Arrow Video’s September 2026 Slate Is a Physical Media Collector’s Dream
Over the past few years we’ve seen boutique labels go from serving a niche audience to becoming the driving force behind premium home entertainment. Companies like Second Sight Films, Radiance, 88 Films, Indicator, Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, 101 Films and the rapidly growing Last Slate Video have all helped make collecting films exciting again, while Arrow Video continues to lead from the front with restorations that often become the definitive way to experience a film.
September might just be one of their strongest months yet.
With Stephen King’s Misery finally receiving the deluxe Arrow treatment, Clive Barker’s cult horror Underworld arriving in a stunning new restoration, John Woo’s legendary A Better Tomorrow Trilogy, science-fiction classic Forbidden Planet, alongside crime dramas, martial arts epics and forgotten gems, there’s something here for almost every collector.
Misery Finally Gets the Arrow Treatment
For horror fans, this is unquestionably the headline release.
Rob Reiner’s Misery remains one of Stephen King’s greatest screen adaptations and one of the finest psychological horror films ever made. Released in 1990, it introduced audiences to Annie Wilkes, arguably King’s most terrifying human villain, in Kathy Bates’ unforgettable Academy Award-winning performance.
Unlike many horror films, Misery doesn’t rely on monsters or supernatural forces. Instead, it builds unbearable tension from a simple premise: one man trapped in a remote house with someone whose obsession slowly reveals itself to be deadly.
James Caan is superb as novelist Paul Sheldon, but it is Bates who dominates every scene. Annie Wilkes remains one of cinema’s greatest psychopaths because she genuinely believes she’s the hero of the story. Her cheerful smile can disappear in an instant, replaced by a level of menace that still makes audiences wince more than thirty-five years later.
Arrow’s new 4K UHD Limited Edition appears worthy of such a classic.
The release includes Dolby Vision HDR, original stereo and 5.1 audio options, three audio commentaries, including a brand-new track from Horror Movie Survival Guide hosts Teri Gamble and Julia Marchese, alongside archive commentaries from director Rob Reiner and legendary screenwriter William Goldman.
Fans can also dive into newly produced interviews with composer Marc Shaiman, archive conversations with Rob Reiner and Greg Nicotero, multiple featurettes exploring Annie Wilkes, stalking and the making of the film, plus a substantial collector’s booklet featuring new essays from Kat Ellinger, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and others.
For many horror collectors, this will likely be an essential purchase.
Clive Barker’s Underworld Crawls Back in 4K
The second major horror release may be less well known, but it’s no less intriguing.
Long before Hellraiser became a horror phenomenon, Clive Barker was already helping shape dark fantasy cinema through Underworld, released in the United States as Transmutations. While Barker did not direct the film, his story, creature concepts and imagination are evident throughout.
Part noir detective thriller, part body horror nightmare, Underworld follows a private investigator descending into a subterranean world populated by grotesque mutants addicted to a dangerous experimental drug.
The film has become something of a cult favourite over the years, particularly among Barker devotees eager to see his earlier cinematic ideas before Hellraiser revolutionised horror.
Arrow’s presentation includes both the original theatrical version and the extended Transmutations cut, newly restored in 4K with Dolby Vision. Brand-new interviews, commentary from director George Pavlou, discussions surrounding Barker’s legacy, storyboards, makeup tests and galleries make this another hugely attractive package for collectors.
A Better Tomorrow Trilogy Arrives in Style
Outside of horror, perhaps the most exciting release is John Woo’s groundbreaking A Better Tomorrow Trilogy.
It is almost impossible to overstate how influential these films became. When A Better Tomorrow exploded onto screens in 1986, it effectively created the heroic bloodshed genre, redefining action cinema not only across Hong Kong but eventually throughout Hollywood.
John Woo’s slow-motion gun battles, emotional storytelling and balletic action sequences would go on to inspire everyone from Quentin Tarantino to Robert Rodriguez and the Wachowskis.
The trilogy also transformed Chow Yun-fat into an international superstar, with his effortlessly cool performance as Mark becoming one of action cinema’s most iconic characters.
Arrow’s collection is extraordinary.
Across five discs, viewers receive newly restored presentations of all three films, including both the theatrical and recently discovered workprint versions of A Better Tomorrow II, alongside the extended Taiwanese cut of A Better Tomorrow III.
Hours of brand-new interviews with John Woo, Gareth Evans, Grady Hendrix, writers, producers and historians accompany multiple audio commentaries, isolated score tracks, deleted scenes, galleries, trailers and an extensive collector’s booklet.
This is exactly the kind of comprehensive release that boutique labels do better than anyone else.
Forbidden Planet Looks Better Than Ever
Science-fiction fans have every reason to celebrate too.
Often cited as one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made, Forbidden Planet remains astonishing nearly seventy years after its original release. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the film pushed the genre into bold new territory with ambitious production design, pioneering electronic music and the unforgettable Robby the Robot.
Arrow has restored the film in its original 2.55:1 CinemaScope presentation from the original 35mm negative, accompanied by multiple audio options including the restored Perspecta stereo soundtrack.
Collectors can also enjoy documentaries exploring the revolutionary electronic score, featurettes on Robby the Robot, deleted scenes, lost footage, the rarely seen The Invisible Boy, archive television appearances and a brand-new commentary from Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw.
It’s difficult to imagine the film ever looking or sounding better.
Plenty More for Collectors
September’s slate hardly ends there.
Robert Towne’s stylish neo-noir Tequila Sunrise receives a new Dolby Vision restoration complete with interviews, commentary and archival material, while Sidney Lumet’s underrated legal thriller Night Falls on Manhattan receives a fresh 2K restoration loaded with archive commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage and documentaries celebrating one of cinema’s greatest directors.
Classic Hollywood also gets its moment with The Desperate Hours, William Wyler’s tense hostage thriller starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March. Restored from the original VistaVision negative, the release features new commentaries, video essays and exclusive interviews.
Meanwhile, fans of Japanese cinema are treated to the wonderfully entertaining Wicked Priest Collection, bringing together all five films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama. Newly restored with multiple new featurettes exploring Japanese cinema, Buddhism in popular culture and Wakayama’s remarkable career, it is another example of Arrow rescuing overlooked classics from obscurity.
Another Outstanding Month for Arrow
Looking across the entire slate, one thing becomes immediately clear.
Arrow Video continues to understand exactly what collectors want.
These aren’t simply catalogue reissues with upgraded packaging. Every release has been painstakingly restored, supported by hours of new and archival bonus material and presented with the kind of care that streaming services simply cannot replicate.
Whether your shelves are filled with horror classics, Hong Kong action, science fiction, noir or world cinema, September offers something worth making room for.
For horror fans, Misery and Underworld are obvious highlights. Action fans finally receive the definitive A Better Tomorrow Trilogy. Science-fiction enthusiasts get perhaps the finest home release Forbidden Planet has ever seen.
As physical media continues its remarkable resurgence, months like this prove exactly why collectors keep coming back to Arrow Video.
