Arrow Video US is kicking off 2022 with new three Blu-ray Disc genre releases from Italy, Japan and Germany.
Mario Bava’s Shock (1977), coming Jan. 18, stars the legendary Daria Nicolodi as Dora, a woman that goes through extensive electroshock treatment and then moves into her old home with her young son and her new husband. While in the home, she’s tormented by the memories of her dead first husband.
Released in the United States as Beyond the Door II, Shock was the last theatrical film Bava would release before his death in 1980. Arrow presents Shock with a brand-new 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. This new restoration features Italian and English soundtracks and newly translated English subtitles. Special features include new audio commentary, new interviews with co-writers Lamberto Bava and Dardano Sacchetti, a video essay, and more.
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Also arriving on Blu-ray Disc on Jan. 18 is 1966’s Red Angel, from director Yasuzo Masumura. Red Angel takes a look at the horrors of war through the eyes of Sakura Nishi (Ayako Wakao), a young field nurse on the front lines in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. While tending the wounds of soldiers injured in battle, Nishi must also be strong enough to deal with their unstable mental state and unwanted sexual advances.
Arrow’s Blu-ray release of Red Angel contains a high-definition film presentation with the original uncompressed Japanese audio. Special features include a new audio commentary with Japanese cinema scholar David Desser, a new film introduction by Tony Rayns and a new visual essay from Jonathan Rosenbaum. First pressings will also include an illustrated booklet with new writing from Irene Gonzalez-Lopez.
Arrow’s final release of the month is Sleep, which will be issued on Blu-ray Disc on Jan. 25. After being plagued by horrific nightmares of a place she has never been, Marlene (Sandra Hüller) suffers a mental breakdown in a remote village and is placed in a psychiatric ward. Marlene’s daughter Mona (Gro Swantje Kohlhof) follows after her, uncovers dark family secrets, and reveals a curse that threatens her life.
The debut film from director Michael Venus, released in 2020, earned German Film Critics Association Award nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Feature Film Debut, and Best Editing. Special features on Arrow’s limited-edition Blu-ray release include an audio commentary track with authors Kim Newman and Sean Hogan, a visual essay from film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, a conversation between director Venus and star Kohlhof, and more.
Arrow Video US releases are distributed through the MVD Entertainment Group.