"Director: Riccardo Freda"

• Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire | Blu Ray | (08/04/2019) from £21.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of several ˜animal-in-the-title' cash-ins released in the wake of Dario Argento's box-office smash The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a gloriously excessive giallo that boasts a rogues gallery of perverse characters; violent, fetishized murders, and one of the genre's most nonsensical, red-herring laden plots (which sees almost every incidental character hinted at potentially being the killer). Set in Dublin (a rather surprising giallo setting), Iguana opens audaciously with an acid-throwing, razor-wielding maniac brutally slaying a woman in her own home. The victim's mangled corpse is discovered in a limousine owned by Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring, Where Eagles Dare) and a police investigation is launched, but when the murdering continues and the ambassador claims diplomatic immunity, tough ex-cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) is brought in to find the killer Benefitting from a sumptuous score by Stelvio Cipriani (Nightmare City, Death Walks on High Heels) and exuberant supporting performances from Valentina Cortese (The Possessed, Thieves' Highway) and Dagmar Lassander (The Frightened Woman, The Black Cat), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a luridly over-the-top latter-day entry in the filmography of acclaimed director Riccardo Freda (Caltiki The Immortal Monster, Murder Obsession). An archetypal giallo from the genre's heyday, Freda's film is presented here in a stunning new restoration with a host of newly produced extras. Special Edition Contents: New 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack New audio commentary by giallo connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint Of Chameleons and Iguanas, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Richard Dyer Considering Cipriani, a new appreciation of the composer Stelvio Cipriani and his score to The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire by DJ and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon The Cutting Game, a new interview with Iguana's assistant editor Bruno Micheli The Red Queen of Hearts, a career-spanning interview with the actress Dagmar Lassander Original Italian and international theatrical trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich

• Double Face | Blu Ray | (24/06/2019) from £11.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the post-war years, the proliferation of transnational European co-productions gave rise to a cross-pollination of genres, with the same films sold in different markets as belonging to different movements. Among these, Riccardo Freda (I vampiri, The Horrible Dr. Hichock)'s Double Face was marketed in West Germany as an Edgar Wallace ˜krimi', while in Italy it was sold as a giallo in the tradition of Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace, combining elements from both genres for a unique and unforgettable viewing experience. When wealthy businessman John Alexander (the legendary Klaus Kinski, giving an atypically restrained performance)'s unfaithful wife Helen (Margaret Lee, Circus of Fear) dies in a car crash, it initially looks like a freak accident. However, the plot thickens when evidence arises suggesting that the car was tampered with prior to the crash. And John's entire perception of reality is thrown into doubt when he discovers a recently-shot pornographic movie which appears to feature Helen suggesting that she is in fact alive and playing an elaborate mind game on him Psychological, psychedelic, and at times just plain psychotic, Double Face stands as one of the most engaging and enjoyable films in Freda's lengthy and diverse career a densely-plotted, visually-stunning giallo that evokes much of the same ambience of paranoia and decadence as such classics of the genre as One on Top of the Other and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. Special Edition Contents: Brand new 2K restoration of the full-length Italian version of the film from the original 35mm camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack New audio commentary by author and critic Tim Lucas New video interview with composer Nora Orlandi The Many Faces of Nora Orlandi, a new appreciation of the varied career of the film's composer by musician and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon The Terrifying Dr. Freda, a new video essay on Riccardo Freda's gialli by author and critic Amy Simmons Extensive image gallery from the collection of Christian Ostermeier, including the original German pressbook and lobby cards, and the complete Italian cineromanzo adaptation Original Italian and English theatrical trailers Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Neil Mitchell

• Caltiki the Immortal Monster | Blu Ray | (10/04/2017) from £15.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Arrow Video presents a collaboration between two giants of Italian cult cinema Riccardo Freda (The Vampires, The Horrible Dr Hichcock) and Mario Bava (5 Dolls for an August Moon, Blood and Black Lace)! A team of archaeologists led by Dr John Fielding (John Merivale, Circus of Horrors) descends on the ruins of an ancient Mayan city to investigate the mysterious disappearance of its inhabitants. However, the luckless explorers get more than they bargained for when their investigation of a sacrificial pool awakens the monster that dwells beneath its waters the fearsome and malevolent god Caltiki. Though Riccardo Freda received sole directing credit, a significant portion of the film was in fact the work of Mario Bava, who also served as its cinematographer and was responsible its striking special effects. Drawing on a diverse array of influences, from The Quatermass Experiment to the works of HP Lovecraft, Caltiki the Immortal Monster is a unique and unforgettable sci-fi chiller which showcases these two legendary filmmakers at their most inventive. Presented here for the first time in a newly restored high definition transfer, Caltiki shines and terrifies! like never before. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc) Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack New audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava and So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films From Quatermass to Caltiki, a new discussion with author and critic Kim Newman on the influence of classic monster movies on Caltiki Riccardo Freda, Forgotten Master, an archival interview with critic Stefano Della Casa The Genesis of Caltiki, an archival interview with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi Archival introduction to the film by Stefano Della Casa Alternate opening titles for the US version Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger and Roberto Curti