We’ve written extensively about the Arrow Video imprint, which is, alongside the BFI and particularly its Flipside arm, one of our favourite labels. And the past week saw us catching up with a batch of the operation’s recent, current and forthcoming releases.

All carry the same kind of key elements…

There’s the wonderful packaging – each has specially created artwork, two of the quartet come in sumptuous Steelbook versions, which only enhances their collectibility and helps drive both pre-orders and week one sales.

The discs themselves are all put together with the attention to detail that has made Arrow Video such a favourite with horror and genre aficionados. It’s the little things that count, with Arrow sourcing its own extras, speaking to the talent involved, winning them over, enlisting the help of noted experts and tracking down other elements.

We kicked off with Blow Out, one of the Steelbook titles. Brian De Palma’s conspiracy thriller. It stars John Travolta, but is a world away from his then superstar status, one of the last of the era’s great political conspiracy thrillers, which drew on both real-life incidents (Chappaquiddick being chief among them) and film such as Blow Up. It looks great and could well introduce some of Arrow Video’s more outré moments to a wider audience too. De Palma’s devotees will be buoyed by the director’s personal involvement in the transfer.

Foxy Brown is the other Steelbook one and this seminal blaxploitation pic will be aided by the slavish devotion that one Quentin Tarantino professes for its star, Pam Grier. This too is loaded with extras and has arguably never looked better – certainly is of a higher quality than it would have been when viewed in a Times Square fleapit in the 70s, when the genre was at its height. Like Blow Out, the Steelbook element gives it that further appeal to collectors.

The Pam Grier starrer is from exploitation fave Jack Hill, a man who also carries the Tarantino seal of approval (the director calls him “the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking”), as is another Arrow Video title we reviewed, Spider Baby. This is Hill’s first outing and it’s firmly at the cult end of the Arrow Video spectrum. Weird doesn’t do this 50s black and white horror outing justice. The sleeve, with the usual choice of different covers, looks outstanding, and it’s another comprehensive package. It’s already picked up strong coverage – The Guardian’s Guide magazine eschewed better known, newer films preferring instead to give this the lion’s share of its coverage to Hill’s debut. Bizarre it may be, but Arrow Video’s version will help introduce it to a new generation. It’s one where the brand can help bring the title along.

Django Prepare A Coffin is the latest spaghetti Western to get the treatment from Arrow Video treatment, riding on the back of another Tarantino-inspired revival, thanks to his own Django Unchained. It’s another title that illustrates the label’s diverse and eclectic releases. Again, you need not worry about the quality; it’s another sumptuous offering. The Tarantino factor will, once again, work in its favour.

We’ve also viewed a trio of titles from the Terracotta and Third Window labels. They’re not exactly associated, but they do collaborate on assorted events and share the same kind of independent spirit, modus operandi and ideals too. Both pick up undiscovered gems from the world of Asian cinema with the aim of bringing them to a wider audience. Almost evangelical in their zeal, these people do it for love more than money.

Beset by problems over the past year or two, not least the fire at the Sony DADC centre during the riots which did for far bigger operations, they have carried on through thick and thin. Leaving aside the content, both indies should be praised for, if nothing else, their stubbornness and refusal to give in.

Thankfully though, the output of both is nothing if not interesting. Take Vulgaria (Third Window). It’s tough to even explain the plot of this one, such is its outlandish sand dare we say it freaky content. It’s crude, ridiculous and, particularly for fans of Hong Kong and Asian cinema, a hilarious look at filmmaking in the region. It comes in a lurid but lovely sleeve, perfectly in keeping with the film’s tone. Word of mouth alone will keep it going, but Third Window is nothing if not adept at reaching out to fans of the genre, which should give it a decent shelf life.

For Love’s Sake is our second Third Window choice, and it too is another curate’s egg. It’s directed by Takashi Miike, one of the most prolific and eclectic directors in Asian cinema. His CV is willfully diverse, taking in the out and out gore of the notorious Ichi The Killer, the traditional swordplay of 13 Assassins and the hugely influential horror of Audition. This is something else all together, more Bollywood than anything else, and another feather in his cap. Miike’s got enough of a name to help it along; again plaudits for taking something at which others might turn their nose up.

Terracotta is not exactly a sister label, but content from the two dovetails neatly. It has effectively created a whole world around the label and its output, including an ever-growing film festival. This enables the company to have a dialogue with its consumers, as well as showcasing its releases. The King Of Pigs is a Korean animated title that thanks to the support of Terracotta, is now being brought to a wider audience. As good as anything you’ll see from Japan, this sits nicely with the rest of the label’s output.

Moving on to another label that has carved out its own niche, albeit in a completely different area. Dogwoof has made its name releasing documentaries, more often than not with a political or ecological bent. Its brace of current and forthcoming titles that fit neatly into its catalogue, while at the same time offering fresh looks at familiar themes.

What’s more in Chasing Ice, out this week, it offers up its first Blu-ray release. And stunning it looks too – this tale of the dangers of global warming and how one former sceptic changed his mind when he saw close up what was happening in the arctic regions. Grand sweeping landscapes slowly disappearing, once beautiful scenery being changed beyond recognition… this is thought provoking, looks outstanding and could well change the way you think about the issues – just what you’d want from a documentary.

Like Chasing Ice, its other release, The Village At The End Of The World, looks at a near-inhospitable climate and the damage being wrought upon it by modern life. This title, due in July, has a slightly different take, but it’s an interesting companion piece nonetheless. Both films have already garnered plenty of interest and coverage on their respective theatrical releases, which will aid them both. And Dogwoof is skilled at speaking to its customers, giving them more of a fighting chance. Worthy, in a different way to the other independents we’ve been talking about, and worth supporting…

Our final viewing of the week has had a circuitous route to market. Portlandia has yet to air on British TV, but, like Parks And Recreation, has been picked up by a UK indie. While the latter has now got the benefit of a UK transmission to help it, Portlandia, due from Mediumrare, doesn’t have that. But, like Parks And Recreation before it, it has impeccable word of mouth behind it, and, we’d wager, a few viewings from these shores via more illegal online methods. Gone are the days when UK transmission was essential, the excellent Parks And Recreation arrived in this country with a ready-made fanbase, and Portlandia also has a Netflix airing over here to help with the awareness. We got through half a dozen episodes back to back – it really is that good. In an age when consumers are desperate to find the next box set to watch at home, where recommendations are all-important, Portlandia will find its place and should do well. It really is excellent, we’ll be telling everyone we know about it…

Biggish, if not exactly blockbuster-sized releases were plentiful, with honours being shared. Arguably one of the best releases in terms of coverage (and quality too) was Network’s No, the Chilean tale earned coverage and praise everywhere it appeared, making it one of the weekend’s best. Also performing well were Warm Bodies, Hitchcock and, even though it wasn’t universally well received, Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder. Among the television titles, the likes of The Fall and Parks And Recreation.

We’ll start with the Metro with, as usual, the weekly Home Cinema round up featured some of the previous weekend’s best reviewed titles – Zero Dark Thirty (Universal), A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox), House Of Cards (which it credited to Netflix rather than SPHE, perhaps tellingly) and, under a separate Boxset Blitz headline, the highest scoring title of the week, the “sublimely observed” Veep (HBO), which earned a full five stars and further glowing recommendations (“much like Armando Ianucci’s The Thick Of It, each episode is a masterclass in orchestrated chaos”). It also featured, in its regular My Top Five Films slot, Foyle’s War Star Honeysuckle Weeks picking her five favourite films while plugging Acorn Media’s release of the seventh series of the programme (her choices, incidentally, were The Last Of The Mohicans, Legend, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Crystal and All About Eve).

The Evening Standard featured Hitchcock (Fox), the “taut, brilliantly acted and remarkable” Accused (Arrow), Studiocanal’s To The Wonder (“don’t expect much of a plot”), eOne’s Warm Bodies (“fresher than a zombie corpse has any right to be”) and Universal’s Mama (“very impressive”). Under a separate Box Sets Of The Week header there were reviews for the “grim but brilliant” The Fall (Acorn Media), Fabulous’ Parks And Recreation (“started out as a rip-off of The Office, then found its feet in series two as it became faster, badder, funnier”) and the “fascinating high concept cult detective series” The Man In Room 17 (Network).

Moving on to red-tops and The Sun and the DVD Of The Week crown was given to Zero Dark Thirty, followed by A Good Day To Die Hard (“after running on the fumes of goodwill from the original, it’s time for this franchise to die”) and another from Fox, Lincoln (“worthy but far too stately”).

The Daily Star had the “unmissable” Hitchcock as both its lead review and also offered up prizes of both the film and a Blu-ray player for a competition running alongside. There were further reviews for Warm Bodies, MGM/Fox’s Blu-ray of The Great Escape (“the climax is stupendous”) and Fox’s double-pack pairing of This Means War and Mr And Mrs Smith.

The Daily Mirror’s The Ticket’s reviewer David Edwards is often one of the harshest critics around, but he gave Hitchcock one of its best notices of the weekend, saying that Anthony Hopkins “somehow didn’t get an Oscar nod for this”. It was business as usual for the rest of his reviews, however; with the “far from scary horror” Mama and To The Wonder (“dull”) savaged and a marginally better notice for Warm Bodies.

The Daily Mail featured Lincoln, while the Daily Express featured a trio of titles, Hitchcock (“superficial but entertaining”), Warm Bodies and To The Wonder (“looks ravishing, but has little to offer in terms of plot or dialogue”).

The Guardian’s Your Next Box Set made one of its more obscure choices, plumping for The Sandbaggers (Network) and saying “In 2003, the New York Times called The Sandbaggers ‘the best spy series in television history’. And I bet you’ve never heard of it.”

Saturday now, and rattling through the mentions of TV titles in the tabloids’ TV magazines and supplements: The Fall was in the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Parks And Recreation was the Box Set Of The Week in The Sun’s TV Magazine, alongside DVD Of The Week Hitchcock and the Daily Mirror’s We Love TV had a competition for CSI:NY Season 8 (eOne).

Moving on to the broadsheets and as we’ve noted here previously, the coverage in the Daily Telegraph has, in recent weeks, been patchy at best. This week was a lowpoint for the paper’s Review section – from marvellous double page spreads’ worth of coverage a few months ago, both reviews and Tim Robey’s excellent Recommends… column, it went down this week to nothing at all.

Things were far better in the Independent’s Radar supplement, where Warm Bodies (“a smart zombie romance held together by Nicholas Hoult’s performance, a keen sense of humour and a warm heart”) led the way, although Parks And Recreation (“gentle, beautifully observed comedy”) scored maximum marks. Also reviewed were To The Wonder, Beautiful Creatures and Hitchcock (“it lacks the spite and wit of the BBC’s recent Hitchcock film The Girl”).

The usual reviews appeared in The Times’ Review supplement too, taking in No (“unfussy, impassioned political storytelling”), Warm Bodies (“both smarter and sillier than your average zombie flick”) and Mama (Universal).

The Guardian’s Guide section featured Arrow Video’s excellent release of Spider Baby (“this darkly humorous, deeply demented 1964 curiosity is a genuine cult phenomenon, one with a reputation that grows by the year”), before moving on to, in brief, Hitchcock (“the director ain’t no Hitchcock”), To The Wonder, Perfect Friday (Network) and The Kid Stays In The Picture (Fabulous). It’s the Planner page included recommendations to view The Killing on Netflix.

The weekend edition of the Financial Times featured the “masterly biopic” Hitchcock, the “tense authenticity” of No, as well as Warm Bodies and To The Wonder.

Sunday and the Daily Star featured Warm Bodies (“likable, charming and occasionally very funny”), Hitchcock and Mama.

The DVD Pick Of The Week in the Sunday Mirror was Beautiful Creatures.

The same title appeared again in the Sunday People as part of a quintet of titles covered, the other four were Mama, Warm Bodies, To The Wonder and Hitchcock. The paper’s TV page had a competition offering Breaking Bad (SPHE) as prizes.

Loads, as ever, in the Mail On Sunday’s new-look event magazine, with Cloud Atlas (Warner) being mentioned as an On Demand release on its Staying In page, alongside Arne Dahl (Arrow). Further in, there was a full page of DVD reviews, taking in Hitchcock (“the film, while nowhere as probing as its subject’s masterpieces, is merry-making too”), To The Wonder, No (“might not have won the best foreign film Oscar, but it deserved its nomination… will have you punching the air with joy”) and Arrow’s I Wish (“I wish all films were as good as I Wish”).

The Sunday Express had a competition tying in with the release of Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters (Paramount).

The Sunday Telegraph’s Seven magazine featured To The Wonder (Terrence Malick’s latest is a winner”), Aurora (New Wave Films) and Underground.

The Independent On Sunday featured To The Wonder and the BFI’s Underground (“Romance! Comedy! Action! Murder! This rip-roaring silent British masterpiece from 1928 has it all”).

The Observer’s Mark Kermode kicked off with No (“As formally fascinating as it is timely and intelligent, this Oscar-nominated feature should earn a resounding ‘Yes’ vote”), moving on to Beyond The Hills (“Astonishing”), Warm Bodies (“likable if lightweight”), Beautiful Creatures (“deserves a second chance on DVD”), Hitchcock and To The Wonder.

But like a duck, gently gliding on the water, at first glance the company can look fairly calm, but, behind the scenes and under the water, it is working frantically.

For as The Raygun discovered upon visiting its offices, its Q3 slate is packed.

As the company’s Matt Brightwell says: “It’s our first combined quarter, it’s a big quarter for us.”

But the size does bring its own benefits. As Brightwell says: “Because of the volume we’re thinking about how we can complement retail and help retail.”

He can point to two of the first titles out of the block in the third quarter, Safe Haven and Parker. They’re diametrically opposed films, but eOne can put them in stores together. “We’ll have a combined point of sale unit,” explains Brightwell, head of marketing for the home entertainment arm of the new company. “They’ve got the same release date but we’re positioning and targeting them to slightly different audiences. We’re leveraging our excellent content.”

The new eOne has a vast slate not least because until the acquisition was given the all-clear by authorities in Canada (both eOne and Momentum’s former parent Alliance grew out of the country), they were both still buying films to release. Luckily, the acquisitions arms at each company are noted for their smartness in picking up titles, meaning that, in the eyes of company, there’s plenty of wheat and not much chaff.

“There’s a real flavour and mix of content,” says Brightwell. “We’ve got large scale theatrical releases, some, more arthouse and on a smaller scale. There are family titles, quality TV, and of course Peppa Pig, it’s a real variety.”

eOne is aiming to continue the trend that both itself and Momentum had been noted for – helping titles punch above their weight, both in terms of conversions and DTV titles. Both have a reputation for investing in titles to help them go even further. “We’re going to be adventurous and brave with our titles,” Brightwell explains. “We don’t just want to put these titles in the market and hope they sell. We want to drive sales by innovative marketing and also investing at the store level and in packaging.

“We’re really committed to special packaging. It’s not just about marketing to people, it’s about catching them in store while they are browsing. It’s not just above the line, it’s about using packaging to drive sales.” This means lenticulars, O-rings, matt effect with spot UV and all manner of smart-looking sleeves.

And here’s the Q3 line up in full…

Side Effects – It’s taken almost £5 million at UK cinemas and arrives with a while bunch of five and four-star reviews ringing in its ears. As one of the last outings of the excellent Steven Soderbergh (supposedly taking a back seat from directing after another forthcoming eOne title, Behind The Candelabra), features an excellent cast, including older hands Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones coming up against younger talent in the shape of Channing Tatum, whose name is still as hot as it gets, and Rooney Mara. It will come dressed in a matt laminate O-ring with spot UV. “Theatrically it’s gone really well,” says Brightwell, “we’re hoping that will continue through to this release.” It will be further aided by TV support.

Safe Haven – One of Momentum’s big successes of recent years (and there were many) was Dear John, a Lasse Halstrom film based on a Nicholas Sparks book, about two gorgeous young things drawn together. Now comes Safe Haven, a Lasse Halstrom film based on a Nicholas Sparks book, about two gorgeous young things drawn together. Arguably more of a thriller than the previous Hallstrom adaptation, nevertheless, this Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough starrer has plenty going for it. It will boast a similar sleeve and eOne’s release and accompanying campaign will take Dear John as both its inspiration and starting point.

The Village – A period drama, but not as you’d know it; this is the anti-Downton Abbey, far grittier fare that won more than 8 million viewers on its successful run on TV. “This really has built,” says Brightwell of the show which stars, among others, `John Simm. It sees us adding another piece of quality TV to the roster.”

Robot & Frank – This too well benefit from special packaging, what eOne calls “very grocer-friendly artwork”. It may be one of its less high profile offering, but the impeccable word of mouth and amazing reviews means that eOne has real confidence in the title’s ability to break through; TV advertising will help it crossover to the mainstream.

Escape – Vikings are currently one of the hottest items in the entertainment world and eOne leads the way with not one bit two offerings. “It’s very on trend at the moment,” says Brightwell. Another title to benefit from TV advertising.

CSI Vegas – The bedrock of eOne’s ever-growing TV line up, its chances are boosted by the arrival of television stalwart Ted Danson, who has given the show a renewed impetus, certainly when it comes to viewing figures.

Parker – With J-Lo, aka Jennifer Lopez, vying for screen-time with DVD hero the Stath, aka Jason Statham, eOne is realluy planning to play up the action elements for its home entertainment bow. “This is very much in the Statham mould,” says Brightwell, “she looks great, but it’s all about Statham.”

Welcome To The Punch – After its successful theatrical outing, eOne firmly believes it will be an even more DVD-friendly film. “It’s a stunning looking film,” says Brightwell. “We’re doing a lenticular on this as well, the artwork really lends itself to this.” Again, this is TV advertised.

In The House – Kristin Scott Thomas in a French language film, but one that could well push on and go to a bigger audience. To do so, it’s pushing this Francois Ozon film on TV. “We’re not just putting this in its arthouse space,” says Brightwell, “we’re trying to get it to break out wider.”

All Stars – From the makers of both the Horrid Henry feature and the Street Dance film, this is shot in the same kind of way as the latter and will appeal to the same kind of crowd. “[Production company and theatrical distributor] Vertigo really has its finger on the pulse with this kind of film,” says Brightwell. Due in August and also TV advertised.

Dark Skies – Part horror, part-sci-fi, eOne is hoping, as Brightwell notes , to “broaden its appeal” beyond the core horror crowd and expand it beyond its £2 million UK box office haul. It will be helped by the ubiquitous TV advertising and a lenticular sleeve.

Forbidden Ground - an Australian war drama set in WWI, the kind of film so beloved of the DTV market.

21 And Over - the market for comedies of this ilk is still massive, as evinced by both the box office of both this and The Hangover. The fact it can boldly claim to be “from the writers of The Hangover” only boosts its chances. “It plays a bit younger than The Hangover,” explains Brightwell, but we can have a lot of fun with it.”

The Walking Dead - the third season of the hugely popular vampire series sees Andrew Lincoln and co getting back to what they do best – running away from zombies. It’s currently bucking the trend – the second series outsold the first – eOne thinks there’s further growth to be had. We’re working closely with Fox and AMC,” says Brightwell. The complete series will come in a gorgeous box too, expect more on this soon.

Hammer Of The Gods - not a Led Zeppelin biopic, this is eOne’s second Viking outing and marks another development for the company. Made with the DTV sector firmly in its sights, It’s produced by Vertigo, with eOne collaborating closely from the off. “We’ve been looking at genres that work well from a platforming point of view,” says Brightwell. “We decided to create a film along a theme and decided that a film about Vikings would be perfect. We’ve collaborated on the script and development. It will go out on six to 15 prints and we’re working on a campaign together. We’re really excited about it.”

Mud – eOne has been instrumental in the revival of Matthew McConaughey’s career – last year it was Killer Joe, this year it’s Mud. Much raved about, it’s due in September and will be supported with TV advertising. “It’s a five-star film and sits really well with Killer Joe,” says Brightwell.

Haven Season 3 – A flagship show for eOne’s television production arm, it will be supported by spots on SyFy as the fourth series premieres.

UWantMe2KillHim? – A topical tale that has its roots in fact (as tht the title suggests, it’s a social media tale), this will benefit from a platform theatrical release.

Dead Man Down – A Colin Farrell actioner that eOne is certain is home entertainment gold and, to show its commitment, it will be over-investing in the title, with TV advertising at the fore.

Populaire – Currently benefiting from a high profile theatrical release, this will work well with the arthouse crowd and has plenty of crossover potential.

The Rise – We at The Raygun are big fans of this title, one of the smarter British outings you’ll see this year. eOne is putting its full weight behind this title, as Brightwell notes: “We’re looking to make this as big as we can.”

Frankenstein’s Army – With carefully targeted TV advertising and the support of all the key horror film festivals, Frankenstein’s Army (mad Nazi scientist creates… well, you guessed it) could turn into another Dead Snow…

Its title illustrates exactly what its USP is, and the streaming service is aimed fairly and squarely at horror fans.

The Horror Show targets the kind of people who attend FrightFest and boasts the involvement of some of the leading names in the genre field as its consultants, advisers and programmers.

As we’ve oft noted here before, the genre is one that refuses to die and, judging by the ever-increasing size of the likes of the aforementioned FrightFest and other similar operations, it’s one that is positively flourishing.

The Horror Show is aiming to not rival the traditional business models, as its founders note, there’s no substitute to browsing through the racks at somewhere like HMV; rather it is instead aiming to be a genre specific take on the likes of iTunes.

Where it could well succeed is in the word of mouth natured of this business. Its films are not blockbuster horrors, but rather ones that have got the seal of approval from the cognoscenti.

So its contributors – the likes of Scott Weinberg, the US-based writer who specialises in this field and is one of the genre’s leading commentators and the likes of noted UK writer and broadcaster Kim Newman – are crucial. A look at its launch event, held at the former London home of FrightFest, the Prince Charles Cinema, was attended by all the right people: Kim Newman was quizzed by journalist Damon Wise, there was horror-related stand-up comedy from Richard Sandling and a surprise appearance from Reece Shearsmith, star of one of the short films. The event ended with a screening of White Of The Eye, a film hand-picked by Kim Newman,

Its roster is expanding, the first wave of titles offers up the kind of film loved by horror fans (and us at The Raygun), and represents DTV and limited theatrical release titles from the independent sector. Going forward, it’s hoping to add product from the mini-majors too.

Here’s a look at its current top 10, with added commentary from us at The Raygun…

1. Short Stack Volume 1
A bona fide exclusive that has seen The Horror Show pull together 10 short films based in and around the genre. You can only see this lot together here; what’s more the selection includes, among other things, the award-winning Him Indoors, starring the League Of Gentlemen’s Reece Shearsmith. Better still for aficionados is the price – it’s a mere 99p, which has helped it into the top slot.

2. Excision
First appeared on the Monster imprint via Eureka, this is a teen tale of a misfit who is obsessed with surgical procedures. It boasts an impressive cast, including 90210 star AnnaLynne McCord playing against type, as well as the likes of Traci Lords, Malcolm McDowell and the irrepressibly John Waters.

3. Dead Hooker in A Trunk
Another that came via Eureka, this film has gained traction since its directors, the Soska Sisters, came to further prominence with American Mary. Low budget fare, yes, but it shows some of the promise they went on to fulfil with their sophomore outing.

4. Pontypool
The lowest of the low budget titles on offer through The Horror Show, this is a homegrown, smart zombie flick.

5. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)
As notorious as any on the list, you may not want it in your home, but you can easily stream it…

6. Who Can Kill A Child?
A restored version of the classic 70s horror, recently remade as Come Out To Play. One of the older offerings from The Horror Show.

7. The Casebook Of Eddie Brewer
Another homegrown tale and another strong selling point for The Horror Show, The Casebook of Eddie Brewer is a mock documentary following a paranormal investigator.

8. The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
The debut offering in the Centipede series…

9. Some Guy Who Kills People
Smart serial killer tale boasting Lucy Davis among its cast.

10. Marianne
Another exclusive for The Horror Show.

Just before the half-term holidays, it issued a press release talking about the expected boom in downloads and streaming around the school break, highlighting the increasing availability of films online.

And now, just ahead of Father’s Day, it is again highlighting the benefits of home entertainment as a gift-giving option.

The BVA has done some number-crunching and analysis, showing that, in the week leading up to the big day, sales rise by an average of 20 per cent. fAnd looking over the past decade, it suggests that Father’s Day has been worth an additional 5.7 million units’ worth of sales, equating to more than £50 million in extra revenue across the industry.

And it has also totted up the figures to show the bestselling titles around Father’s Day. Comedy leads the way – after all, you’re hardly going to give the old man something morbid or depressing (although we’d be happy with that ourselves).

Here’s the top 10, with some additional comment…

1. Hot Fuzz (Universal)
Simon Pegg’s outings with Nick Frost are, in many ways, the perfect Father’s Day gift: funny, sharp, still a bit, “young”, with plenty of swearing too. So it’s no surprise to see the pair taking the top two slots…¬

2. Paul (Universal)
More from Pegg and Frost, albeit without their other collaborator Edgar Wright. Expect both Paul and Hot Fuzz, along with Shaun Of The Dead, to get another lease of life this summer with the arrival of their latest outing, The World’s End, at cinemas.

3. Cloverfield (Paramount)
A creature feature with plenty of smarts, this is one for dads to watch albeit after the kids have gone to bed…

4. True Grit (Paramount)
John Wayne has been a Father’s Day staple stretching right back to the VHS era and still his films sell. The gift that keeps giving…

5. Bolt (Disney)
One for younger kids to buy their pops, to watch it with them…

6. Apocalypto (Icon)
“So, dad, how about watching a film that’s all in a dead language and has loads of incredibly brutal killings?”

7. The Muppets (Disney)
Another one for dads and their kids – nostalgia for the grown-ups, fluffy puppets for the littl’uns.

8. The Lord of The Rings – The Return Of The King (EV)
You wouldn’t bet against Peter Jackson and his Tolkein adaptations making this top 10 – pretty much every sales chart from the passt decade will feature some version of Lord Of The Rings in there…

9. The Aviator (Miramax)
Martin Scorsese’s epic take on the life and times of Howard Hughes…

10. Scary Movie 3 (Disney)
Comedy opening and closing the top 10…

It’s not often that anything we write about in this column, which is more confined to our home viewing than anything else, is subject to the scourge of many film journalists, the embargo. By the time a title is being readied for DVD release, it’s already been out at cinemas, so the whole world and his wife has already written their thoughts on it. And many limited platform theatrical to DVD titles won’t be embargoed, as the whole point of the release strategy is to get the titles as much publicity as possible. We’re not too fussed about the concept in all honesty. The first few times we were given them to sign, at assorted stages in the 1990s, we would mull over the contracts, get on our high horses, have all kinds of debates, but sooner or later you come to realise, there ain’t a great deal you can do about it, so you might as well accept it.

And now, an embargo that did affect us, one for one of the year’s most intriguing propositions, has finally been lifted. Often, embargoes are in place to protect a film from bad reviews, to try and keep a lid on a welter of negative comments. It was different for A Field In England. The latest from Ben Wheatley, due across all formats, from theatrical to home entertainment, taking in both film channels and vod platforms, on July 5, is the first to take that route to market, so it’s understandable that all the assorted companies involved wanted to try and manage how and when the reviews came out. Now the embargo has been lifted, we can categorically say it’s a, well, it’s one of the more challenging films you’ll see this there, capped by a rather out there final act that’ll leave viewers reeling.

It has plenty behind it, even if it is a relatively low-key outing from Wheatley, the publicity surrounding its innovative release guarantees there’ll be interest come the Friday. A gorgeous sleeve image helps, as does Wheatley’s impeccable record. It’s going to be fascinating watching A Field In England’s performance, it deserves to do well just for the release strategy alone. More than, say, an exclusive on a subscription video on demand channel, this is the future. It’s what consumers want and let’s hope it succeeds.

A few titles already out there, but worth of mention, include independent outing Acoustic Routes. It’s been released in a special edition anniversary edition, marking 10 years since the film, about legendary folk guitarist and singer Bert Jansch, was first released. It also boasts the involvement, in this version of an old pal of ours, Johnny Fewings. It’s a fascinating film, one that aired first on BBC and deserves to reside in the collections of folk fans. Jansch’s work is often referenced by modern acts, so this should continually find an audience.

Bigger name features that are already out and about include Flight, the Paramount flick that boasts one of the most thrilling plane incidents you’re ever likely to see and a fine central performance from Denzel Washington. The good news in this rather maudlin tale of, among other things, alcoholism, works a treat on home formats. It’s already started off strongly, sitting pretty at number two in the overall charts as we write this, expect it to continue.

On to Texas Chainsaw, one of a brace viewed from Lionsgate. It’s the polar opposite of Flight, but has managed to win over some of the notoriously fickle horror cognoscenti as well as appealing to a wider, teen horror fan base too. Surprisingly, seeing as the main image went through so many changes after the powers-that-be thought they may be too graphic, it works really well on shelves too; this again should enjoy a decent lifespan on the aforementioned racking.

Also from Lionsgate, The Last Stand, as if you didn’t know, marks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fully-fledged return to action flicks. It falls roughly between the two major themes of his filmography: ultraviolent at times, reminiscent of his early career, then the corny pay-off lines more familiar from its latter stages. This too has got off to a strong start and should continue, particularly as Schwarzenegger’s comeback continues.

Next week sees a release for To The Wonder (Studiocanal), the latest from Terrence Malick. Beloved of cineastes, critics and film students, it represents what is, by his own terms, a hugely prolific period, coming after Tree Of Life. It follows his last film’s template; a great cast, gorgeous imagery and a plot that veers between the wilfully obscure and the non-existent. It won’t necessarily win him many new fans, but it’s still a damn sight more inventive and interesting and a lot of the films you might see. It looks particularly wonderful on high definition formats, expect to see it enjoy a healthy split towards Blu-ray. Tree of Life is the perfect comparable title, take it from there…

Our revival of the week is The Brood, the latest Blu-ray reissue from the prolific Second Sight imprint. An old favourite of ours from the VHS era, it looks wonderful and is still as powerful as it was to this impressionable teen. Second Sight has built an impeccable pedigree in this arena, this will only enhance it.

And we’ll end, as is our wont, with some recent TV viewing. Dexter is approaching the end of its run on our screens, but will enjoy a healthy run beyond that, courtesy of assorted on demand channels, such as Netflix, as well as DVD releases from Paramount. We’ve just watched the seventh season, the penultimate outing and a title whose sales have already shown its ongoing reputation, outdoing Doctor Who and lying behind only Breaking Bad in terms of its week one performance. As the final season arrives on TV screens, this one will continue to sell.

Parks And Recreation is as different from Dexter as you could get and we’re heartened to see this US TV series now building a fiercely loyal homegrown audience following BBC4’s decision to actually air the programme in the UK. It keeps getting better too, with the channel’s transmission now moving through the second series and beyond. Fabulous has snagged this from under the noses of other bigger distributors, expect this one to grow as its fan base does.

All three hogged the limelight, with the first two performing equally well in terms of ratings, and the latest Bruce Willis actioner struggling to get positive comments, although he made up for it in column inches.

It was interesting to see House Of Cards getting plenty of coverage for a physical DVD release after its exclusive debut on Netflix. Somewhat surprisingly, few reviewers even mentioned the titles’s appearing on the subscription video on demand service.

We’ll start, as ever, with the Metro, and its DVD coverage, which this week took in the previous weekend’s biggie, Flight (Paramount) moving on to Bullet To The Head (eOne) and its highest-rated review Theorem (BFI). It also featured Wedding Band (Fremantle) in its Box Set Blitz category, further interviewing star Harold Perrineau.

The Sun’s Something For The Weekend column saw its regular reviewer, Andrew Ewart, turned into a an old-fashioned 8-bit-style game character a la Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, which he also gave a glowing review to, concluding that it “punches all the right buttons”. Ewart then moved on to cover Paramount’s Flight and Studiocanal’s I Give It A Year.

The Daily Star devoted much of its Small Screen coverage to A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox), giving it a competition and maximum scoring review (“this hugely entertaining thriller definitely does the business”). Also reviewed were the “riveting thriller” Zero Dark Thirty (Universal), Lincoln (Fox) and a Blu-ray set from Universal including Hop, Despicable Me and The Lorax.

The Daily Mirror’s The Ticket supplement and its chief reviewer David Edwards can often be the hardest to please and this week was no difference. Four strong titles failed to rise above three stars, two of them – Fox’s pairing of Lincoln (“it’s history reduced to a cornball”) and A Good Day To Die Hard (“their mission has been done to death elsewhere”) – getting just two stars, with the undoubtedly quality duo of Chasing Ice (Dogwoof) and Zero Dark Thirty (Universal), getting just three stars apiece.

The Daily Express was the reverse of the Mirror dishing out five stars to the “absorbing, intelligent Steven Spielberg epic” Lincoln, and four apiece to Zero Dark Thirty (“a gripping, complex thriller”) and Paramount’s latest release of The Quiet Man.

The Daily Mail paid the ultimate compliment to Wreck-It Ralph, saying the latest Disney release was so could “it could have come from Pixar”.

The Guardian’s ever-excellent Your Next Box Set feature was this week devoted to the outstanding Broadchurch (Acorn Media), capping what has been an excellent PR campaign with writer Lucy Mangan discussing the series, having never watched it and just6 tore in to the DVD release. As she noted: “I didn’t guess the killer until right near the end (when you-know-who says that to you-know-who-else outside the police station). I was too obsessed with a greater mystery. I watched it all in one sitting – how the rest of you survived eight weeks of waiting, I will truly never know.”

Saturday now and a raft of mentions for DVD and Blu-ray releases across the tabloids’ telly guides. Leading the way was the Daily Mirror’s We Love TV, with a competition offering prizes of Civvies (Acorn Media) to give away.

DVD Of The Week in The Sun’s TV Mag was Zero Dark Thirty (“a nerve-shreddingly good action film”), its Box Set Of The Week was SPHE’s release of Netflix’s House Of Cards (“a slickly made, excellent series”). That same duo cropped up again in the mid-market tabloids – the former in the Daily Express’ Saturday magazine as a Must See item, the latter in the Daily Mail’s Weekend as its box set choice.

Moving further upmarket, the Financial Times Lincoln, A Good `Day To Die Hard and Beyond The Hills (Artificial Eye).

The Independent’s Radar magazine also had “Spielberg’s reverential, verbose drama” Lincoln performing best out of the week’s trio of strong releases, ahead of Zero Dark Thirty (“deadly efficient filmmaking from an exceptional director), with A Good Day To Die Hard (“pointless tosh that sullies your memory of the first magnificent outing”) trailing behind. Also covered were Arrow’s “lovely coming of age drama” I Wish, the “droll and caustic” Veep The Complete First Season (HBO) and I Give It A Year.

The Daily Telegraph’s recent patchy run of DVD coverage continued – the fact that there were no reviews was somewhat tempered by the fact that the excellent Tim Robey Recommends series continues, his choice this week was The Deep End (Fox), which he rightfully described as “an alluringly smart 2002 indie”.

Meanwhile, The Times covered Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln, the former was its favourite of the two (“this is a refined if slightly pious epic”), with a third spot going to House Of Cards.

The Guardian’s Guide chose Zero Dark Thirty as its lead title, with reviewer Phelim O’Neill smartly concluding: “The final moments of the midnight raid on the compound (the title comes from military jargon for the dead of night) are incredibly well handled, while the rest of the film tries to present facts, and plenty of supposition, with as little bias as possible. Whether it succeeds is up to you to decide.” His other selections included the “beautifully filmed documentary” Chasing Ice, “standard issue action flick” A Good Day To Die Hard, Diaz” Don’t Clean Up This Blood and Devil Girl From Mars (Network).

Sunday now and straight in to the tabloids, where The Sun’s Fabulous magazine described Zero Dark Thirty as “four our money, this is one of the best movies of the year”. The Sunday Mirror plumped for House Of Cards (“classy stuff”) as its DVD Pick Of The Week.

The Sunday People featured Veep on its TV page, with, further down the line, on its film pages, “gripping real-life drama” Zero Dark Thirty, “compelling drama” Lincoln, the continuing adventures of “rip-roaring action hero John McClane in A Good Day To Die Hard, which benefited from a competition too.

The Daily Star ranked Zero Dark Thirty (“mixed political drama with superbly-staged action”) and Lincoln (“beautifully written script”) equally, way ahead of A Good Day To Die Hard (“largely forgettable”) and Sweet Vengeance (Studiocanal).

The Mail On Sunday’s Event magazine chose House Of Cards as its Box Set selection on its Staying In page, with A Good Day To Die Hard getting further mention too, albeit in its pay TV format. Only one title, Zero Dark Thirty (“who needs depth when this works so well as a thriller”) featured in its regular DVD column, although there was room for a mammoth four page feature on the world of video on demand, as well as, in keeping with some of the weekend’s other publications, such as The Times, a further feature on the enduring appeal of zombies ahead of the TV transmission of The Returned.

The Independent On Sunday went for Lincoln (“it’s a boldly academic and lengthy and verbal drama – so much so that the viewer, like some of the characters, might sometimes find themselves wishing that the president would stop rabbiting on”) ahead of “one of the year’s most tedious films” Zero Dark Thirty.

Mark Kermode kicked off his column with some wise words on Zero Dark Thirty (“for those who can see beyond the controversy, this is a typically well-executed and intelligent actioner from one of Hollywood’s most visceral directors, a journey into the heart of post-9/11 darkness in which characters become numb, death becomes mundane and victory is never anything but pyrrhic”), moving on to Lincoln (“the result is a film that is both literary and performance-led; wordy, worthy, but worth it for those willing to listen and learn rather than watch and wonder”) and A Good Day To Die Hard, where he intelligently looked at the film being cut to achieve a 12A rating: “Inevitably, those cuts have been reinstated for home viewing, cementing a depressing post-Taken 2 business model in which action movies are cynically diluted for the big screen and then equally cynically resold in “harder” versions on DVD and Blu-ray. You may not like it, but one look at the sums tells us that it’s the way of the future, particularly for the kind of flatulent franchise fodder in which money is the only thing driving the boat.” He ended with For Ellen (Soda Pictures). Philip French’s Classic DVD was Blow Out (Arrow Video). He said: “This is one of the finest films about the process of movie-making, a bleak, complex work that gives Travolta his most challenging role. Pauline Kael called it ‘the best of all American conspiracy movies’. John Travolta once chose it as one of his three favourite films.”

Ending with a couple of magazines, with Paramount’s Tender Mercies (“heartwrenching slice of minimalist drama”). The Radio Times featured Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty and Therese Desqueroux (Artificial Eye).

For almost 28 years, more than a quarter of a century, Castaldo was a constant within our industry and at the retailer. He’d been there through thick and thin, for good times and bad. Loyal to the end, even when signing off, sending emails to both the trade – suppliers and distributors he dealt with regularly – and his colleagues at HMV, Castaldo was still positive looking forward to the future of HMV.

Here’s someone well respected across the trade, someone who always managed to represent not just his paymasters, but the industry as a whole – think of the number of times you saw a national newspaper article about the business, the race for the Christmas number one, record sales for a particular title, and you saw Gennaro Castaldo’s name pop up, quoted and flying the flag for the entertainment business. He could have jumped ship when the going got tough at HMV, but he stayed to see the company through the worst of times. And at all times, despite the worst excesses of the press and its fevered speculation and trashing of the company he loved, Castaldo remained cheerful and upbeat, briefing about possible directions and plans for the company going forward.

And now he’s off to the BPI, with the music business’ gain being the overall entertainment industry’s loss. As we noted on our newsletter, we’re sure everyone in video and elsewhere will wish him all the best for the future.

Here’s some words from Castaldo himself on his departure…

“I’ve had the very best time at HMV and still can’t believe that I am actually leaving – it’s become my life support, and I know I’ll be incredibly sad when I walk through the doors a final time. Even with all its recent troubles I can’t think of another brand I’d rather have worked for. One reason why it felt so special there, aside from the fantastic colleagues in store an at head office, was that it gave me a very privileged opportunity to work with so many wonderful people across so many aspects of the film industry, whether that was Lavinia at the BVA, Liz at the Industry Trust and their teams, all the amazingly talented people at the studios on the theatrical or sell-through side or the many associates at the smaller indie labels and the agencies too. And it was great working with our trade journalists – Sam and his team at Cue and, of course, the amazing Tim Murray, who at times might as well have been an HMV employee such was his passion for our brand and his shared sense of indignation at the adverse and sometimes unfair headlines. We should value them more and not take them for granted.

“I absolutely love the film industry because it gives expression to our collective imagination and helps brings our dreams to life – engaging our emotions and senses in a way that few other mediums can come close to matching (alongside music perhaps – better say that). At times we perhaps get a bit blasé about the wonderful acting and amazing effects, but what our studios deliver day in day out is nothing short of miraculous, and we should all feel incredibly proud of what we achieve as an industry. We basically make people’s lives immeasurably better in a way that little else can, and we should never lose sight of that or ever feel we have to apologise for existing as business. Without the film studios (and the retailers to sell them!) there are no films. Simple as that.

“I’d better sign off before I get too emotional, but I am so grateful to everyone I have ever worked with for all their support and for the kindnesses they have shown me. I have been lucky to be invited to wonderful premieres and screenings – an incredible privilege that has given me many cherished memories, and for this I will remain forever grateful. If I have contributed anything in my time at HMV, then it’s down to the generous help and goodwill I have received from so many people across the wider entertainment biz. I’d like to wish everyone all the very best in return in the genuine hope that we can remain in touch and, perhaps, work together again one day. Finally, I’d like to wish everyone at new HMV and Fopp – Ian Topping and his directors, the team at Hilco, the amazing colleagues at head office, the distribution centres and, of course, the stores around the country, every success going forward. I know that our supplier partners, who have had to put up with so much, are keen to do all they can, and I get the feeling of a growing sense of optimism. I sense that this new chapter in HMV’s long history will be a very positive one that will surprise a few people, and long may that be the case – as a healthy and successful HMV is everyone’s interests.”

The big three slugging it out were Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, Paramount’s Flight and I Give It A Year, three wildly differing films that probably evened out in terms of the coverage they got. Of the trio, the first two got the best reviews, although leaning towards the positive, they weren’t entirely uncritical.

Those three were joined by a whole host of others, including more action heroes (Stallone and Arnie in their respective tales, Bullet To The Head and The Last Stand), and, on the TV side, Breaking Bad.

We’ll start, as ever, with the Metro and its weekly round up of DVD releases, which this week kicked off with Lionsgate’s The Last Stand (“He said ‘I’ll be back’ and here he is… and it won’t disappoint his fans”). Gangster Squad (Warner) was also covered off, as was Dr Who And The Daleks (Studiocanal), while there was further room for a TV title under the Box Set Bliss heading 4DVD’s Shameless (“Frank Gallagher will go down as one of British TV’s greatest characters”.

The Evening Standard was generous in many of its releases: Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph was, in its first review of the weekend, “remarkably conceived, brilliantly animated, a near classic”, moving on to SPHE’s Smashed (“a disease of the week TV movie lifted by great acting and an exceptional script with the ring of truth about it”), Paramount’s Flight (“two movies for the price of one here: first the heartstopping action, then the endless breast-beating”), eOne’s Bullet To The Head (“subtitles useful”) and For Ellen (Soda).

DVD Of The Week in The Sun’s Something For The Weekend column was The Last Stand “after years out of action, it’s oddly comforting to see Arnie still standing proud amid the carnage”), moving on to another Lionsgate title Texas Chainsaw (“too blunted to cut deep”), Gangster Squad (“this is a very plodding tale”) and the excellent BBC Worldwide series Horrible Histories (“an utterly charming chronicle”).

The normally stingy Daily Mirror’s The Ticket supplement went four-star crazy, giving them to three titles – its DVD Off The Week Flight (“starts as an action spectacular, later morphing into a searing human drama”), I Give It A Year (Studiocanal) and Wreck-It Ralph (“Avengers Assemble for the joystick generation”). The only blot on the four-star landscape was Bullet To The Head, given a mere two stars and a wonderfully snide closing remark: “Even Jean-Claude Van Damme would have turned his nose up at this.”

The Daily Star featured the “great action thriller” The Last Stand both in a competition and review, before moving on to I Give It A Year (“you’re in for a true comic treat”), Wreck-It Ralph (“if they’re game for video games, children will want to watch again and again”) and, with maximum marks, the Blu-ray bow for the “riotous adventures” of Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (Fox).

The Daily Express featured a trio of by now familiar titles – Flight (“Denzel Washington gives one of his best performances in this weighty, old-fashioned morality tale”), Wreck-It Ralph (“adult nostalgia and childish capers make this fun for all”) and I Give It A Year.

The Guardian’s Your Next Box Set feature, meanwhile, was this week devoted to the wonderful Utopia (4DVD), complete with the paper’s video correspondent Phelim O’Neill’s thoughts, including his conclusion: “Utopia was a massive step in the right direction for British TV: a stylish, intelligent and violent contemporary mystery that, hopefully, will now find the audience it deserves through this box set.”

Saturday now and, as ever, mentions for forthcoming releases in a number of the tabloids’ telly magazines: the Daily Mirror’s We Love TV (competition for Teen Wolf, released by Fox); The Sun’s TV magazine (the “hilarious romcom fare” of I Give It A Year helping it earn the DVD Of The Week spot, the “scintillating drama” of Breaking Bad was the Box Set Of The Week), the Daily Mail’s Weekend (Case Histories from ITV Studios Home Entertainment) and, finally, the Daily Express’ contribution took in I Give It A Year.

Moving through to the broadsheets’ arts supplement, with our first port of call being the Daily Telegraph’s Review section, which again had no reviews, but did have its rather excellent Tim Robey Recommends column, this week devoted to the “mercilessly taut suspense classic which transcends its schlocky genre” Dead Calm (Warner).

More reviews-wise in The Times’ similarly named section (which also boasted the same cover image, incidentally). With Flight (“Washington fully deserved his Oscar nomination”), I Give It A Year and Wreck-It Ralph (“like being stuck in a room of tots peaking on sugar”).

Flight (“gripping oddity”) and Wreck-It Ralph both made it into The Independent’s Radar, although the best marks went to another Disney title, Finding Nemo in 3D (“beautiful”), with both Arrow Video’s Blow Out (“stylish and cynical but also rather heartbreaking paranoia thriller”) and Horrible Histories (“vigorous, inventive show puts most grown-up British comedies to shame”). Its reviews were alongside another Netflix-related interview plugging its Arrested Development exclusive, this one featuring Michael Cera and proving just how the service can pull in the PR).

Wreck-It Ralph led the way in The Guardian, with a perceptive review: “It’s a sweet, funny movie with decent values and a simple message about being yourself; it also manages to cover the enti8re history of video games. Who knows, maybe children will like it too.” Covered in brief were Veep: The Complete First Season (HBO), The Long Riders, Flight and True Blood Season Five (HBO).

Sunday now, and the tabloids had plenty: the Sunday Mirror’s Pick Of The Week was I Give It A Year, while Flight (“Denzel Washington is on great form”) and Wreck-It Ralph were slugging it out again in the Daily Star, separated only by Paramount’s Dexter Season 7 (“not the best series… but still gripping”).

The Sunday People had Broadchurch (Acorn) as a competition prize on its TV page, while overleaf its film page covered Flight, Wreck-It Ralph, I Give It A Year and Bullet To The Head.

The Mail On Sunday’s Event magazine kept up its recent record of giving plenty of coverage to DVD releases. Its Staying In Page featured Breaking Bad (“time to catch up”) as its Box Set choice, while Disney’s Wreck-It-Ralph was the On Demand choice. Zero Dark Thirty got a further plug too (“the film remains gripping”). Further in, on its DVD page, Breaking Bad got a four star review under a Box Set Of The Week header (Breaking Bad? Brazenly good more like”). The Pick Of The Week titles were Flight, rewarded with first class maximum marks (“that most special of special effects – a great actor getting to grips brilliantly with a great role”), moving on to The Last Stand and Bullet To The Head.
The weekend edition of the Financial Times went for Veep, Opening Night, Flight and The Last Stand.

And we’ll end with The Observer, which went for The Murderer Lives At Number 21 (Eureka’s Masters Of Cinema) as Philip French’s Classic DVD, while Mark Kermode plumped for Flight, Wreck-It Ralph (“a terrifically enjoyable romp that takes a smartly nostalgic idea and runs with it in winning fashion”), The Liability (Metrodome) and ending with I Give It A Year (“a few laughs then, but no love, actually”).

Well, yes. It sounds like something from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And for those at the launch of the home entertainment release of this new take on the film, Texas Chainsaw, it was more of a rfeality…

To kickstart the release of the updated take on one of the horror genre’s most notorious titles, Lionsgate took the bold move of hosting a special themed event. Bold as it is a rare occurrence to have a fully-fledged launch for a DVD title, but the company‘s faith paid off.

What it ended up with was a smart, unique event done on a relatively low budget; one that left those attending – assorted bloggers and writers and a smattering of other industry types – in no doubt as to the impending arrival of the film.

“Our aim for this event was to get people excited about the return of a horror favourite,” explains Lionsgate’s Claire Richardson. “Leatherface ranks as many horror fans’ favourite villain and, what with him being so recognisable, he remains frightening decades after the original.

“With this in mind we brought in a chainsaw artist, to take on the role of Leatherface for the evening, though in this instance a block of wood was his victim and was carved into an impressive piece of artwork. The venue, The Islington Metal Works had plenty of creepy locations which allowed us to build a ‘scare room’. All who entered Leatherface’s lair were faced with one of his victims before being chased away, screaming, by Leatherface himself.

“We also had some of the fun PR features available to view, including the winner of our alternative movie artwork competition and an infographic covering all of the characters and what happened to them in the Texas Chainsaw movies. We were all very pleased with the event, which was organised and managed on the night by our publicist, Marek Steven, and how all of our fearless guests, which included competition winners, reacted (especially in the scare room). With music generously provided by DJs from Metal Hammer and the bar by Jameson’s and Fagerhult the evening went really well and there was some great footage and images of the event to share which will be used to continue the PR for the release next week.”

Lionsgate’s Marek Steven adds: “It was good to show what could be done on a relatively small budget with cross promotional partners and talented young creatives. Reactions from press and competition winners on email and Twitter were universally very positive which is great.”

Here’s some images from the event (thanks to our old mucker Jez Dobson at Name Creative for not just the pictures, but also for holding our hand)…