Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection - coming from Arrow

Alien Invasions! Haunted Pianos! Sentient Monster Trucks! Arrow Video is proud to present the first ever collection of works by Bill Rebane, the epitome of an independent regional filmmaker who built his own studio in the wilds of Wisconsin. He acted for Hitchcock, he searched for the arms of the Venus De Milo, he turned a VW Beetle into a giant spider and he’s still at work today!

 

Bringing together six films, all new to Blu-ray and in brand new restorations, Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection packs in a mutant astronaut bothering blissful sunbathers (Monster A Go-Go), a contagion apocalypse as seen from the vantage point of a remote mountain cabin (Invasion from Inner Earth), deadly alien spores from the rocks of Mars (The Alpha Incident), rural gothic and outright horror (The Demons of Ludlow), an eccentric ‘body count’ movie (The Game) and a comedy smash-‘em up that pits three hillbilly stooges against a talking Monster Truck with artificial intelligence (Twister’s Revenge).

Loaded with new interviews and extras, this is an essential collection of features from one of America’s most tenacious outsider auteurs!

DISC ONE - MONSTER A GO-GO + INVASION FROM INNER EARTH

MONSTER A GO-GO! American astronaut Frank Douglas returns to earth as a ten-foot-tall radioactive humanoid monster! Independent filmmaker Bill Rebane’s first attempt at a feature film began life as Terror At Halfday but was abandoned when funds ran dry. It was then bought by legendary exploitation pioneer Herschell Gordon Lewis who shot extra footage, added a voice over and released it to drive-ins as MONSTER A GO-GO! Rebane himself called it “the worst film ever made”, but it’ll still give you the wim-wams!

INVASION FROM INNER EARTH In the Canadian wilderness a group of pilots listen to reports of planes crashing, cars stalling and a deadly plague gripping the planet. As it becomes clear that the Earth is amidst an invasion, they barricade themselves in a cabin in the woods and wait for impending doom.

• Straight Shooter Part 1 and Part 2, two newly filmed interviews about the making of Monster A Go-Go and Invasion from Inner Earth with director Bill Rebane
• Brand new interview with historian and critic Kim Newman about the films of Bill Rebane.
• Twist Craze, and Dance Craze, two early short films by Bill Rebane
• Kidnap Extortion (1973), a newly restored industrial short directed by Bill Rebane
• Stills and Promotional Gallery

DISC TWO - THE ALPHA INCIDENT + THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW

THE ALPHA INCIDENT A space probe returns from Mars carrying a deadly organism that could destroy all life on Earth! While being transported across country by train the micro-organism is accidentally released, resulting in the quarantine of an entire train station. Those trapped inside must wait for the government to find a cure while trying not to sleep, because that’s when the
organism strikes!

THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW The population of a small, quiet town prepares to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of its founding, but the town of Ludlow has a very dark past and when a piano arrives at auction, the ghosts its past return to seek retribution. 

• Straight Shooter Part 3 and Part 4, two newly filmed interviews about the making of The Alpha Incident and The Demons of Ludlow with director Bill Rebane
• Rebane’s Key Largo, a brand new visual essay by historian and critic Richard Harland Smith
• The Alpha Incident original trailer
• The Demons of Ludlow original trailer
• Stills and Promotional Gallery

DISC THREE - THE GAME + TWISTER’S REVENGE

THE GAME (aka THE COLD) Three bored millionaires gather nine people at an old mansion to play “The Game” … if they can meet and conquer their fears and they’ll receive a million dollars in cash. But all is not as it seems!

TWISTER’S REVENGE An action-comedy-smash-‘em-up in which three bumbling criminals repeatedly attempt to steal the artificial intelligence control system of Mr. Twister, a talking Monster Truck.

• Two presentations of The Game (aka The Cold) in 1.85 and 1.33 aspect ratio
• Straight Shooter Part 5 and Part 6, two newly filmed interviews about the making of The Game and Twister’s Revenge with director Bill Rebane
• Discovering Bill Rebane, brand new presentation by historian & critic Stephen R. Bissette about his personal connections with the films of Bill Rebane and their importance to regional film making in America
• The Game original trailer
• Twister’s Revenge original trailer
• Stills and Promotional Gallery

DISC FOUR - WHO IS BILL REBANE? (2021) + BONUS

• Who is Bill Rebane? Exclusive new feature length documentary by historian and critic David Cairns on the life and work of the Wisconsin auteur, featuring historians, critics, filmmakers, plus cast and crew members who worked with Bill Rebane.
• King of the Wild Frontier a new almost two-hour impassioned conversation with historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette about the films of Bill Rebane
• Invasion from Inner Earth outtakes from the shoot
• The Alpha Incident outtakes from the shoot
• The Demons of Ludlow outtakes from the shoot
• The Giant Spider Invasion original trailer
• Gallery of Behind the Scenes stills
• Stills and Promotional Galleries for the rest of Rebane’s filmography

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Six Bill Rebane films, all newly restored from the best surviving film elements: Monster A Go-Go (1965), Invasion from Inner Earth (1974), The Alpha Incident (1978), The Demons Of Ludlow (1983), The Game (1984), Twister’s Revenge (1988)
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations on 4 Blu-ray discs
• Original uncompressed mono audio for all films
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Straight Shooter, a multi-part interview with director Bill Rebane about the making and release of each film in the set
• Who is Bill Rebane? A definitive brand new feature length documentary by historian and critic David Cairns, featuring contributions from filmmakers, fans, historians, critics, and the cast and crew who worked with Bill Rebane [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]
• Fully illustrated 60-page collector’s booklet featuring extensive new writing by historian and critic Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of Exploitation Independents [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]
• Reversible poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]
• Reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork for each of the films by The Twins of Evil

Extras subject to change

Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection is released May 24th from Arrow Video.

Pre-order the BD box-set from Amazon.co.uk