James R | On 02, Apr 2022

Arrow is a streaming service curated by members of the Arrow Video team, bringing together new horror, cult classics, cutting edge cinema, international favourites and more – from Lars von Trier to Park Chan-wook, plus TV shows such as The Bridge and Gomorrah.

Arrow continues its run of exclusive releases this April with the premiere of The Sacred Spirit, a one-of-a-kind from Spanish writer/director Chema Garcia Ibarra. Plus, there’s action starring Lance Henriksen, a slice of sci-fi and one of the most acclaimed serial killer horrors of all time.

Here’s what’s coming soon to Arrow Video in April 2022:

Kidnap Syndicate – 1st April

After his son is kidnapped, a millionaire industrialist seeks revenge, in spite of the potential danger that his rash actions will bring about for his child and another kidnapped boy, the son of a poor mechanic.

Naked Violence – 1st April

In the night school of Andrea and Maria, a group of eleven boys, mostly small street criminals in their teens, brutally murder their female teacher Matilde. The police begins to investigate the murder, but finds no clear evidence or sufficient information to shed light on the mysterious affair.

Rulers of the City – 1st April

Tony, a mob loan collector, is dissatisfied with his station in life. After meeting up with Napoli, another mob enforcer who’s just been fired from his job, the two hatch a plan.

Shoot First, Die Later – 1st April

Luc Merenda is a highly regarded police detective who is taking syndicate money in exchange for departmental favors. His father, a simple man, also works for the department, but on a lower rung. A series of events leads the young detective to ask his father a favour and it doesn’t take long for the latter to realize that his son is corrupted.

The Boss – 1st April

A bomb attack in a cinema in Palermo kills all the members of one mafia family except for Cocchi. Realizing that the instigator of the bomb attack is Daniello from another mafia family, Cocchi is determined to revenge.

The Italian Collection – 1st April

The second film in Fernando Di Leo’s Milieu Trilogy focuses on Luca Carnali, a mobster who has been set up by his gangland boss. When a shipment of heroin disappears between Italy and New York, Carnali is framed for the theft.

The Face at the Window – 1st April

In Paris in 1880, a series of murders involving a grotesque face appearing at victims’ windows, is attributed to a mysterious Wolf Man. After being accused of being the perpetrator, bank clerk Lucien Cortier seeks to uncover the true identity of the murderer. Chevalier Lucio del Gardo seems determined to successfully prosecute Cortier for the murders.

The Heroin Busters – 1st April

Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi – the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. In 1977’s The Heroin Busters, rule-flouting cop Fabio (Testi) goes deep undercover, chasing a globe-trotting ring of drug-smugglers suspected to be operating out of Rome. But can he and Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings, Deep Red), an Interpol agent with a hair-trigger temper, stay one step ahead of the criminals long enough to bring them down from the inside?

The Big Rocket – 1st April

Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi – the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. In 1976’s The Big Racket, Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi, What Have You Done to Solange?) is hot on the heels of a gang of ruthless racketeers. Realising he’s not going to get anywhere within the confines of the law, Nico recruits a crack squad of civilians to dole out their own brand of justice.

Savage Dawn – 4th April

The residents of a small border town find themselves under siege by a vicious biker gang who get their kicks from unfettered brutality. When Stryker, a hardened Vietnam veteran who’s in the area visiting an old friend, learns of the goings-on, he becomes determined to put an end to the violence by any means necessary, and begins to assemble a ragtag militia… A rough n’ tumble biker themed action film which evokes the feeling of AIP’s 60s classics, though filtered through a nudity, violence, and crazy stunt fueled Cannon-era sensibility, Simon Nuchtern’s SAVAGE DAWN stars Lance Henriksen (The Terminator, Aliens), George Kennedy (Death Ship), Karen Black (Easy Rider), and Richard Lynch (Invasion USA). Featuring heavily gelled cinematography by Gerald Fiel and a score by Pino Donaggio (Dressed to Kill).

Funky Forest: The First Contact – 4th April

An outrageous collection of surreal, short attention span non-sequiturs largely revolving around Guitar Brother, his randy older sibling, and the pair’s portly Caucasian brother.

The Warped Forest – 4th April

Settle into your chair and be transported to a place both familiar and alien; where a giant shop-girl can barely fit in her store, there’s a weird green pod in every bedroom, and terrifying wood nymphs provide a heartbroken woman with the anatomically correct fruit everyone seems to covet. In the end we are left, like Alice, with the Red King’s conundrum: are we dreaming them or are they dreaming us?

The Passing – 4th April

Ernie and Rose are two widower WWII veterans with no one but each other, living in a crumbling old house outside of Baltimore. Wade is a youthful, blue collar laborer with a wife and young child. Their lives seem predetermined to never intersect, until Wade’s wife is savagely assaulted and, in a fit of anger, Wade accidentally kills her attacker, subsequently finding himself convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Fears of morbidity are also affecting Ernie who, on the advice of his doctor, agrees to enroll in a mysterious program in which the minds and souls of the elderly can be implanted into the bodies of the young. Eager to experience youth once again, Ernie agrees, with Wade forcibly assigned to be Ernie’s new physical self. But neither of the two men, one willing, one victim, are prepared for the true results of the horrifying procedure… A seven-year passion project for director, writer, producer, and co-star John Huckert, THE PASSING is a dazzling micro-budget examination of love, loneliness, and the fear of death, set against an increasingly surreal science-fiction and horror background, as it builds to its unforgettable and unsettling body transfusion filled climax.

Battle for the Lost Planet – 4th April

In BATTLE FOR THE LOST PLANET rogue master thief Harry Trent (Matt Mitler) who, in an attempt to steal military secrets, found himself stranded alone in space for years, finally returns to earth only to discover that the planet has been taken over by vicious gangs of alien mutants. Finding himself forced into a fight for his life, Harry is soon discovered and taken in by a beautiful warrior (Denise Coward) and her resistance group who hope to outwit the extra terrestrial invaders and reclaim the planet.

Mutant War – 4th April

The sequel to ‘Galaxy Destroyer’ which finds our hero Harry Trent wandering Earth’s post-apocalyptic landscape full of mutants, monsters, and fragmented human tribes. Harry’s attempt to …

Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine – 15th April

Lucita has been locked away in a convent by her family in order to keep her away from her lover, Esteban. The pair make plans to elope, but Esteban is accused of heresy before Lucita can escape. Hiding in the convent, Esteban discovers the horrifying depravity of the convent’s abbess, Sister Incarnation. Can Esteban rescue his love from this madhouse before the inquisitor discovers what is going on and has everyone executed?

Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer – 18th April

Widely heralded as one of the greatest serial killer movies of all time, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer presents a bleak and unflinching dive into the mind of a mass murderer. Recently released from prison, the nomadic Henry (Michael Rooker, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead) finds temporary abode in the rundown Chicago lodgings of a former jail acquaintance and small-time drug dealer, Otis (Tom Towles). Hiding behind his unremarkable employment as a pest exterminator, Henry leads a double life, prowling the streets by night on a brutal and apparently motiveless killing spree. As the bodies mount up, Otis finds himself inducted into Henry’s dark secret world, but when Otis’ sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) moves in, herself fleeing from an uncomfortable domestic situation, it quickly becomes apparent that two’s company, but three’s a crowd. Based on the horrific true-life crimes of Henry Lee Lucas, the harrowing controversial debut feature from John McNaughton (Mad Dog and Glory, Wild Things) returns to the UK in its best-looking release ever, in a new 4K restoration supervised by the director himself.

The Sacred Spirit – 15th April

José Manuel and the other members of the ufology association Ovni-Levante meet weekly to exchange information about extraterrestrial messages and abductions. Julio, their leader, dies unexpectedly, leaving José Manuel as the only person who knows about the cosmic secret that could alter the human future. Meanwhile in Spain a search is going on for a little girl who disappeared some weeks before.

The Dirty Dolls – 25th April

Johnny, a psychopath, puts together a gang made up of young teenage girls to commit crimes for him. Everything is going well until one day, during a diamond robbery, the girls are forced to take two hostages and bring them back to the hideout along with the loot. Furious, Johnny wants to kill the hostages so there will be no witnesses, but one of his gang, who happens to be his sister, starts to think that maybe Johnny is going too far.

She Mob – 25th April

Shot on the sweaty backroads of Dallas and Waco, SHE MOB is an underground miracle that feels like an alt-Earth FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! as realized by a young John Waters. Big Shim is the cone-bra-wearing butch leader of a wild girl gang that’s running from the law. After kidnapping a gigolo named Tony, Shim and the girls demand a ransom from Tony’s wealthy lady keeper . . . OR ELSE!! Produced and directed by NBC News veteran Maurice Levy, written by Diana Paschal, and featuring actresses culled from Jack Ruby’s infamous Dallas nightclub, SHE MOB is an essential jewel in the other-dimensional vortex known as Texploitation.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things – 25th April

Dropping somewhere between PINK FLAMINGOS, BLOOD FEAST, and an episode of THE BRADY BUNCH on acid, SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS is a histrionic psychodrama that could only have originated in the alternate dimension known as Florida. After robbing a bank in Baltimore, cross-dressing Paul (aka Aunt Martha) and his partner Stanley hide out in a Florida town. But it’s only a matter of time beforePaul’s paranoia forces him to embark on a demented killing spree. AGFA is thrilled to present one of the most unforgettable exploitation movies of all time — and an overlooked chapter of early queer cinema — preserved from the only 35mm theatrical print in existence.

The Curious Dr Humpp – 25th April

THE CURIOUS DR. HUMPP isn’t a movie — it’s a rite of passage. Easily one of the most brainbreaking sensory overloads in exploitation history, the story follows Dr. Humpp and his army of grotesque monsters as they kidnap couples and drain their “blood forces of sex” to keep the doctor eternally young. Directed by the prolific Emilio Vieyra in Argentina, this movie combines artful gothic horror with unhinged sex, comic book pulp, and a talking brain in a jar. Plus a monster who plays the guitar. Basically, this is what might have happened if Mario Bava collaborated with Doris Wishman after an acid binge.

The Girl from Pussycat – 25th April

Shot in New York with the crude experimentation of an early Andy Warhol film, THE GIRL FROM PUSSYCAT is a fascinating outlier in the world of underground exploitation. The movie follows a girl gang of social and sexual anarchists as they have orgies, get stoned, rob banks, and torture men by jamming their fingers in toasters. Absurd and surreal, this feels like the dreamy collaboration between Jean-Luc Godard and Doris Wishman that never happened. Newly preserved in 2K from the only known 35mm theatrical print in existence!

Things to Come – 25th April

A future dystopia dream-epic shot in San Antonio, THINGS TO COME finds Julie leaving her marriage to investigate a mysterious sci-fi cult on behalf of frustrated women everywhere. With a soundtrack that feels like it was cribbed from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, ambitious sets that look like leftovers from STAR TREK, and no lack of robots, computers, and bloody violence, THINGS TO COME is a truly unique Texploitation headtrip.

The Swindle – 25th April

Betty and Victor are a pair of scam artists. One day Betty brings in Maurice, a treasurer of a multinational company. Maurice is due to transfer 5 millions francs out of Switzerland, and Betty is convinced he plans to steal that money.

The Color of Lies – 25th April

In a small Breton town, a 10-year-old girl is found murdered. René, her art teacher, a professional painter, is the last person to have seen her alive. The inspector in charge of the investigation immediately questions him.

Nightcap – 25th April

After the death of his second wife, concert pianist André Polonski remarries his first wife, Swiss chocolate-company heiress Mika Muller. Soon a young piano student, Jeanne Polet, gets the idea that she may be André’s daughter. She visits his house in Lausanne, gets to know André’s son Guillaume who was born on the same day as she, and starts taking piano lessons from André. Mika Muller keeps serving them her famous hot chocolate, but with some help from a boyfriend conveniently working in a lab owned by Jeanne’s mother, it soon becomes obvious to Jeanne that the chocolate doesn’t come straight from the family company’s production line.

 

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