5 Of Our Favourite Collector's Films
As film and its audiences move further and further into streaming, there is now more reason than ever to preserve your beloved blockbusters, classics and cult favourites in physical form! A collection that you can see, touch and annoy your guests with when they visit as you become that crazy movie person who lives down the street.
Here at Rarewaves, we value physical product, and not just for obvious reasons. Our team is made up of people who love film, music and just about anything else you can watch, listen to or read! We also understand the importance of independent film, cult followings, world cinema and bringing to light great films that may have flown under your radar. From folk horror like Starve Acre to the sword and the sorcery of… The Sword and the Sorcerer.
Which is why we have decided to launch our Collector’s Hub at Rarewaves.com! Here, you will find those mentioned plus absolute cinema classics like Seven Samurai and modern classics like The Blair Witch Project. It’s where you’ll be able to find your favourites from 88 Films, Arrow, Radiance, Curzon, Second Sight and so many more!
Let’s take a quick look at some of our favourites from the Collector’s Hub, that are coming soon!
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
You could describe Late Night with the Devil as taking that scene from Joker where things are super uncomfortable during a talk show and inserting a possessed young girl and a host who is desperately trying to boost his dwindling numbers. David Dastmalchian is the leading man here in a role that seems like he was born to play it, with the found footage genre refreshed and taking the form of lost and/or hidden tapes of something that was never supposed to be seen, which is a nice shift away from all of the POV style films that saturate the genre.
Late Night with the Devil by the directorial duo of brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes is one of the best horror movies of recent memory, one of the most creative and genuinely one of the most frightening.
Seven Samurai (1954)
I mean, how can we possibly talk about collector’s editions without talking about Seven bloody Samurai?! Seven Samurai is quite possibly the most celebrated film of all time, with many considering it to be the single greatest film ever made. By Akira Kurosawa whose filmography consists of an entire library of classics that could be considered the best movies ever made, Seven Samurai’s influence on the film industry and its creators cannot be understated.
It is regarded as one of the most "remade, reworked, and referenced" films in the history of cinema. The western classic The Magnificent Seven is an Old West remake of the samurai epic, and its influence can be seen in Star Wars, A Bug’s Life, Saving Private Ryan and even The Avengers. Several video games also credit Seven Samurai as an inspiration and a blueprint. If you haven’t seen it then firstly: Why? And secondly: Get yourself a copy right now and stop wasting time watching things like Joy Ride. Seriously.
The Exorcist III (1990)
The Exorcist III understandably flew under the radar after the disaster that was The Exorcist II: Heretic. It would be entirely plausible to have watched that and think to yourself “I don't think I’m gonna bother with any further Exorcist movies”, but you should. And The Exorcist III is why. The third film in the iconic horror series is directed by William Peter Blatty, the writer of the book Legion on which the film is based, as well as the original Exorcist. It also ignores Heretic entirely. Whilst it still won’t be as good as the book, having the actual author direct it means that it’s in the best possible hands.
The Exorcist III is a solid supernatural horror that retains the elements we love from the original film whilst introducing new ones, playing out more like a detective drama set within the Exorcist universe as opposed to a straight-up horror movie like the first. It is still a sequel though, so expect some familiar faces and plot points.
Watership Down (1978)
Who doesn’t love a film about cute fluffy bunnies? Doesn’t matter, that’s not what Watership Down is. Don’t pop this one for your kids hoping that it’ll be followed by a good night’s sleep, because it won’t. Not just for your kids but probably not for you either. That's not to say that it doesn’t have anything colourful or child-friendly. The opening sequence is pretty dream-like as it starts the story by going back to the beginning of time and introducing its own mythology. But from then on, it is grim and dark.
Based on the novel by Richard Adams, the film is directed by Martin Rosen and pulls no punches in its very honest depiction of violence, survival and death. An animated film for adults but not what you think of when somebody says “an animated film for adults.”
Haxan (1922)
Haxan, which means "Witch" in Danish is super interesting. It’s a horror film that takes the form of a documentary, based on director Benjamin Christensen’s studies of the Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th-century German guide to witchcraft and superstitions. It proposes that the witch hunts of the Middle Ages were the result of misunderstandings of mental disorders which triggered mass hysteria. Haxan is a journey through time to chart the roots of superstition and, due to Christensen’s meticulous recreations of different time periods resulting in lengthy production, the film was at the time of its release in 1922, the most expensive Scandinavian movie ever made. It was also highly controversial and its, what were considered graphic depictions at the time of nudity, sex, torture and anti-clericalism were highly censored in many countries.
Now considered a masterpiece, Haxan is a unique work that is unnerving even by today’s standards. From its visuals to its atmosphere and one of the most genuinely frightening depictions of Satan ever shown on screen (portrayed by Benjamin Christensen himself), Haxan stands the test of time as a piece of entertainment but also a study of witchcraft through a lens of times passed.
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