This October, Indicator faces its fears to unveil a host of haunting Hollywood horrors and an unholy pairing of two hugely influential Mexican Gothic chillers in two box sets, the six-film Columbia Horror and El Vampiro: Two Bloodsucking Tales from Mexico.
![Columbia Horror pack shot](../../../newscovers/c/columbiahorror_br.jpg)
COLUMBIA HORROR
Limited Edition Blu-ray | 21 October 2024 | £49.99
- BEHIND THE MASK (John Francis Dillon, 1932)
- BLACK MOON (Roy William Neill, 1934)
- AIR HAWKS (Albert S Rogell, 1935)
- ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN (Charles Barton, 1940)
- CRY OF THE WEREWOLF (Henry Levin, 1944)
- THE SOUL OF A MONSTER (Will Jason, 1944)
Six bone-chilling tales from the vaults of Columbia Pictures, starring a host of the classic horror genre’s most celebrated names, including Ralph Bellamy (Lady on a Train), Nina Foch (Escape in the Fog), Rose Hobart (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), Jack Holt (Cat People), Boris Karloff (The Criminal Code), Peter Lorre (M), and Fay Wray (Thunderbolt).
In Behind the Mask, the dastardly Dr ‘X’ murders his patients and smuggles narcotics in their coffins. Black Moon sees a cursed daughter return to the island where her parents perished in a voodoo ceremony. In Air Hawks, pioneering aviators are tormented by rivals operating a horrifying death ray. Island of Doomed Men sees an undercover agent infiltrating a remote penal colony presided over by a madman. In Cry of the Werewolf, a beautiful female lycanthrope vows to murder those who discover her family’s secret. And, for those whose nerves are still intact, The Soul of a Monster tells the tale of a woman who makes a diabolical deal to save her husband’s life.
This essential three-disc collection marks the UK Blu-ray premiere of all six films, and features an array of fascinating contextualising extras, including newly recorded commentaries, critical appreciations, and rare archival short films, as well as a 100-page book containing new and archival writings. Strictly limited to 6,000 individually numbered units.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 3 x BLU-RAY BOX SET FEATURES:
- High Definition remasters of Behind the Mask, Black Moon, Air Hawks, Island of Doomed Men, Cry of the Werewolf, and The Soul of a Monster
- Tinted and black-and-white presentations of Black Moon
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer on Behind the Mask (2024)
- Audio commentary with critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman on Black Moon (2024)
- Audio commentary with film historian Jeremy Arnold on Air Hawks (2024)
- Audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson on Island of Doomed Men (2024)
- Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross on Cry of the Werewolf (2024)
- Audio commentary with critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman on The Soul of a Monster (2024)
- Sheldon Hall on Jack Holt (2024): the author and academic assesses the forgotten star of Behind the Mask and Black Moon
- Jonathan Rigby on Peter Lorre (2024): the author of American Gothic: Six Decades of Classic Horror Cinema looks at the iconic performer
- Tom Vincent on Burnett Guffey (2024): the archivist provides an overview of the prolific cinematographer’s award-winning career
- The BEHP Interview with Constance Cummings (1997): archival audio recording of the Behind the Mask actor in conversation with Roy Fowler
- New York to Berlin in Twenty-Six Hours(1933): documentary short on the exploits of aviator Wiley Post, who plays himself in Air Hawks
- Don’t Kill Your Friends (1943): World War II short film featuring Cry of the Werewolf star Nina Foch
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 100-page book with new essays by Bethan Roberts, Ellen Wright, Sergio Angelini, Paul Duane, Tim Snelson, and Jeff Billington; archival profiles of actors Boris Karloff, Fay Wray, and Rochelle Hudson; archival reports on the death of Air Hawks actor Wiley Post; extracts from Cry of the Werewolf’s pressbook; a new piece on actor Rose Hobart’s blacklisting; new writing on the short films; and film credits
- World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
- Limited edition box set of 6,000 individually numbered units for the UK
All extras subject to change
EL VAMPIRO: TWO BLOODSUCKING TALES FROM MEXICO
Limited Edition Blu-ray | 21 Ocrober 2024 | £24.99
- THE VAMPIRE (El vampiro, Fernando Méndez, 1957)
- THE VAMPIRE’S COFFIN (El ataúd del vampiro, Fernando Méndez, 1958)
El Vampiro: Two Bloodsucking Tales from Mexico brings together a pair of atmospheric and terrifying classics of Mexican Gothic, directed by Fernando Méndez (Black Pit of Dr. M), and starring Ariadne Welter (The Panther Women), Abel Salazar (The Curse of the Crying Woman), and, in a star-making turn, Germán Robles (The Brainiac).
In The Vampire (El vampiro), the beautiful, bereaved Marta (Welter) travels with Enrique (Salazar) to visit her sick aunt in her ancestral home. There, the mysterious neighbour Duval (Robles) offers to buy the family’s decrepit hacienda. However, Duval is really Count Karol de Lavud, a vampire whose aim is to drain Marta of her blood and revive his entombed brother.
In the sequel, The Vampire’s Coffin (El ataúd del vampiro), grave robbers bring Lavud’s corpse to Enrique’s city hospital, where Marta now works as a nurse. Duly re-animated, Lavud sets about his bloody plan to make Marta his bride.
Pre-dating Hammer Films’ Dracula by a year, The Vampire’s uniquely Mexican take on vampire mythology was the first film to give its antagonist elongated fangs, and its success kick-started Mexico’s horror boom. Restored from the original negatives, these films finally receive their world Blu-ray premieres in this individually numbered Limited Edition two-disc set, complete with new and archival extra features, and a fully illustrated 80-page book.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 2 x BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- 4K restoration from the original camera negative of The Vampire by Labo
- High Definition remaster from 2K scans of The Vampire’s Coffin by Alameda Films
- Original Spanish mono soundtracks
- Alternative English soundtracks on both films
- Audio commentary with the vampire himself, Germán Robles (2007)
- Interview with Claudia and Rosa Salazar Arenas (2024): chef Claudia Salazar Arenas and screenwriter and actor Rosa Salazar Arenas remember their father, the legendary actor and producer Abel Salazar
- Interview with Abraham Castillo Flores(2024): the film programmer, curator and Mexican horror cinema expert delves into the lives and careers of the mesmerising actor Carmen Montejo and her co-stars Ariadne Welter and Alicia Montoya
- Interview with Juan Ramón Obón (2024): the writer shares memories of his esteemed father, the prolific screenwriter Ramón Obón
- Interview with Roberto Coria (2024): the horror cinema and literature specialist examines the life and career of actor Germán Robles and the representation of the vampire myth in Mexican cinema
- Interview with Elisa Lozano (2024): the film historian and curator discusses the work and impact of the revered production designer Gunther Gerzso
- Original theatrical trailers
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials, and The Vampire's Coffin French photo-novel
- New and improved English translation subtitles
- New English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with new essays by Jesús Palacios and David Wilt, archival essays by Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro and Carmen A Serrano, cast interviews, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premieres on Blu-ray
- Limited edition set of 8,000 units for the UK and US
All extras subject to change |