John Landis Selects
Here is a list of titles I have chosen from the gigantic Arrow catalogue. You’ll find some documentaries, some martial arts, some horror, some truly great films, and some just wacky. You’ll see the work of directors I’ve never heard of, and directors I love like Takashi Miike, David Cronenberg, Joe Dante, Marcel Ophuls, Fritz Lang, Dario Argento, Jules Dassin, Richard Kelly, Mario Bava, Michael Lehmann, and of course, Russ Meyer.
-John Landis
-
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – a film which redefined the ‘giallo’ genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom.
Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, W...
-
The Church
1989 • Italy • Directed by Michele Soavi
For his second feature film - and first full collaboration with co-writer/producer/mentor Dario Argento - writer/director Michele Soavi unleashes a "mind-blowing" (Bloody Disgusting) "masterwork" (DVD Drive-In): In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass gra...
-
The Crazies
1973 • United States • Directed by George A. Romero
After the experimental outings of There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero returned to rather more distinct horror territory with his 1973 infection opus The Crazies.
When a plane carry...
-
The Great Yokai War
2005 • Japan • Directed by Takashi Miike
Decades later, none other than Takashi Miike (Audition) helmed The Great Yokai War, a loose remake of Spook Warfare that used cutting-edge digital effects to renew the franchise for a new generation. In it, a young boy is given a grave responsibility: to ...
-
The House with Laughing Windows
1976 • Italy • Directed by Pupi Avati
While typically famed for its lurid Technicolor hues and grand guignol murders, the Italian giallo thriller had a less bombastic side as well. Erring less towards exploitation than to art, these lesser-seen gems offer some of the greatest rewards for adventu...
-
The Invitation
2016 • United States • Directed by Karyn Kusama
In this taut psychological thriller by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer's Body), the tension is palpable when Will shows up to his ex-wife Eden and new husband David's dinner party. The pair's tragic past haunts an equally spooky present: Amid Ede...
-
Twilight People
1972 • United States/Philippines • Directed by Eddie Romero
Matt Farrell (John Ashley) is plucked from the sea while skin-diving and taken to the foreboding fortress of Dr. Gordon. He is to become part of the doctor's diabolical experiment to create a race of super people, but the maniacal docto...
