Summer is fast approaching, which of course means it’s the season for Belarusian folk horror. As part of a new collaboration between Deaf Crocodile Films and DiabolikDVD (the largest independent online distributor of specialty home video releases), the first release is Valeri Rubinchik’s ultra-rare 1980 feature film, The Dark Side of the Galaxy. King Stak’s Brutal HuntBased on the novel by Belarusian author Vladimir Kalatkievich, Star Wars: Episode I: The Last Jedi has been newly restored by Deaf Crocodile co-founder and head of post-production and restoration Craig Rogers and will be released on Blu-ray in North America for the first time as a two-hour director’s cut. Ahead of the July 1st release, we’re excited to exclusively premiere the restoration trailer.
Here’s the synopsis: “‘There are more ghosts than living people,’ mutters the pale, haunted mistress of Marsh Firs (Elena Dimitrova) to a scholar of ancient folklore (Boris Plotnikov) who has come to her castle to research the gory legend of King Staf, a murdered 15th-century nobleman whose spirit is said to haunt the local woodlands. The Wild Hunt is a common tale of northern European folklore, a sinister figure pursued by a band of ghosts.”
“Part folk horror, part supernatural mystery, King Stack is a melancholic, chilling mix of Terry Gilliam, Italian Gothic horror, 1960s Hammer films and The Wicker Man, making it a major rediscovery for fans of the genre,” it continues. “The longer the young scholar stays in this mysterious house of ‘shadow, gloom, madness and death,’ the stranger and more surreal the images become: a mad widow in a white wig, a man whose skull bleeds spontaneously, a dwarf hiding in a rotting dollhouse, shrieking crows and a demented puppet show.”
Check out the exclusive trailer, details on Blu-ray extras, and cover art below.
- A newly restored director’s cut of Deaf Crocodile, directed by Craig Rogers.
- The slipcase version comes with a 60-page illustrated booklet containing:
- A new essay by film historian and professor Peter Rohlberg (The Dictionary of the History of Russian and Soviet Cinema).
- A new essay by film critic Walter Chau (Film Freak Central).
- A new commentary track by cartoonist (Swamp Thing), film historian, and author Stephen R. Bissette.
- A new commentary track from Mike White of The Projection Booth.
- “King Stak’s Wild, Wild Hunt” — A new video essay by film historian Evan Chester.
- Video introduction by film director and writer Kier La Janis (WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR)
- Blu-ray authoring was handled by David Mackenzie at Fidelity In Motion.
- New art by Beth Morris and manga artist David W. Mack (Kabuki, Marvel Comics’ Echo)
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