Each of these has been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negatives. The video and audio have been restored, and the subtitles have been newly translated. And yes, I’m told that physical 4K UHD releases of these films are indeed forthcoming. Watch for additional details in the weeks and months ahead.
While we’re talking Shout!, the company has also just announced The Mario Bava Collection: Limited Deluxe Edition Blu-ray box set, due on 7/31 (SRP $179.98) that includes 14 films on 12 discs, plus a 52-page booklet and an exclusive poster. The films in question include Black Sunday (1960), The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), The Evil Eye (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966), Knives of the Avenger (1966), Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970), Four Times That Night (1971), A Bay of Blood (1971), Baron Blood (1972), Lisa and the Devil (1974), The House of Exorcism (1975), and Kidnapped (1974, aka Rabid Dogs). The package is limited to just 2,500 units and is exclusive to ShoutFactory.com. Here’s what it looks like...
Also today, there are rumors spreading online that Universal here in the US is getting ready to release Knight Rider: The Complete Series on either Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD (or both) on 6/10. This is certainly possible, but we’ve seen no indications of it from studio or retail sources as yet. So hold that thought, and take it with a grain of salt for the moment until we receive official confirmation.
In the meantime, and as we’ve reported previously, Universal has their 62-disc Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Series box set coming on Blu-ray on 6/17. Here’s the Amazon listing, though note that the title is not yet available for pre-order.
Also today, Lionsgate has informed us that the last 400 copies of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 2 in exclusive 4K Steelbook packaging have just been made available for sale on the Lionsgate Limited website. So if you want the title and you haven’t picked it up yet, now’s the time to pull the trigger (click here for the link).
While we’re talking Lionsgate Limited, we’ve just been told that the studio’s fixed 4K Ultra HD replacement disc for Abel Ferrara’s King of New York (1990) is now available. You can request a copy from them here using this online form (click here). Just so you know, new copies of this title shipped from Lionsgate Limited still have the bad disc—they’re all wrapped in the factory. So if you buy the title now, you still need to request the replacement. And for those of you wondering why the title needed fixing, you can read the details here in our 4K review of the title (which we will update when our own fixed copy is in hand).
Finally today, one more bit of Lionsgate news: The studio has informed us that they’ll be releasing their own US 4K Ultra HD edition of Eleanor Coppola, Fax Bahr, and George Hickenlooper’s legendary documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991)—licensed from StudioCanal—later this year. So unless you really want it sooner, there’s no need to import.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)