Arrow Video is a UK based film distributer best known for their re-releases of classic genre films on Blu-Ray usually with a restored or cleaned up transfer of the film as while as packing in special features to further please genre fans. In a move that surprised many Toho fans Arrow Video announced they would be releasing three of Toho's classic vampire horror films, collectively known as The Bloodthirsty Trilogy, on Blu-Ray allowing for the first official release of these films on home video in the U.S. With this release Arrow Video not only provides fans with a standout collection of three Toho classics, but makes a strong debut that leaves me hopeful for future Toho releases.
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The three films are presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and have been restored by Toho from the original film preservation elements with some further restoration completed in R3Store Studios in London. As a result any imperfections that may appear in the Blu-Rays are likely flaws in the original film elements. This results in a truly terrific presentation of the three films. These movies are intentionally darkly light and muted in color but these transfers highlight every color and texture on screen in amazing detail. Whenever blood is shown on screen it stands out with the appropriate splash of red color, grabbing the viewer's eye.
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All three films feature Japanese Mono 1.0 and like the video transfers, the audio for these movies are pulled from Toho's original transfers. Unlike a lot of recent releases of Japanese films on Blu-Ray here in the U.S. by other studios, Arrow Video does not provide English dubs... for some of the films. The exclusion in question is Vampire Doll. This may prove to be bothersome for some fans, but I wasn't bothered by its absence. The latter two films in the set do have English dubs, although oddly they aren't accessed from the menu. They are accessed while watching the movies and switching language tracks.
Every film comes with removable English subtitles.
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The main attraction here is a 16 minute long feature called Kim Newman On The Bloodthirsty. Kim Newman is a Bram Stoker Award winning writer who has written both horror fiction and non-fiction regarding horror film. Although short in length, this is a fun feature that provides detail on the background of these films. Kim Newman is an energetic personality and it's quite fun to listen to him here. All three films have their original trailers presented here with English subtitles and appear on both discs. The last two extras are not on the Blu-Ray discs but are printed materials that come with the set. Blood Lines: The Genealogy of Michio Yamamoto's Bloodthirsty Trilogy by Jasper Sharp is a quick and informative read on the history of vampires in Japanese Cinema and culture. Finally the artwork on the case has original Japanese poster artwork on one side and new artwork for the Blu-Ray set on the other side. The trailers for the films are the only special features that originate from Toho. Everything else is original material created by Arrow Video for this release and their work here is great. When compared to other Japanese titles released in the U.S., Arrow Video's dedication to create new material makes this release a standout.
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The Bloodthirsty Trilogy is a wonderfully gothic trio of J-Horror films and Arrow Video's release of them here is outstanding. This release makes me hope that Arrow Video works with Toho to release more of their films here in the U.S. Perhaps a Blu-Ray of The Human Vapor or Gorath? These films won't appeal to everyone. Particularly for those who are not interested in Japanese films outside the Kaiju genre but if you're a fan of J-Horror, Japanese Cinema, or a devotee of Toho Studios and their history, you'd be crazy not to pick this release up. Strongly recommended.
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