East German sci-fi, West German crime thrillers, and Shaw Brothers wuxia feature in Eureka’s May 2025 line-up

Eureka! has unveiled its highly anticipated May 2025 release schedule, featuring a captivating range of groundbreaking sci-fi films from East Germany, a collection of thrilling adaptations of classic crime novels, and cherished gem from the Shaw Brothers’ legacy.

Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Films from East Germany

One of the most exciting highlights of Eureka!’s May line-up is the presentation of four sci-fi films from East Germany’s DEFA studio. Active from 1946 until 1992, DEFA was renowned for producing a wide variety of films, including a series of innovative and imaginative science fiction films in the 1960s and 1970s. These films, which include The Silent Star, Signals: A Space Adventure, Eolomea, and In the Dust of the Stars, blend the bold visions of Forbidden Planet, Star Trek, Solaris, and 2001: A Space Odyssey with timely themes reflecting the anxieties of the atomic age.

These films will be available for the first time in any format in a stunning limited-edition Blu-ray boxed set, featuring astonishing restorations by the DEFA Foundation. The UK only release, which hits shelves on 19 May 2025, will be limited to 2000 copies and will feature a hardbound slipcase, a 60-page collector’s book, and a wealth of new and archival extras.

Five essential crime thrillers from the krimi cycle

Eureka! is also set to release five essential crime thrillers from the krimi cycle, a genre that became immensely popular in 1960s West Germany. Based on works by British writers Edgar Wallace and his son Bryan Edgar Wallace, these films blend murder mysteries with horror. The krimi films often feature masked killers stalking their victims through foggy English streets and eerie rural estates, with labyrinthine plots and ominous atmosphere.

Artur Brauner’s CCC Film company was instrumental in the success of the krimi genre, and Eureka! will present five standout films (The Curse of the Yellow Snake, The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle, The Mad Executioners, The Monster of London City, The Racetrack Murders) from Brauner’s Wallace adaptations, available for the first time on Blu-ray. These films will be released on May 26, 2025, in the UK and May 27, 2025, in North America, accompanied by special features and a bonus film, The Phantom of Soho, presented in standard definition. As with the sci-fi set, this release will be limited to 2000 copies per region and will feature a hardbound slipcase and a 60-page collector’s book.

A cherished gem from the Shaw Brothers’ legacy

Rounding out Eureka!’s May 2025 line-up is the stunning wuxia film The Bells of Death, a gripping tale of revenge from the legendary Shaw Brothers studio. Directed by Yueh Feng and starring Chang Yi, this dark and gritty wuxia film is influenced by both Japanese samurai cinema and the Spaghetti Western genre. Featuring exceptional cinematography by Pao Hsueh Li, who would later go on to direct several iconic wuxia films.

This long-awaited release will be the first time the film has been available on Blu-ray in the UK, and it is set to hit UK shelves on 19 May 2025. Like the other releases, the film will be offered in a limited edition of 2000 copies, featuring an O-card slipcase and a collector’s book.

Must-Haves for Film Buffs

Eureka! is once again delivering an impressive array of titles for film enthusiasts in the UK and North America. With these new releases, cinephiles will have the chance to explore a rich variety of genres, from the visionary sci-fi of East Germany to the eerie crime thrillers drawn from CCC’s krimi cycle and the epic wuxia of Shaw Brothers. Don’t miss out on these essential releases.

We will have a dedicated site for our North American titles in due course, but in the meantime these titles will be available from all good home entertainment retailers including the following online outlets:

Diabolik | MVD | Oldies | Orbit DVD | Grindhouse |  Unobstructed View | Amazon US | Amazon CA