD, 110 minutes] – Courtesy of the F. W. Murnau Foundation, a presentation of the film struck from a different print source, featuring alternate takes of certain scenes. Includes a musical score by Paul Mercer.
- Scene comparisons highlighting some of the differences between the two versions of the film
- A collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Philip Kemp, and Tim Lucas
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