Bloodhound (2020*)/Children Of The Corn 4K (1984/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray*)/Forever Purge (2021/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)/Irezumi (1966*)/Joint Security Area (2000*)/Threshold (2020/*all MVD/Arrow Blu-ray)

4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B+/X/B+ & B-/B+/B+/B+ Sound: B+/B+/B+ & B-/B+/B+/B+ Extras: B/B/C+/B/B/B Films: C+/C+/C+/C+/B/C+

Now for more thrillers, including some with exploitation...

The Bloodhound (2020) is an independent thriller you may not have heard of, but is worth checking out on Blu-ray disc from Arrow. The moody thriller is based on the Edgar Allan Poe story, The Fall of the House of Usher, and is from first time feature director Patrick Picard. The film is quite interesting from a filmmaking perspective and features a limited cast and very dark cinematography and eerie music that adds to the overall disturbed mood. This take on the Poe story centers on a young man who is summoned to the secluded home of a wealthy childhood friend and his twin sister, where several bizarre events occur.

The film stars Liam Aiken, Annalise Basso, Joe Adler, McNally Sagal, Kimleigh Smith, and Gaby Santinelli.

The Bloodhound is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a 1.66:1 widescreen aspect ratio, and audio mix in DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless sound. As mentioned, the film is pretty dark, but it comes across nicely on disc. I'm sure a 4K transfer would help boost the details even more.

Special Features:

Brand new audio commentary by director Patrick Picard and editor David Scorca

Four experimental short films by director Patrick Picard: bad dream, the muffled hammerfall in action, the mosaic code and wiggleworm

On the Trail of The Bloodhound: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Chiller, exclusive 45-minute making-of featurette

and First Pressing Only: Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel.

For the first time on 4K UHD, despite a similar Blu-ray release last year listed elsewhere on this site... Based on the short story of the same name from author Stephen King, Children of the Corn 4K (1984) is a cult classic horror film that is finally getting the deluxe Ultra HD treatment that it deserves thanks to Arrow Video. A member of the same sub-genre as Village of the Damned (including the John Carpenter remake) and its sequel, Children of the Damned (original versions both out in restored editions by Warner Archive), Children of the Corn is a franchise that, despite its many direct to video sequels, has somehow been overlooked for a heavy handed Hollywood reboot (as of the time of this writing) but this original film is still a favorite amongst horror fans. Looking back, however, there isn't anything necessarily groundbreaking in Corn in terms of its filmmaking, cinematography, and certainly not its primitive digital effects. Though it's strongest assets are its creepy story, production design and chilling score.

The film stars Terminator franchise co-star Linda Hamilton, Peter Horton (thirtysomething), R.G. Armstrong, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, and Robby Kiger. The film is directed by Fritz Kiersch, who didn't go on to direct anything else too notable afterwards.

The film centers around a young couple (Hamilton and Horton) who are romantically traveling cross-country together, but things go south when they get stranded in a creepy small town called Gatlin, where a demonic cult of children holds reign with not a single adult in sight. Under the possession of Cult Leader Isaac and Malachi, the couple must fend for their lives in this literal hell on earth!

Children of the Corn is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with an HEVC / H.265 codec and a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 paired with mixes in English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless sound, which sound the same as the previous Arrow Blu-ray release. The image is significantly better in this edition with HDR (Dolby Vision & HDR10) and has been sourced directly from the original camera negative.

Special Features:

Feature length audio commentary with horror journalist Justin Beahm and Children of the Corn historian John Sullivan

Feature length audio commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains

Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn, retrospective piece featuring interviews with director Fritz Kiersch and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains

It Was the Eighties!, an interview with actress Linda Hamilton

Return to Gatlin featurette revisiting the film's original Iowa shooting locations

Stephen King on a Shoestring, an interview with producer Donald Borchers

Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn, an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias

Cut from the Cornfield, an interview with the actor who played "The Blue Man" in the fabled excised sequence

Original Theatrical Trailer

and Disciples of the Crow, a 1983 short film adaptation of Stephen King's short story.

The fifth entry in the Purge franchise from Universal and Blumhouse, The Forever Purge (2021), expands the palette to a more western setting as opposed to previous installments which have been more rural and city based. The premise of The Purge is that in a dark future, the government allows murder to be legal for one day of the year, and on this day people go crazy and murder as many people as they can. Previous installments include the 2013 original film, The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Purge: Election Year (2016), and The First Purge (2018). This time, a wealthy ranch in the western countryside is attacked and two families must band together to survive the day as all kind of creepy masked people purge it out. This time the concept of 'Forever Purge' is declared, which isn't necessarily a reasonable or great outcome for anyone!

The film stars Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Cassidy Freeman, Leven Rambin, Alejandro Edda, and Will Patton.

The Forever Purge is presented in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and presents the film in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio, and audio mix in lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown, both 48kHz, 24-bit). There is also an anamorphically enhanced, standard definition DVD with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital audio mix, both of which are the norm for the format. Both presentations are up to standards for both aging formats.

Special Features:

Alternate storyboard opening

Deleted Scenes

Collapsing the System: Behind The Forever Purge

Creeptastic Wardrobe

The Purge franchise is undoubtedly a successful one for Universal, but it seems the formula is getting a bit tired at this point. That being said, The Forever Purge isn't necessarily a terrible movie to shut your brain off and watch, but it won't change your life either.

A bloody revenge tale from by the infamous Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki (A Fool's Love, The Makioka Sisters), Irezumi (1966) is a stylish tale of lust, betrayal and revenge directed by Yasuzo Masumura (Giants and Toys, Blind Beast).

A woman does geisha work and ends up with a horrible looking spider tattooed on her back. She then goes into revenge mode and ends up slaying any man that tries anything funny.

Irezumi stars Ayako Wakao, Akio Hasegawa, Gaku Yamamoto, and Kei Sato.

Available for the first time out of Japan, the film is presented in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossless Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix. This 4K restoration is from the original 35mm camera negative, looking and sounding great throughout.

Special Features:

Brand new audio commentary by Japanese cinema scholar David Desser

Newly filmed introduction by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns

Out of the Darkness, a brand new visual essay by Asian cinema scholar Daisuke Miyao

Original Trailer

Image Gallery

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella

and First Pressing Only: Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Thomas Lamarre and Daisuke Miyao.

From Director Park Chan-work (Oldboy) comes the intense thriller, Joint Security Area or JSA (2000), which is available on Blu-ray disc from Arrow Video in this nice collector's edition. The film offers impressive photography and performances and is a war epic that feels quite real.

After an intense shooting incident at the Northern / Southern Korean border (DMZ) leaves 2 North Korean soldiers dead, and a neutral Swiss/Swedish team is sent out to investigate and piece together the puzzle of what actually happened. Easily, this is the best film and thriller of these releases.

The film stars Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-woo, Gi Ju-bong, and Christoph Hofrichter.

JSA is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec and a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and paired with lossless Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/2.0 and a lossless Korean LCPM 2.0 Stereo track as well. The film looks highly cinematic and quite impressive here, and is a great example of exquisite filmmaking.

Special Features:

New audio commentary by writer and critic Simon Ward

Isolated music and effects track

Newly recorded video interview with Asian cinema expert Jasper Sharp

The JSA Story and Making the Film, two archival featurettes on the film's production

About JSA, a series of archival introductions to the film by members of the cast

Behind the scenes montage

Opening ceremony footage

Two music videos: Letter from a Private and Take the Power Back

Theatrical trailer

TV spot

Image gallery

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch

and First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by Kieran Fisher

Finally, Threshold (2020) is the second feature from co-directors Powell Robinson and Patrick R. Young (Bastard (2015)), was completely improvised and shot on two iPhones over the course of a 12-day road trip with a crew of just three. Sounds pretty wild eh? The film follows a sister, claiming to be cursed, as she persuades her brother to embark on a cross country road trip to break her spell. What at first sounds ridiculous soon becomes shockingly real.

The film stars Joey Millin, Madison West, Daniel Abraham Stevens, and John Canada Terrell.

Threshold is presented in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.00:1 and an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix. For being shot on iPhones, the film has an incredibly cinematic look and on point color correction.

Special Features:

Brand new audio commentary with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R. Young, producer Lauren Bates and lead actors Joey Millin and Madison West

Brand new audio commentary with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R. Young, and editor William Ford-Conway

Crossing the Threshold, a feature-length documentary on the making of Threshold

Elevating iPhone Footage: Color Correction Breakdown

Something from Nothing: Indie Genre Director roundtable moderated by Scott Weinberg with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R. Young (Threshold), Brandon Espy (We Follow You), James Byrkit (Coherence), Zach Donohue (The Den) and Elle Callahan (Witch Hunt)

The Power of Indie Horror - Acting for Unconventional Film roundtable discussion moderated by Zena Dixon with the actors Madison West and Joey Millin (Threshold), Kelsey Griswold (Followed), Gabrielle Walsh (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) and Ryan Shoos (The Gallows)

The Sounds of Threshold original soundtrack

Threshold original outline script

Trailer and original teaser

Image gallery

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Coffee and Cigarettes

and First Pressing Only: Illustrated Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel.

- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/