indie directing projects like Crash! and Parasite and the founding of Full Moon Pictures at the height of the VHS era, 
Charles Band had a short but glorious run with Empire International Pictures, founded in 1983 and shuttered in 1988 (though some of its films kept trickling out well after that). A contemporary of Cannon Films but dedicated entirely to horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, Empire struck gold at the box office with a handful of films like Ghoulies and introduced the movie world to Chicago theater pioneer turned filmmaker Stuart Gordon with the instant classic Re-Animator. Thanks to its initial distribution deal with Vestron and later New World for its VHS releases, Empire became a much-loved name for young genre fans and delivered a streak of films whose cult appeal continues to grow. Five representative films from its earliest days to its final ones have been collected in a 2023 Blu-ray set from Arrow Video, Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams, pitched as a salute of sorts to the glory days of video store rentals right down to its stylized retro packaging (with art by Laurie Greasley), double-sided posters for each film including new designs by Ilan Sheady, 15 postcard-sized reproduction artcards, an Arrow Video store "membership card," and an 80page book with essays by Lee Gambin, Dave Jay, Megan Navarro, and John Harrison, plus archival material. The films themselves have all been given visual improvements to varying degrees depending on the existing materials, and a barrage of new special features has been added as well.
than 80 minutes. Repeatedly experiencing vivid dreams involving beautiful women and monsters, computer programmer Paul Bradford (busy TV actor Jeffrey Byron) is experiencing tension at home with 
his girlfriend, Gwen (Retribution's Wing), over his dependence on his computer, X-CaliBR8-- which becomes a wrist-sized asset when the couple get nocturnally lurched into the realm of the imposing sorcerer Mesterna (Night Court's Moll). Determined to test his skills against modern technology, Mesterna hurls the duo into a variety of scenarios involving monsters, caves, samurai, zombies, post-nuke combat, and... hair metal band W.A.S.P. 
whole. 
The 2023 Arrow Video Blu-ray offers a choice of no less than three cuts: the bona fide U.S. theatrical cut (73 minutes), the pre-release cut, and the actual international Ragewar version which drops a little bit of the nudity and has the different story sequencing. The new 2K restoration from the negative by Arrow looks about as good as you could expect for such a patchwork film, using seamless branching to maximize the video quality. The biggest difference here is the deeper blacks compared to the earlier Blu-ray, now giving it a richer look throughout; the LPCM 1.0 English mono audio is also in good shape and, as with the other films here, comes with optional English SDH subtitles. Byron turns up for a new audio commentary with the engineers behind the special features throughout the set, The Schlock Pit's Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain, speaking via teleconference about his family connection John Ford, the family community on the set, the various directorial attributions, and other tales from the set. Byron also appears for a video interview, "I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own" (15m7s), which takes its title from the film's most famous line of dialogue (later utilized prominently by Mythbusters); here he recalls first meeting Band auditioning for Metalstorm, the evolution of this film (which started first thing the morning after Metalstorm wrapped), his writing and casting of one episode, and the use of his real apartment for the film. Also included are the trailer, an alternate Ragewar trailer sourced from VHS, and a 12-image gallery. 
During his tenure at Empire, Stuart Gordon took time out from his delirious 
H.P. Lovecraft adaptations (Re-Animator and From Beyond) for the second film in this set, Dolls. A twisted, comparatively low-key fairy tale for adults, this bears a closer resemblance to The Company of Wolves than a standard '80s gorefest. Fans tend to be split down the middle over this one, but horror buffs willing to savor atmosphere and craft special effects should find more than enough to enjoy.
went on to shine in the similar Puppetmaster series from Full Moon. The sly casting of old pros Rolfe and Mason works wonders, as the couple projects a potent combination of suppressed menace and twisted attentiveness that carries the story through some 
of its slower patches. Running less than 80 minutes, this can feel like more of a sketch than a fully developed film at times, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do and demonstrates a director as comfortable with slowly mounting, psychological terror as overt bloodshed. Gordon does deliver a handful of brief but nasty, E.C. Comics-style violent moments worth mentioning, including a nasty bit of ankle trauma and the screen's most unusual firing squad. 
"Toys Of Terror" (38m1s) featurette with Gordon, producer Brian Yuzna, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Ian Patrick Williams, and executive producer Charles Band. The Arrow disc sports a new 2K restoration from the interpositive, offering some refinements in 
detail and contrast without swerving far off from the look of the previous HD master; as with the Scream Factory disc, 5.1 and 2.0 English tracks are included. Around this time Empire had switched from mono mixes to employing Ultra Stereo on most of its titles, using the format well with lots of active channel separation for both the music and manipulative sound effects. This one is no exception, and the two tracks sound very similar with a great deal of presence throughout. Both prior commentaries are ported over along with the trailer, storyboard comparison, and "Toys of Terror," but you also get a new audio commentary by filmmaker David Decoteau who always provides entertainment chat tracks. It's an in-depth rundown of his history with Empire Pictures (starting with Dreamaniac), his first exposure to Gordon seeing Re-Animator on Hollywood Blvd. at what became Disney's El Capitan theater, and his memories of lots of folks affiliated with this production. "Assembling Dolls" (17m1s) a new interview with Lee Percy, editor of Dolls, Re-Animator and From Beyond, about his path that his career after starting out in acting and the elaborate process of cutting films for Gordon to get the right genre balance. Also included are an alternate trailer (scored with Pino Donaggio's music from Dressed to Kill like the standard one) and a U.K. home video trailer, plus a 52-image 
gallery.
An ambitious creature feature that somehow ended up going straight to VHS back in the day, Cellar Dweller rears its head on disc three with the special edition it should have gotten long ago. As mentioned above, this was given a DVD release from Scream Factory several years ago in that four-film pack, and it hit Blu-ray in 2015 as a double feature with Catacombs (with only a commentary by David Schmoeller for the co-feature as a supplement). The transfer was culled from the best available element, a film print, but it's really impressive given the source with nice contrast and color. That said, there was intermittent damage throughout (including some water stains popping in and out) that have all been cleaned up on the Arrow edition. The English DTS-HD 2.0 mix is shockingly spacious and rich for such a quick and cheap film, using the rear channels and front speakers throughout and replicating how the Ultra Stereo presentation would have operated had this played in theaters. 
gives an 
icy welcome to the newest arrival, Childress buff Whitney Taylor (Farentino). Among the other artists are Phillip (Head of the Class' Robbins, now the head of Paramount / Nickelodeon), who starts a bit of a tentative romance with her, while various projects within the house range from therapeutic performance art to video time-lapse pieces. Of course, it isn't long before Whitney disobeys Mrs. Briggs and roots around in the cellar where she finds a certain pivotal book and unleashes the monstrous menace all over again. 
talking about his work on this film, the notorious unreleased Empire anthology Pulse Pounders, Spellcaster, and others, 
as well as the quick and cheap shoot on this one (with Combs only on set for one day) and the challenges of finding basic supplies in Italy. "Grabbed by the Ghoulies" (16m3s) is a new video appreciation of Buechler by Budrewicz and Wain chatting about the late horror pioneer's career including his influence of horror make-up design and his direction of Troll, this film, and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. "Inside the Cellar" (16m30s) features a new interview with Deak, reiterating some points from his commentary while including a broader look at his output for Empire over the years. Also included are the original 2-image sales sheet, a 12-image replica of the production notes, behind the scenes photos (1m40s) from Deak's collection, 45 images of artwork and stills, and a VHS trailer. In a nice touch, you also get an Empire Pictures trailer reel sourced from film (including Ghoulies, Ghoulies II, Breeders, Eliminators, Crawlspace, From Beyond, and Prison), plus a "VHS Mode" reel featuring SD iterations of the previews for Ghoulies, Eliminators, From Beyond, TerrorVision, Troll, Enemy Territory, Ghoulies II, Catacombs, Ghost Town, 
and 
Crawlspace. 
film 
with that premise. MGM didn't give this one much attention for a long time compared to higher profile Empire catalog titles apart from a VHS release sold direct through Amazon, but eventually Scream Factory issued it on DVD in 2013 as part of a 4 Sci-Fi Movie Marathon set with Eliminators, America 3000, and The Time Guardian. Element issues were cited as the reason it didn't go Blu within the next couple of years, but Arrow has given it their best shot here with the best option around, the last known surviving 35mm print. This time the nature of the source is obvious given the less than optimal contrast and detail, but it's about as good as what you'd see in a theater and definitely better than the standard def options we've had for ages. As an opening disclaimer notes, for some reason the prints have all optical text (including the main titles and a few overlays here and there) printed very off center for some reason and have been left that way here; it isn't a flaw of the transfer itself. The Ultra Stereo mix once again sounds really dramatic here with tons of activity in front and back, making it a real treat for the ears all the way. The SD fullframe version is also included here for posterity since it has those different framing aspects in some scenes, though the framing of the Blu-ray is definitely superior with quite a bit of extra horizontal info added. (See comparison shots below.) A new commentary by 
director Peter Manoogian, moderated by Budrewicz and Wain, talks about the film's belated release after its production in 1987, the challenges 
of doing a sci-fi movie on a limited budget, his other work with Charles Band going back to Parasite, and his experiences working in L.A. It's very comprehensive and makes up for the absence of his archival interview featurette from the Dungeonmaster disc. In "Not His Arena" (14m44s), co-screenwriter Danny Bilson goes into his distaste for the horror genre, his apprenticeship under Mac Ahlberg, and the "wrestling in space" poster idea that led to creating this film, among many other topics. Finally in "Empire of Creatures" (16m21s), special make-up effects artist Michael Deak looks back at his work on this film and Cellar Dweller (and others including Ghost Town), his love of doing action scenes, his performance as the horned combatant, and the impressive scope of this production that required an army of technicians including Screaming Mad George. Also included are widescreen and 4x3 theatrical trailers, plus image galleries of behind the scenes shots (1m6s) and posters and stills (28 images). 
epics from Gordon, followed by 1992's Fortress and 1996's Space Truckers, and its excellent stop-motion effects are still a delight today. Like Arena, this was made in '87 (sometimes announced under Gordon's initial title of Robojox) but got stuck in the disintegration of Empire, finally getting a marginal release in 1990 
after numerous false starts. Since then the film has amassed a cult following, affirming Gordon's track record of having no misfires among his big screen theatrical work; though Gordon passed away in 2020, it's a body of work that's remarkably high in quality and cohesive for its embracing of the wide variety of genre possibilities. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that this film was way ahead of the curve, anticipating not only the very similar Pacific Rim from 2012 (which tossed kaiju into the mix) but the transposition of the animated Transformers to live action as well. 
leads do fine work here, with Johnson making for a fascinating variation on the tough action female lead that was really coming into prominence throughout the '80s. A fine, energetic 
score by Frédéric Talgorn (who worked with Gordon again on Fortress) lends solid support and has been a favorite of soundtrack collectors for ages, and the colorful aesthetic also anticipates the look of sci-fi films that would come long after this. Of course, the Gordon touch is evident throughout including his offbeat sense of humor and a supporting cast peppered with welcome familiar faces like Hilary Mason, Jeffrey Combs, Ian Patrick Williams, and Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (with a quick cameo by Gordon himself).
negative and offers some very visible improvements right off the bat including more image info visible on the sides in non-effects shots, more consistent and slightly punchier color grading, and deeper blacks. Once again the DTS-HD MA 2.0 English track is a boisterous way to 
experience the Ultra Stereo mix, with plentiful multi-channel activity from start to finish. The previous commentaries are carried over here along with the Koslo interview and trailer; if you have the Scream disc, you may want to hang on to it since the other older interviews are jettisoned here in favor of a slate of new ones. In "Crash and Burn" (17m9s), Graham focuses on the many physical challenges of the production, including accidentally nailing Paul Koslo in the mouth during their big showdown. Then in "Her Name is Athena" (13m35s), Johnson talks about getting cast while appearing on What's Happening Now!! and the forward-looking nature of her heroine character at the time, with many facets she enjoyed exploring along with the requisite physical training. "The Scale of Battle: David Allen and the FX of Robot Jox" (26m35s) is a new appreciation of stop-motion animator Allen by his colleagues including visual effects artists Steve Burg, Yancy Calzeda, Paul Gentry, Kevin Kutchaver, Dennis Muren and John Vincent, who explore the appeal of that type of animation and ways Allen influenced his peers. Other extras include a 2-image sales sheet, a 12-image production notes rundown, a "Salvaged from the Wreckage" (8m19s) video piece covering the many models used on the film from Gentry's archive, 9m14s of behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Gentry and 114 posters and stills.
THE DUNGEONMASTER: Arrow Video (Blu-ray)
THE DUNGEONMASTER: Scream Factory (Blu-ray)
DOLLS: Arrow Video (Blu-ray)
DOLLS: Scream Factory (Blu-ray)
CELLAR DWELLER: Arrow Video (Blu-ray)
CELLAR DWELLER: Scream Factory (Blu-ray)
> 
ARENA: Arrow Video HD version
ARENA: Arrow Video SD version
ROBOX JOX: Arrow Video (Blu-ray)
ROBOX JOX: Scream Factory (Blu-ray)
