Severin’s Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee set, His Dark Materials: S2, new Ghibi Steelbooks from Shout!/GKids & Abkco’s Jodorowsky singles are NOT 4K

Tuesday, 09 March 2021 16:21

Severin’s Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee set, His Dark Materials: S2, new Ghibi Steelbooks from Shout!/GKids & Abkco’s Jodorowsky singles are NOT 4K

by Bill Hunt

Severin’s Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection (Blu-ray Disc)

All right, I’ve had a pretty steady stream of plumbers and carpenters here the last couple days as my wife and I work get our water leak sorted out. On top of which, yesterday was our annual visit to the tax man. LOL. So I appreciate your patience with the lack of an update yesterday.

We did at least get Tim’s Facebook problems resolved today. He’s back up and able to access his account there. Turns out it being disabled was just an error on Facebook’s part, so special thanks to a friend of the site who helped us to sort it all out.

While he was off the Book, Tim completed work on a new Blu-ray review for Arrow’s excellent He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefe Collection box set, which includes Sting of Death (1965), Death Curse of Tartu (1966), The Hooked Generation (1968), The Psychedelic Priest (1969), The Naked Zoo (1970), Mako: Jaws of Death (1976), and Whiskey Mountain (1977). You can find that here.

In announcement news today, HBO has set His Dark Materials: Season Two for Blu-ray and DVD release on 12/31, presumably not long before the BBC and HBO debut of Season Three in very early 2022. The second season has been available in the UK since December of last year. [Read on here...]

BBC will release The Watch: Season One for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/29.

Arrow Video will re-release Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys on Blu-ray in Steelbook packaging on 5/25. The company released it as a Collector’s Edition BD in regular packaging back in 2018.

Arrow has also set Yasuzô Masumura’s Giants and Toys for release on Blu-ray on 5/11.

Meanwhile, Shout! Factory and GKids will re-release Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and The Secret World of Arrietty on Blu-ray in Steelbook packaging on 6/22.

Severin Films has set a 9-disc The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection for Blu-ray release on 5/25. The set will include Crypt of the Vampire (1964), The Castle of the Living Dead (1964), Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962), The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967), Challenge the Devil (1963), and Theatre Macabre (1971-72). Each will include substantial extras, including audio commentaries, trailers, featurettes, and more. The box will also include additional extras on an additional disc titled Relics from the Crypt, among them period interviews with Christopher Lee. And you’ll get a CD soundtrack for Castle of the Living Dead.

Also today, I’ve confirmed with Abkco that my speculation from a few days ago was correct: Their upcoming single-film releases of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Fando Y Lis, El Topo, and The Holy Mountain (due on 4/16) are NOT actual 4K Ultra HD releases. They’re simply the regular Blu-ray editions (that dropped last September in a box set called the Alejandro Jodorowsky: 4K Restoration Collection) released separately as single-film SKUs. So adjust your purchase plans accordingly.

I should add that actual 4K releases of these titles would be terrific. In fact, Severin Films is releasing Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre in proper 4K Ultra HD on 4/27 (we’re very excited for that here at The Bits). You can see the cover artwork for it below.

Speaking of 4K, Universal has finally revealed its Ultra HD single releases of Psycho and The Birds for 5/25. The studio will also release Shrek on 4K on 5/11, followed by The Sting (1974) and National Lampoon’s Animal House on 5/18. You can see the cover artwork below.

And on the Digital front, Apple TV+ will release Joe and Anthony Russo’s Cherry on their streaming service on 3/12. The film stars Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo.

Here’s a look at the cover artwork for a few of the titles mentioned above, with Amazon.com pre-order links if available (just click on the covers—the Shrek 4K link will be added when it goes live)...

Shrek (4K Ultra HD)

Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned...

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Severin’s Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee set, His Dark Materials: S2, new Ghibi Steelbooks from Shout!/GKids & Abkco’s Jodorowsky singles are NOT 4K

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