Arrow Video’s line up for February also includes two films from legendary horror director Tobe Hooper, who, in 1974, changed the face of horror with his landmark film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Though the hulking Leatherface left an indelible mark upon the cinematic landscape, it wouldn’t be until 1986 that the buzz came back with the deliciously demented The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2!
Hot on its heels is Hooper’s sci-fi extravaganza Lifeforce on Limited Edition 4K UHD. Based on Colin Wilson’s novel The Space Vampires, with a screenplay co-written by Dan O’Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead), this lively sci-fi horror romp has a stellar cast including Peter Firth, Frank Finlay and Patrick Stewart – although it’s Mathilda May’s appearance as the seductive alien leader that attracts the most attention to this day. With a brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films of the 116-minute International Cut, plus a 4K restoration of the 101-minute Theatrical Cut from the original negative, the release includes three commentaries and a spaceship full of extras, including Cannon Fodder: The Making of Lifeforce, an epic look at the genesis, production and release of the film, and comes with a collector’s booklet and reversible sleeve.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Limited Edition Blu-ray 17th February
In 1974, Tobe Hooper changed the face of horror with his landmark film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Though the hulking Leatherface left an indelible mark upon the cinematic landscape, it wouldn’t be until 1986 that the buzz came back… in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2!
Relocating the cannibalistic Sawyers to a cavernous labyrinth beneath an amusement park, Hooper’s deliciously demented sequel sees local DJ Stretch running afoul of them when she gets mixed up in the brutal slaying of two youngsters. Meanwhile, Lieutenant “Lefty” Enright is hell-bent on avenging the murder of his nephew Franklin, who perished in the original massacre.
Whichever way you skin it, Leatherface’s second cinematic outing is an uncompromisingly delirious vision from one of the masters of horror.
2-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Limited edition packaging featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady and Dare Creative
• Booklet featuring new writing by Johnny Mains, Anna Bogutskaya, Guy Adams and Neil Mitchell
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Texas Battle Land theme park postcard
• Chili cook-off recipe card
• Three double-sided collector’s postcards
DISC 1 – THE FILM
• 4K restoration from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless stereo 2.0 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Commentary with director Tobe Hooper
• Commentary with stars Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special effects legend Tom Savini
• Commentary with cinematographer Richard Kooris, production designer Cary White, script supervisor Laura Kooris and property master Michael Sullivan
DISC 2 – BONUS FEATURES
• Are We Not Both the Living Dead?, new visual essay by Scout Tafoya
• You’ve Got Good Taste: Cannibal Camp and Perverse Parody, new visual essay by Miranda Corcoran
• Stretch Lives!, interview with Caroline Williams
• Serving Tom, interview with makeup effects artist Gabe Bartalos
• Texas Blood Bath, interview with makeup effects artist Barton Mixon
• Remember the Alamo, interview with actor Kirk Sisco
• Die Yuppie Scum, interview with actor Barry Kinyon
• Extended interviews with Tobe Hooper and co-producer Cynthia Hargrave, from Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
• It Runs in the Family, (plus outtakes!) on the film’s genesis, making and enduring appeal
• House of Pain, interview with makeup effects artists Mixon, Bartalos, Gino Crognale and John Vulich
• Yuppie Meat, interview with actors Chris Douridas and Barry Kinyon
• Cutting Moments, interview with editor Alain Jakubowicz
• Behind the Mask and Cutting Moments with Bob Elmore, two interviews with Leatherface’s performer
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds, featurette exploring the film’s locations
• Still Feelin’ the Buzz, interview with horror expert Stephen Thrower
• Behind-the-scenes
• Alternate opening credits
• Deleted scenes
• Trailers and TV spots
• Still gallery
Pre order The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 here
Lifeforce
Limited Edition 4K UHD 17th February
When a space shuttle crew finds a mysterious spacecraft containing three human-looking creatures in a state of suspended animation, they bring them back to Earth for further investigation.
It’s only then that scientists discover that they are in fact a race of space vampires that feed off people’s life-force, rather than their blood. So when they escape and run amok in London, the consequences are apocalyptic – and the shuttle crew’s only survivor (Steve Railsback) seems to be the only man who can stop them.
Based on Colin Wilson’s novel The Space Vampires, with a screenplay co-written by Dan O’Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead) and directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist), this lively sci-fi horror romp has a stellar cast including Peter Firth, Frank Finlay and Patrick Stewart – although it’s Mathilda May’s appearance as the seductive alien leader that attracts the most attention to this day.
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films of the 116-minute International Cut, plus a 4K restoration of the 101-minute Theatrical Cut from the original negative
• Original lossless stereo audio plus optional 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround and Dolby Atmos remixes for both cuts
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for both cuts
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford
• Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Frank Collins
DISC ONE – INTERNATIONAL CUT
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Audio commentary by director Tobe Hooper, moderated by filmmaker Tim Sullivan
• Audio commentary by visual effects artist Douglas Smith, moderated by filmmaker and scholar Howard S. Berger
• Audio commentary with make-up effects artist Nick Maley, moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher
• Isolated music and effects track
• Cannon Fodder: The Making of Lifeforce, an epic look at the genesis, production and release of the film, featuring interviews with Hooper, associate producer Michael J. Kagan, editor John Grover, actors Aubrey Morris and Nicholas Ball, make-up artist Sandra Exelby, screenwriter Michael Armstrong, sound designer Vernon Messenger, art designers Tom Adams and Roger Stewart, and effects artist John Schoonraad
• Space Vampires in London, an archive interview with Tobe Hooper
• Dangerous Beauty, an archive interview with Mathilda May
• Carlsen’s Curse, an archive interview with Steve Railsback
• Textless opening sequence
• Theatrical trailers
DISC TWO – THEATRICAL CUT
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Isolated music and effects track
• Interview outtakes from Mark Hartley’s Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, featuring Hooper, Armstrong, Grover and Messenger
• Split screen comparison with TV version
Arrow Video releases The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Lifeforce in Februrary
