As always, Arrow Entertainment has assembled an impressive assortment of spectacular special features. First off is the Italian-language version of the film (clocking in at 84:53), which is less stellar-looking than the HD English-language cut (which clocks in at 84:02), but worthwhile if you’re a bit of a perfectionist since all of the scenes containing dialogue were filmed simultaneously in both Italian and (phonetic) English (the latter of which was looped in post-production for the export version). A couple of other bonus materials have been seen before, such as the aforementioned audio commentary with Video Watchdog guru/Bava biographer Tim Lucas, and a couple of radio spots, have been carried over from the 2007 Anchor Bay box set.
Another item, a trailer for the film under the title Carnage, was also seen on the Anchor Bay release, although its inclusion here for Arrow’s release is both introduced and narrated by British filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) and is also available at Trailers From Hell. A second Wright-hosted preview for the same film — this time under the classic Twitch Of The Death Nerve title — also hails from the Trailers From Hell website, and has been added to this release. While Wright is spot-on with why he loves these trailers, it’s a bit of a pity that neither trailer is presented here without his commentary (although you do get to catch bits and pieces of them without Mr. Wright during the disc’s featurettes, which are discussed below).
Three incredible featurettes (in HD 1080p) are new to home video, and have been produced by the genre-devotees at High Rising Productions for this release. In the first featurette — “Argento! Bava! Fulci! The Giallo Gems Of Dardano Sacchetti” (33:09) — giallo screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti discusses his work with three of Italy’s most famed directors. American filmmaker (and grindhouse aficionado) Joe Dante is interviewed for the second featurette entitled “Bava And The Grindhouse: Joe Dante Remembers Twitch Of The Death Nerve” (12:24). Dante, director of such favorites as Gremlins and InnerSpace, discusses how the movie — along with many of Bava’s other films — greatly appealed to grindhouse audiences and went on to inspire him in his own work.
Lastly in the newly-produced extras, we sit down to have a chat with cinematographer Gianlorenzo Battaglia for “Bay Of Bava: Shooting A Spaghetti Classic” (21:16), who recollects working with both Mario Bava and his son Lamberto (director of Demons), as well as the cast. All three featurettes include clips from other releases, and the first and third interviews are in Italian with English subtitles. Two Easter Eggs (hidden goodies) can also be found with this release by going to the scene selection menu (via the main menu) and scrolling up from the first selection (to which you’ll be treated to two alternate opening credits, both of which have been culled from British and German VHS releases).
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