Newly Restored Belarusian Folk-horror THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH (1980) To Be Released In July 2024 As The First Exclusive Blu-ray With DiabolikDVD
Deaf Crocodile Films To Release Deluxe Slipcase Edition Blu-rays Exclusively With DiabolikDVD & Offer New Subscription Service
Deaf Crocodile Films announced today that it will be working exclusively with DiabolikDVD, the largest independent online distributor of specialized home video releases, starting in July as its distributor for Deluxe Slipcase Edition Blu-rays and other special home video releases. Deaf Crocodile will also offer for the first time a subscription service beginning in July that guarantees subscribers Deluxe Edition Blu-ray releases shipped early before regular commercial release.
Deaf Crocodile is known for its beautifully restored versions of long-sought world cinema and world animation titles, including Russian fantasy master Aleksandr Ptushko’s ILYA MUROMETS, SAMPO, THE TALE OF TSAR SALTAN, and RUSLAN & LUDMILA; the lost Black independent crime film SOLOMON KING, shot in Oakland in 1974 by filmmaker/actor/writer Sal Watts; legendary Czech animator Jiri Barta’s THE PIED PIPER; animated gems such as Bill Plympton’s THE TUNE, the Romanian sci-fi features DELTA SPACE MISSION, and THE SON OF THE STARS; acclaimed Hungarian animated films HEROIC TIMES, BUBBLE BATH, and CAT CITY and many others (www.deafcrocodile.com).
DiabolikDVD has been offering a one-stop shopping experience for over 20 years providing customers with boutique titles from all corners of the globe. As a strictly independent, owner-operated business, Diabolik thrives at providing customers with a well-curated and personal experience with a keen eye to the needs of the collector and casual customer alike. From the weird to the wild, Diabolik is the trusted choice among cinema fans looking for films that they have always wanted and the ones they never realized they needed to have.
Prior to working with DiabolikDVD, Deaf Crocodile was a partner label at OCN/Vinegar Syndrome since Deaf Croc’s launch in 2021.
The first Deaf Crocodile Deluxe Edition release available exclusively through Diabolik will be the ultra-rare Belarusian folk-horror THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH by filmmaker Valeri Rubinchik, newly restored by Craig Rogers, Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder and Head of Post-Production and Restoration, in its 2-hour Director’s Cut version for its first-ever North American Blu-ray release.
THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH will be available for pre-sale through DiabolikDVD and Deaf Crocodile’s own website starting on July 1st.
“I’ve been a huge fan and customer of Jesse Nelson and DiabolikDVD for many years now, so it’s wonderful to be collaborating with them for the next stage of Deaf Crocodile,” says Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder and Head of Acquisitions & Distribution Dennis Bartok. “I’m a physical media collector myself, and Craig and I are thrilled to be working with the best in the business when it comes to carrying rare and wonderful film treasures—not only from the U.S. but from all over the world. His commitment to supporting physical media and their emphasis on working with often-neglected and overlooked filmmakers truly aligns with our passions at Deaf Crocodile.”
“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Jesse. DiabolikDVD has been fans’ go-to online shop for wonderful and hard-to-find cinema for decades, and this new partnership will allow Deaf Crocodile to explore ideas that have been percolating in our minds for some time now,” added Rogers. “The new expanded Deluxe Editions will be absolutely gorgeous and allow for more in-depth essays from some of the best folks working in the field today —and they’ll look great on your shelf!”
“I’m thrilled to be able to offer Deaf Crocodile titles exclusively as part of our extensive cult movie catalog,” says Diabolik owner Jesse Nelson. “While we certainly have made our name on selling horror titles, we have also curated a selection of lesser-known world cinema over the years and as a film fan, Deaf Crocodile’s films align perfectly with the store and my personal taste. This will be a long and fruitful relationship and allow customers to be able to continue expanding their Deaf Crocodile collection from a trusted independent retailer.”
THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH (DIKAYA OKHOTA KOROLYA STAKHA), 1980, Belarusfilm, 126 min. Dir. Valeri Rubinchik.
“We have more ghosts than live people,” murmurs the pale, haunted mistress of the mansion of Marsh Firs (Elena Dimitrova) to a scholar of ancient folklore (Boris Plotnikov) who has arrived at her castle to research the bloody legend of King Stakh, a murdered 15th-century nobleman whose spirit supposedly thunders through the local woodlands.
The Wild Hunt is a fixture of northern European folklore in which a sinister figure leads a chase followed by ghostly companions. Part folk horror, part supernatural mystery, KING STAKH is a melancholy, chilling mixture of Terry Gilliam, Italian Gothic Horror, 1960s Hammer Films, and THE WICKER MAN —and a major rediscovery for genre fans. The longer the young scholar stays in this mysterious house of “shadow, gloom, madness, and death” the more strange and surreal the imagery becomes: a mad widow in a white wig; a man bleeding spontaneously from his skull; a dwarf hiding in a decayed doll’s house; screeching ravens and maniacal puppet shows. Based on the novel by Belarusian writer Uladzimir Karatkievich, the long-unavailable KING STAKH has recently been restored in its extended 126 minute Director’s Cut by Deaf Crocodile for its first-ever U.S. release, co-presented with Seagull Films. In Russian with English subtitles.
Bonus Features:
*Brand-new restoration of the Director’s Cut of the film by Craig Rogers for Deaf Crocodile.
*Slipcase edition offers 60-page illustrated booklet including:
· New essay by film historian & professor Peter Rollberg (Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema).
· New essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).
*New commentary track by comics artist (Swamp Thing), film historian, and author Stephen R. Bissette.
*New commentary track by Mike White of The Projection Booth.
*”The Wild, Wild Hunt of King Stakh” — new video essay by film historian Evan Chester.
*Video introduction by filmmaker and author Kier-La Janisse (WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR).
*Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion.
*New art by Beth Morris and comics artist David W. Mack (“Kabuki”, Marvel Comics’ “Echo”)
Deaf Crocodile will now be offering a 6-month or 12-month Subscription Service.
The enrollment period begins in June and starts with the July, 2024 release of THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH.
6-month subscription (July ’24 – December ’24) $230 (includes all shipping charges)
12-month subscription (July ’24 – June ’25) $500 (includes all shipping charges)
Subscription includes:
GUARANTEED COPY OF NEXT 6 (or 12) DELUXE EDITION SLIPCASE RELEASES
-ALL DELUXE EDITIONS INCLUDE: a hard slipcase and 60-page perfect bound book including all-new essays, photos, and more!
-SUBSCRIBER ORDERS SHIP EARLY: Be the envy of all your friends!
-EACH SUBSCRIBER WILL RECEIVE AN EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER ONLY COIN and every shipment will also include a random movie trading card!
-INCLUDES DOMESTIC US SHIPPING: Pay once then sit back and enjoy a wonderful new film every month!*
-Plus everything else you’ve come to expect from a Deaf Crocodile release!
Subscribers can sign up for the service in June at: https://diabolikdvd.com/
