Multi-film sets take centre stage as Eureka reveal their April 2021 line-up

Eureka have announced an addition to its March line-up today along with its full April 2021 schedule. Featured amongst this line-up are a collection of essential films from one of the most recognisable figures in Horror; two early films from arguably the greatest Western director of all time; a high-octane action thriller; and a re-issue of Three Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations Starring Bela Lugosi.

One of the most recognisable faces in horror, Boris Karloff has been described as “to the horror movie what Fred Astaire was to the musical”. Presented in Karloff at Columbia are the six films (The Black Room, The Man They Could Not Hang, The Man With Nine Lives, Before I Hang, The Devil Commands, and The Boogie Man Will Get You) he made for Columbia Pictures, a collaboration which produced some of Karloff’s finest acting roles. Eureka Classics is proud to present all six films in their worldwide debut on Blu-ray on 19 April 2021, this release is also the first time they have been available on home video in the UK. Released as a Limited-Edition set featuring an O-card Slipcase & Collector’s Booklet (3000 copies ONLY).

The Masters of Cinema Series is also proud to present this month two early features from John Ford in their UK debuts on home video, fully restored in 4K.  A landmark in the history of the Western, Straight Shooting, will be featured alongside Hell Bent, both films star Harry Carey. Released on 19 April, Straight Shooting & Hell Bent: Two Films by John Ford will be presented with a Limited-Edition O-Card Slipcase (First Print Run of 2000 copies ONLY) and reversible sleeve artwork.

Inspired by Gareth Evans’ 2011 martial-arts hit The Raid, the hotly anticipated MMA thriller Russian Raid is a rapid-fire action tour de force, featuring ground-breaking techniques in the world of martial-arts filming and editing. Marking the directorial debut of Denis Kryuchkov, the film’s cast is led by Ivan Kotic and includes some of the best-known MMA fighters in Russia. Powerlifting world record holder Kirill Sarychev and world heavyweight kickboxing champion Vladimir Mineev also star.  Released on 22 March 2021, the film will also be available digitally.

The horror films Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat, and The Raven—are distinguished by a trio of factors regarding their production. Most notably, each film is based on a work by master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe. Part of the legendary wave of horror films made by Universal Pictures in the 30s, all three feature dynamic performances from Dracula‘s Bela Lugosi, with two of them also enlivened by the appearance of Frankenstein‘s Boris Karloff. And finally, all three benefit from being rare examples of Pre-Code studio horror, their sometimes-startling depictions of sadism and shock a result of being crafted during that brief period in Hollywood before the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code’s rigid guidelines for moral content. Significant and still unsettling early works of American studio horror filmmaking, these three chillers demonstrate the enduring power of Poe’s work, and the equally continuous appeal of classic Universal horror’s two most iconic stars. Three Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations Starring Bela Lugosi will be re-issued on Blu-ray from 19 April 2021.