Severin Films has just announced full details of their 2024 Severin Summer Sale, the most ambitious and eclectic in company history. Leading the mid-year event is the North American UHD Premiere of Dario Argento’s masterwork Opera, newly restored by Severin and featuring 5 discs, 12 hours of Special Features and the CD soundtrack; the North American Disc Premiere of Dario Argento’s Deep Cuts, a 4-Disc Collection featuring 10 hours from his RAI TV shows; the Worldwide UHD Premiere of Joe D’Amato’s Penne Post-Apocalypse epic 2020 Texas Gladiators, a 3-disc collection that includes a CD of the never-before-released soundtrack; and Bert I. Gordon’s politically incorrect crime shocker The Mad Bomber featuring an all-new 4K scan and 6 hours of explosive Special Features. This is only the tip of the iceberg of amazing titles that will have your wallet begging for mercy.

The Severin Summer Sale will begin Friday, July 12 at 12:01 AM EDT and run through 3:01 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 16 exclusively at SeverinFilms.com. In anticipation of this exciting sale, GVN has been provided with an exclusive epic trailer from the label that has us more excited than ever to get these in our hands. Take a look and then get the full details below!

THE 2024 SEVERIN SUMMER SALE

Opera

It’s been acclaimed by aficionados worldwide as “his biggest film” (Bloody Disgusting),“a breathtaking visual feast” (Daily Dead) and “up there with DEEP RED and SUSPIRIA” (DVD Drive-In). Now experience “Dario Argento’s last full-fledged masterpiece” (Slant Magazine) in The Director’s Cut and U.S. Theatrical Version, both in UHD: When a young opera singer (Cristina Marsillach, in her career-defining performance) is stalked by a masked psychopath, she will be forced into a grisly aria of murder, memories and unimaginable torment. Ian Charleson (CHARIOTS OF FIRE), Urbano Barberini (DEMONS), Antonella Vitale (THE CHURCH), Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni (MOTHER OF TEARS) and Daria Nicolodi (TENEBRE) co-star in this definitive presentation of “one of Argento’s best” (IndieWire) – co-written by Franco Ferrini (PHENOMENA) with cinematography by Oscar® winner Ronnie Taylor (GANDHI) and music by Brian Eno, Bill Wyman and Claudio Simonetti – newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negatives at Cinecittà with 12 hours of Special Features, a soundtrack CD and more.

Special Features:

Disc 1: UHD (2.35:1 Director’s Cut / U.S. Cut + Special Features):

• Audio Commentary With Actress Cristina Marsillach And Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival (Director’s Cut Only)
• Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Profondo Argento, And Kim Newman, Author Of Anno Dracula (Director’s Cut Only)
• Audio Commentary With Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema Of Dario Argento (Director’s Cut Only)
• OPERA Trailer
• TERROR AT THE OPERA Trailer

Disc 2: Blu-ray (2.35:1 Director’s Cut / U.S. Cut + Special Features):

• Audio Commentary With Actress Cristina Marsillach And Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival (Director’s Cut Only)
• Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Profondo Argento, And Kim Newman, Author Of Anno Dracula (Director’s Cut Only)
• Audio Commentary With Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema Of Dario Argento (Director’s Cut Only)
• The Eyes And The Needles – Interview With Co-Writer/Director/Producer Dario Argento
• Arias Of Death – Interview With Screenwriter Franco Ferrini
• The Eyes Of OPERA – Interview With Actress Cristina Marsillach
• OPERA Trailer
• TERROR AT THE OPERA Trailer

Disc 3: Blu-ray (1.85:1 Director’s Cut + Special Features):

• Audio Commentary With Actress Cristina Marsillach And Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival
• Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Profondo Argento, And Kim Newman, Author Of Anno Dracula
• Audio Commentary With Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema Of Dario Argento (Director’s Cut Only)
• Don’t Close Your Eyes – Interview With Film Historian Fabrizio Spurio
• The Opera And Mr. Jones – Interview With Alan Jones, Author Of Profondo Argento
• Conducting Dario Argento’s OPERA – Archival Featurette Featuring Interviews With Dario Argento, Director Of Photography Ronnie Taylor, Actors Daria Nicolodi And Urbano Barberini, FX Artist Sergio Stivaletti And Soundtrack Composer Claudio Simonetti
• Terror At The Opera – Q&A With Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini And Lamberto Bava At Cinema Farnese (2006)

Disc 4: Blu-ray Special Features

• OPERA Runs In The Blood – Interview With Actress Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni
• To Catch A Killer – Interview With Actor Urbano Barberini
• In Any Language – Interview With Actress Antonella Vitale
• The Perfect Death – Interview With Actress Daria Nicolodi
• Blood Red Piano – Interview With Composer Claudio Simonetti
• The Eye Behind The Camera – Interview With Camera Operator Antonio Scaramuzza
• Flight Of The Crow – Interview With SFX Artist Sergio Stivaletti
• Blood And Latex – Interview With Make-Up Artist Franco Casagni
• The Gliding Camera – Interview With Steadicam Operator Nicola Pecorini
• 800 Sons – Interview With Press Agent Enrico Lucherini
• Preserving OPERA – Interview With 4K Color Correction Supervisor Karim Hussain
• OPERA Backstage – Behind-The-Scenes Video Created From Archival Footage

Bonus Disc:

• Soundtrack CD

*Exclusive Booklet by Claire Donner Of The Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies

Specs:

Runtime: Director’s Cut: 107 mins / U.S. Cut: 96 mins
Audio: Director’s Cut: English 5.1, English Stereo, Italian Stereo, Cannes English Mono / U.S. Cut: English 5.1, English Stereo
Subtitles: Director’s Cut: English Subtitles, Closed Captions / U.S. Cut: Closed Captions
Region: UHD: Region Free / Blu-ray Discs 2 & 3: Region A / Blu-ray Disc 4: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Director’s Cut / U.S. Cut) / 1.85:1 (Director’s Cut)

Dario Argento’s Deep Cuts

At the peak of his cinematic triumphs, horror legend Dario Argento created projects for RAI TV that broadcast his singular vision of terror into millions of Italian homes: Door Into Darkness is the top-rated 1973 anthology series produced and hosted by Argento, including Il Tram directed by Argento, Il Vicino Di Casa directed by Luigi Cozzi, and Testimone Oculare co-written by Argento & Cozzi, with three of the four episodes sourced for the first time from the original 16mm negatives. Argento’s popular 1987 variety/talk show Giallo is represented by the maestro’s own Dario Argento’s Nightmares scanned from recently discovered film elements, plus the murder mystery segments Night Shift (Turno Di Notte) directed by Cozzi and Lamberto Bava, behind-the-scenes tours from TENEBRE, PHENOMENA, and OPERA, and guests that include Anthony Perkins, David Gilmour & Nick Mason, and Fiore Argento newly digitized from broadcast masters, with over 8 hours of new and archival Special Features.

Special Features:

Disc 1: Door Into Darkness, Part 1 – Episodes: Il Vicino Di Casa & Il Tram

• Audio Commentary For Il Tram With Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema Of Dario Argento
• DARIO ARGENTO: MY CINEMA, Part 1
• DARIO ARGENTO: MY CINEMA, Part 2

Disc 2: Door Into Darkness, Part 2 – Episodes: La Bambola & Testimone Oculare

• Audio Commentary For Testimone Oculare With Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema Of Dario Argento
• DARIO ARGENTO: MASTER OF HORROR (87 mins)
• A Streetcar Named Fear – Interview With Writer/Director/Producer Dario Argento
• On The Other Side Of The Door – Interview With Writer/Director Luigi Cozzi

Disc 3: Night Shift

• TV Nightmares – Interview With Producer Dario Argento
• Giallo On The TV – Interview With Director Luigi Cozzi
• Taxi Drivers – Interview With Director Lamberto Bava
• Big Giallo Taxi – Interview With Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti
• Calypso 9 – Interview With Actress Antonella Vitale

Disc 4: Dario Argento’s Nightmares

• Giallo Argento (100 mins)

 

Specs:

Runtime: 594 mins.
Audio: Italian Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

2020 Texas Gladiators

The most elusive, requested and unapologetically unhinged Penne Post-Apocalypse epic of all is finally available, uncut and uncensored on disc for the first time ever: From ItaloSleaze Maestro Joe D’Amato comes this “insane and very entertaining” (Rare Cult Cinema) saga of graphic violence, rampant nudity, unholy mutants, big exsplosions, fascist rhetoric, motorcycle mayhem, saloon brawls, Indian attacks and plenty of lawless Lone Star depravity, written by George Eastman (ANTHROPOPHAGOUS) and assistant directed by Michele Soavi (CEMETERY MAN). Al Cliver (ENDGAME), Peter Hooten (NIGHT KILLER), Sabrina Siani (WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN), Geretta Geretta (RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR) and Donald O’Brien (DR. BUTCHER, M.D.) star in this “very definition of a guilty pleasure” (The Spinning Image), now scanned in 4K from the original negative with new and archival Special Features, plus the soundtrack by SHOCKING DARK composer Carlo Maria Cordio.

Special Features:

Disc 1: UHD

• Trailer

Disc 2: Blu-ray

• Shoot Me: The Real Story Of The Italian Texas Gladiators – Archival Interviews With Director Joe D’Amato, Assistant Director Michele Soavi, Screenwriter Luigi Montefiori And Actor Al Cliver
• Gladiator Geretta – Interview With Actress Geretta Geretta
• Trailer

Bonus Disc:

• Soundtrack CD

Specs:

Runtime: 90 mins.
Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles, Closed Captions
Region: UHD: Region Free / Blu-ray: A
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

The Mad Bomber

Although best known for his giant monster movies like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE and EMPIRE OF THE ANTS, writer/producer/director Bert I. Gordon took a sharp right turn into ‘70s urban perversion with this “remarkably politically incorrect” (Rock! Shock! Pop!) crime shocker: A psycho citizen (Chuck Connors of The Rifleman and TOURIST TRAP) is planting deadly bombs across Los Angeles. A depraved rapist (Neville Brand of BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ and EATEN ALIVE) is the only witness who can identify him. And a deranged detective (Vince Edwards of Ben Casey and RETURN TO HORROR HIGH) will break every rule in the book to bust them both. Also known in various censored versions as THE POLICE CONNECTION and DETECTIVE GERONIMO, this “dynamite mix of grit and sleaze” (Flick Attack), is now scanned in 4K from the internegative for the first time ever with over 6 hours of explosive Special Features.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary By House Of Psychotic Women Author Kier-La Janisse With Retired Bomb Squad Detective Mike Digby
• Isolated Score
• Audio Interview With Director Bert I. Gordon Conducted By David Del Valle
• Patricia Gordon Remembers Her Father
• To Be In The Moment – Interview With Actress Cynthia MacAdams
• On The Trail Of THE MAD BOMBER – Locations Featurette
• THE MAD BOMBER TV Cut
• TV Spots
• Booklet: THE MAD BOMBER Story – Essay By Andy Turner With Exclusive Images From Still Photographer Carol Gordon

Specs:

Runtime: 91 mins.
Audio: English 5.1 Surround, English Mono
Subtitles: Closed Captions
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Simple Like Silver

In her first feature film appearance in 25 years, Cristina Marsillach of OPERA fame “gives a quiet, radiant performance” (Pop Horror) in this “poetic and profound” (The Movie Sleuth) “must-see for fans of art-house cinema” (Film Threat): Having learned that she has a terminal illness, a woman (Marsillach) takes a final vacation only to discover a dreamlike triptych of fear, trauma and murder. Susanna Nelson and Hudson Sims co-star in “a feast for cinema lovers” (We Are Cult) written & directed by award-winning independent filmmaker Damian K. Lahey (COCAINE ANGEL, THE HEROES OF ARVINE PLACE) with a haunting score by David Wingo (TAKE SHELTER, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL) that Morbidly Beautiful hails as “heartbreaking, dread inducing horror. An eerie and surreal film that marks the welcome return of Cristina Marsillach.”

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Damian K. Lahey
• Audio Commentary With Actress Cristina Marsillach
• Trailer
• Booklet: Leaving Behind Bones And Ghosts – Essay By Film Critic Michelle Kisner

Specs:

Runtime: 70 mins.
Audio: English And Spanish Stereo
Subtitles: Closed Captions
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

The Mummy and The Curse of the Jackals

Experience the notorious 1969 horror epic that’s been barely seen since its fly-by-night VHS release while existing mostly via sordid rumors for more than 50 years: Anthony Eisley (THE NAKED KISS, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN) stars in this brain-melting mash-up of dubious Egyptology, risible werewolf transformations, H.G. Lewis-level gore, cut-rate psychedelia and an oven-mitted mummy on a Las Vegas rampage, all set to a swinging soundtrack of lounge and surf instrumentals. The legendary John Carradine (THE GRAPES OF WRATH, HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS) earns a day’s pay in this “truly incredible masterpiece of bad cinema” (Harbinger) written and produced by William Edwards (DRACULA THE DIRTY OLD MAN), directed by Oliver Drake (THE MUMMY’S CURSE) and scanned in 4K from the blow up internegative discovered at Ewing ‘Lucky’ Brown’s Los Angeles estate sale, now with over 2 hours of Special Features that include the thought-lost Vega International adult feature ANGELICA, THE YOUNG VIXEN scanned from the sole surviving print.

Special Features:

• The Vega International Story – Interview With Stephen Thrower, Author Of Nightmare USA
• Cowboys, Mummies And Oliver Drake – Interview With Film Historian C. Courtney Joyner
• Investing In The Jackal – Interview With Garry Gassel, Son Of Investors Milton R. Gassel And Judi Gassel
• ANGELICA, THE YOUNG VIXEN (61 mins) – Vega International Adult Film
• Audio Commentary For ANGELICA, THE YOUNG VIXEN With Exploitation Film Researcher Shawn Langrick, Moderated By Genre Film Historian Joe Rubin

Specs:

Runtime: 81 mins.
Audio: English Mono
Subtitles: Closed Captions
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

The Red Light Bandit

The centerpiece of the radical underground Cinema Marginal movement, this “electric, legendary movie” (Slant Magazine) written and directed by 21-year-old Rogério Sganzerla defiantly attacked Brazil’s sociopolitical morals, gleefully subverted the rules of narrative cinema and has lost none of its power to shock, disturb and delight: Based on police reports of the real-life bandit who terrorized ‘60s São Paulo, a charismatic crook (Paulo Villaça) robs the rich, taunts law enforcement and becomes a public hero in an anarchic odyssey that’s equal parts crime thriller, urban western, grind house roughie, twisted comedy, cultural grenade and still unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Helena Ignez (José Mojica Marins’ EMBODIMENT OF EVIL) co-stars in this “hallucinatory and amazing manifesto” (Next Projection) now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative.

Special Features:

• Cinema Marginal – Interview With Producer And Film Conservationist Paulo Sacramento
• The Anti-Muse – Interview With Actress Helena Ignez
• Trailer
• Short Films: COMICS By Rogério Sganzerla, Introduction To HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Filmmaker Dennison Ramalho, HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Jairo Ferreira

Specs:

Runtime: 92 mins.
Audio: Portuguese Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Don’t Change Hands

From iconoclastic French writer/director Paul Vecchiali (THE STRANGLER, FEMMES FEMMES) comes the wickedly perverse thriller that subverts the conventions of film noir by slyly flipping its traditional gender roles: When a prominent politician receives a pornographic film starring her son, she hires a hard-boiled private detective (Myriam Mézières of MY NIGHTS ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOUR DAYS) to track down the blackmailer. But as bodies strip down, corpses pile up and suspects are never what they seem, will this case climax with the most shocking bang of all? Hélène Surgère (SALÒ), Howard Vernon (DRACULA, PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN), Michel Delahaye (THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES) and Jean-Christophe Bouvet (Emily In Paris) co-star in this dangerously sexy drama scanned in 2K from the original camera negative.

Special Features:

• Le Cinéphile – An Appreciation By KNIFE + HEART Director Yann Gonzalez
• Elsewhere Man – Author Matthieu Orléan On The Life And Impact Of Paul Vecchiali
• Noir D’Amour – Screenwriter Noël Simsolo On CHANGE PAS DE MAIN
• A Remedy For Chaos – A Conversation With Actress Myriam Mézières
• The Prodigal Son – A Conversation With Actor Jean-Christophe Bouvet
• Re-Release Trailer by Nathan Boone

Specs:

Runtime: 92 mins.
Audio: French Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

The Creature

From Eloy de la Iglesia – the defiantly transgressive and ever-controversial director of CANNIBAL MAN, THE GLASS CEILING and the Quinqui classics EL PICO 1 & 2 and NAVAJEROS – comes the most daring and unsettling film of his entire career: After a heartbreaking miscarriage, a couple (Goya Award winners Ana Belén and Juan Diego) adopts a stray male dog in hopes of saving their rocky marriage. But as the wife develops an obsessive bond with her new companion, it will trigger jealousies and rivalries that may lead to the most inconceivable act of all. Claudia Gravi (BYLETH: THE DEMON OF INCEST), Ramón Repáraz (THE PRIEST) and Manuel Pereiro (THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD) co-star in this “remarkable gem about extreme love” (Horror Estremo), now scanned in 2K from the negative.

Special Features:

• A Strange Movie – Interview With Assistant Director Alejo Loren
• Gaspar / Eloy – Interview With Filmmaker Gaspar Noé
• Introduction By Gaspar Noé At Cinémathèque Française (7/20/2023)

Specs:

Runtime: 101 mins.
Audio: Spanish Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

A Dog Called… Vengeance

Less than two years after the end of Spain’s oppressive Franco regime, Goya Award winning filmmaker Antonio Isasi (THEY CAME TO ROB LAS VEGAS, SUMMERTIME KILLER) co-wrote and directed the action blockbuster that shocked European audiences and became one of the most culturally-charged survival thrillers of the decade: Best Supporting Actor Oscar® nominee and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Jason Miller (THE EXORCIST, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON) “gives a fantastic performance” (This Is Quiet Cool) as a political prisoner who escapes custody, only to be relentlessly pursued by a military dictatorship dog driven to hate, hunt and kill. Donatello Award winner Lea Massari (L’AVVENTURA) and Goya Award winners Marisa Paredes (HIGH HEELS) and Juan Antonio Bardem (THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER) co-star in “one of a master director’s most significant films” (Madriz), now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative.

Special Features:

• A Film Ahead Of Its Time – Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival
• Memories Of A Guerilla Woman – Interview With Actress Marisa Paredes
• Daughter Of Titans – Interview With María Isasi, Daughter Of Director Antonio Isasi And Actress Marisa Paredes
• Trailer

Specs:

Runtime: 115 mins.
Audio: Spanish Mono, English Mono
Subtitles: English Subtitles, Closed Captions
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

The following Box Sets will be on sale for up to 55% off SRP on SATURDAY ONLY:

• ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS: A COMPENDIUM OF FOLK HORROR
• THE COMPLETE LENZI/BAKER GIALLO COLLECTION
• CUSHING CURIOSITIES
• DANZA MACABRA VOLUME ONE: THE ITALIAN GOTHIC COLLECTION
• DANZA MACABRA VOLUME TWO: THE ITALIAN GOTHIC COLLECTION
• THE DUNGEON OF ANDY MILLIGAN
• THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPER LEE, COLLECTION 1
• THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPER LEE, COLLECTION 2
• HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN RARITIES COLLECTION
• THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE FILMS OF RAY DENNIS STECKLER
• NASTY HABITS: THE NUNSPLOITATION COLLECTION
• VIOLENT STREETS: THE UMBERTO LENZI/TOMAS MILIAN COLLECTION
• THE SENSUAL WORLD OF BLACK EMANUELLE
• WINGS OF DISASTER: THE BIRDEMIC TRILOGY *Low Stock

SUMMER SALE LIMITED-EDITION BUNDLES

The JUST THE DISCS Bundle [limited to 700] includes:

• OPERA [5-Disc 4K UHD w/Exclusive Slipcase + Booklet]
•  A DOG CALLED… VENGEANCE [Blu-ray]
• THE RED LIGHT BANDIT [Blu-ray w/Exclusive Slipcover]
• THE CREATURE [Blu-ray]
• DARIO ARGENTO’S DEEP CUTS [4-Disc Blu-ray]
• DON’T CHANGE HANDS [Blu-ray w/Exclusive Slipcover]
•  THE MAD BOMBER [Blu-ray + Booklet w/Exclusive Slipcover]
• THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS [Blu-ray]
• SIMPLE LIKE SILVER [Blu-ray + Booklet]
• 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS [3-Disc 4K UHD w/Exclusive Slipcover]

VALUE $321.00, ONLY $289

The MOLTO ARGENTO Bundle [limited to 300] includes:

• OPERA [5-Disc 4K UHD w/Exclusive Slipcase + Booklet]
• DARIO ARGENTO’S DEEP CUTS [4-Disc Blu-ray]
• SIMPLE LIKE SILVER [Blu-ray + Booklet]
• OPERA T-Shirt [Designed by Pallbearer Press]
• OPERA Postcard Autographed by Cristina Marsillach
• OPERA Pinhole Glasses

VALUE $167.00, ONLY $150

The PENNE APOCALYPSE Bundle [no limit] includes: 

• 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS [3-Disc 4K UHD w/Exclusive Slipcover]
• 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS T-SHIRT [Designed by Pallbearer Press]

VALUE $73.00, ONLY $65