I absolutely love Arrow and have been a collector of their editions for years, and Arrow Player is the most streamed channel in my house. I’ve seen a lot of Select lists, and while I agree with them, I wanted to highlight some that people might have otherwise overlooked. 

Audition:
Miike’s masterpiece on the pursuit of perfection. A huge influence on “Hostel.” 

Basket Case:
It still manages to shock all these years later. A work of art that showcases the forgotten era of sleazy times square. You think you can handle the movie and then the last ten minutes happen...

Contamination:
I love Luigi Cozzi. He does fantastic low-budget films and they’re always entertaining. Argento’s former assistant director, when he’s on, he’s on. 

Creepshow 2:
It’s all about The Raft. Huge influence on “Cabin Fever".

Donnie Darko (Theatrical):
Don’t tell Rich Kelly I prefer the Theatrical Cut. Please. Not that I don’t love his cut, but I fell in love with the movie I saw in the theaters. 

Madhouse:
You can’t beat Olivia Assonidis for all-out bonkers in movies. And what’s that score I hear in the middle of it? Sounds a lot like Ortolani’s “Cannibal Holocaust” music, doesn’t it…?

Society:
One of the best horror movies of all time for use of makeup effects is also one of the most overlooked. A mix of Akira, Reanimator, and an 80s California high school movie. 

The Addiction:
One of my favorite Lily Taylor performances ever. Vampirism as a metaphor for drug addiction. Walken of course steals the show but this is one of Ferrara’s best from his incredible 90s New York City run. 

The Mutilator:
I love this movie so much I had to rip myself in half in “Cabin Fever” to homage it. I love that they don’t even hide who the killer is. He’s just a mutilator. Check out the great doc Arrow had about the making off. 

The Suspicious Death of a Minor:
Very cool Sergio Martino movie with an incredible car chase through Rome. I still have no idea how they did that bicycle shot. You’ll know which one I’m talking about. 

The Stuff:
Ah, the great Larry Cohen. I still think of this movie every time I eat yogurt. Look for Patrick Dempsey in one of his first roles. We even gave him a container of The Stuff on set shooting “Thanksgiving” during a take. 

Torso:
One of the best giallos of all time, with the great Luc Merenda and a fantastic score by the De Angelis brothers. This movie works so well because every suspect you believe is a creepy perv. I shot a lot of Hostel 2 to look like Torso. The third act is sublime. 

The El Duce Tapes:
I am so happy this doc got made. I was a huge Mentors fan in high school and this definitely answered a lot of questions. Love Rodney Ascher’s films, definitely check it out. 

City of the Living Dead:
Viva Fulci. Spectacular deaths, insane maggot storm, close-up zooms into the eyes - what’s not to love? Fulci just went for broke during this period, he was at a low in his career and then made a run of the most iconic horror films of all time that redefined Italian gore. 

Slugs:
I love Pieces so much I will see anything by Juan Piquer Simon. I had no idea slugs were this violent until I saw this film. It’s not as crazy as Pieces, but definitely feels like a good companion piece. 

Cannibal Terror:
A bizarro French entry into the Italian cannibal subgenre, this one uses extras who clearly are repulsed by the guts they’re supposed to be eating, so they just kind of rub them around their mouths and look into the camera. Oddly, the film has a fantastic score which I have never been able to find so if you find it let me know! 

Screamers:
A classic example of mismarketing a film. “Island of the Fishman”, the Italian title, is much more appropriate for this Lovecraftian film about a man who turns people into fish to find sunken treasure. It’s a wild, fun adventure movie with a fantastic score by John Barry that was sold as a film about people being turned inside out. While technically true (the gills) it’s much more than that, and it’s more of a fun island mad scientist adventure film than shocking horror. 

Pieces:
My favorite slasher film of all time. You can put this movie on with a room full of people and they will laugh and scream like you have never seen. It’s just batshit crazy in all the right ways, with spectacular makeup effects and the greatest eyebrow acting of all time from Paul. L. Smith. The score is credited to “CAM” but that’s just the Italian library. It’s Stelio Cipriani’s spectacular music from “Un’Ombra Nell’Ombra” (Ring of Darkness) from 1979. Do not miss. Right up to the last shot this movie delivers. 

*not all films are available in all territories