The November 2024 lineup for Arrow Videoโs subscription-based ARROW platform has arrived, and the streamer is keeping the Halloween spirit alive with another month of chills, thrills, and cult classics.
The November 2024 lineup leads with โShawscope Vol. 3,โ ARROWโs third curation of films from the Shaw Brothers. Before Hong Kongโs mightiest film studio mastered the art of the kung fu film, Shaw Brothers hit box office gold with a very different kind of martial arts cinema, one that channeled the blood-soaked widescreen violence of Japanese samurai epics and Italian spaghetti westerns into a uniquely Chinese form: the wuxia pain. With all-new exclusive restorations and hours of insightful bonus material, โShawscope Vol. 3โ debuts November 25!
November opened with the arrival of โChildren Shouldnโt Play With Dead Thingsโ on November 1. In this cult favorite, six friends in a theatrical troupe dig up a corpse on an abandoned island to use in a mock Satanic rite. It backfires with deadly consequences.
Starting today, November 4, ARROW unsheaths Chang Chehโs iconic โOne-Armed Swordsmanโ trilogy for all subscribers. โOne-Armed Swordsman,โ โReturn of the One-Armed Swordsman,โ and โThe New One-Armed Swordsman,โ directed between 1967 and 1971, made household names of stars Wang Yu and David Chiang and set the gory template for many of the films to come.
Today also marks the arrival of Jemma Moore Selects. The star of the found footage sensation โHostโ and ITVโs โRed Eyeโ shares her ARROW streaming favorites.
โWhen ARROW asked me to pick my Selects, my mind went into overdrive! How could I possibly choose from all the amazing movies on their kick-ass streaming service? But after a huge movie marathon, a few trips down memory lane, and a lot of snack breaks, Iโve finally conjured (get it?) up my current top picks. I hope my Selects will bring as much joy and entertainment to fellow film lovers as ARROW has brought to me. Happy streaming!โ
Films in the collection include โHeathers,โ Eject,โ and โA Bit of Fun.โ
On November 8, ARROW debuts โThe Church,โ writer/director Michele Soaviโs first full collaboration with co-writer/producer/mentor Dario Argento. In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
Subscribers can also enjoy a trio of new shorts for subscribers across all territories:
- Guts: A guy with his guts on the outside of his body really wants a promotion.
- Memento Mori: This film is one womanโs catalog of the things people said to her during her cancer journey. Family gets closer, friends get weirder, strangers get too personal, and the loudest voice belongs to Cancer itself.
- Crazy For You: Itโs difficult to find love when youโre a serial killer, so when Charlie meets the girl of his dreams, he must keep that flaw a secret. Will true love win the day? Or will she become one of his victims?
Also, on November 8, ARROW takes subscribers on a trip through time with โFuture Shockers.โ How are things going to turn out? Are we going to end up in a utopia or a dystopia? Take a look ahead and see in โFuture Shockers,โ a collection of Cult films set in forthcoming futures featuring zombies, groovy tech, Afrofuturism, unbreathable atmospheres and more! Titles include โCrumbs,โ โTerrible Things,โ and โJesus Shows You the Way to the Highway.โ
On November 11, The Shaw Brothers shine the light on sisters with a trio of sword-swinging female-centered epics: Cheng Kangโs all-star epic The โ14 Amazons,โ Ho Meng-huaโs โThe Lady Hermit,โ with the great Cheng Pei-pei (โCome Drink with Meโ) as a virtuous swordswoman called upon to stop a vicious warlord, and Chor Yuenโs scandalous โIntimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan,โ hailed as โthe most famous erotic film in the history of Hong Kong cinema.โ
On November 15, slice into โKiller Cuts,โ featuring a treasure trove of Directors Cuts, Extended Cuts, Theatrical Cuts, and International Versions of some of ARROWโs most popular classics. Titles include โPhantom of the Mallโ (Ericโs Revenge Phan Cut), โShockโ (Italian Version), and โSeason of the Witchโ (Extended Cut).
Also, on November 15, North American subscribers can experience the third feature by director Michele Soavi, โThe Sect.โ His second collaboration with producer/co-writer Dario Argento. In โThe Sect,โ as a global satanic cabal grows in ferocity, an unwitting young school teacher (Kelly Curtis, sister of Jamie Lee, in her sole genre role) is chosen to deliver the ultimate evil.
On November 18, ARROW debuts a J-Horror classic and a foursome of 70s Japanese thrills and chills. Based on the smash-hit series of the same name by cult manga artist Junji Itล (โUzumakiโ ):
- Tomie: The tale of an evil high-school seductress identifiable by a beauty mark beneath her left eye, whose bewitching kiss drives men to madness.
- The Magic Blade: Gu Long, the most famous martial arts novelist, provides โThe Magic Bladeโ with just the right plot to give the brilliant swordplay an interesting context, and director Chor Yuen, an acknowledged master of the genre, provides the style to make this one shine above its kung-fu competitors.
- Jade Tiger: The headless corpse of the Chao Clan patriarch and the theft of a jade tiger set in motion another noteworthy collaboration between three of the biggest names in swordplay action dramas: director Chor Yuen, martial arts novelist Gu Long, and kung-fu superstar Ti Lung.
- Clans of Intrigue: With a story by celebrated martial arts novelist Gu Long, direction by movie master Chor Yuen, and a first-rate action cast that includes Nora Miao, fresh from the Bruce Lee blockbusters โFists Of Furyโ and โWay Of The Dragon.โ Towering above them all is kung-fu king Ti Lung as the amorous knight. A top-five box office hit in 1977, โClans Of Intrigueโ still packs quite a punch today.
- The Sentimental Swordsman: One of director Chor Yuenโs crowning achievements, โThe Sentimental Swordsmanโ epitomizes the lone, virtuous, heroic swordsman with a twist. Swordsman Li Xunhuan, magnificently played by the highly respected and popular Ti Lung, is also a hero with weaknesses; he drinks too much and believes in love and emotion.
On November 22, subscribers can dig into โBurial Ground.โ Mariangela Giordano (โThe Sectโ) stars in this โ80s splatter classic about a cursed country estate besieged by horny houseguests, undead Etruscans, and the unusual relationship between a mother (Giordano) and her creepy young son (Peter Bark) that will trigger some of the most jaw-dropping scenes in grindhouse history.
November 22 also marks the arrival of โHeidi Honeycutt Selects.โ Heidi Honeycutt is a journalist, author, actress, filmmaker, film programmer, and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Etheria Film Night, a film festival that showcases short films by women directors.
Honeycutt shared, โBecause women directors are so important to the horror genre, here is a selection sampling of some very fun, funny, scary, sad, and insane films from women directors for your horror enjoyment! Preserve the legacy of all filmmakers, even women!โ
Titles in this collection include โThe Stylist,โ โThe Deeper You Dig,โ and โA Lucida Production โ Reel Women.โ
As mentioned, โShawscope Vol. 3โ arrives on November 25. With their enthralling tales drawn from historical myth and legend of sword-wielding (and often gravity-defying) noble heroes, the wuxia films housed in this Shawscope season demonstrate the sweeping stylistic evolution of the genre, from the righteous stoicism of the late-60s Mandarin period, right through to the wild-and-weird anarchism of the early-80s Cantonese explosion.
Titles include โOne-Armed Swordsman,โ โReturn of the One-Armed Swordsman,โ โThe New One-Armed Swordsman,โ โBuddhaโs Palm,โ and โLu Chun-kuโs Bastard Swordsman.โ
November 29 marks the arrival of โDr. Tarrโs Torture Dungeon.โ A mysterious man is sent into the forest to investigate the bizarre behavior of the notorious Dr. Tarr. What he stumbles upon is the doctorโs torture dungeon, a hellish asylum completely cut off from civilization and presided over by the ultimate madman. Innocent people have been savagely chained, tortured, and stuck in glass cages, then forced to take part in gruesome games of ritual slaughter.
The lineup closes on November 29 with โOn A Mission,โ a collection of Cult films full of dangerous adventures and deadly journeys. Titles include โTerra Formars,โ โThe Navigator,โ and โDoberman Cop.โ