Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection

[DarkImbecile]

“FROM THE WILDS OF WISCONSIN HE CAME…

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!

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

[JSC]

Monster A-Go-Go is utterly tedious. The MST3K episode makes it bearable (but only just). The
one laugh out loud moment is a scene with a phone ringing (which they forgot and/or didn't
bother to foley) and the sound is just some guy off-camera making a beeping noise.

[colinr0380]

Oh excellent! The Alpha Incident is that film from one of the Trailer Trauma compilations, and Red Letter Media's Best of the Worst show did an entire episode devoted to Twister's Revenge ("It's a stepladder of explosions")

[brundlefly]

Monster A-Go-Go is utterly tedious. The MST3K episode makes it bearable (but only just). The
one laugh out loud moment is a scene with a phone ringing (which they forgot and/or didn't
bother to foley) and the sound is just some guy off-camera making a beeping noise.

That movie's contributed a key part of our household lexicon.

SpoilerShow

Whenever something or someone does not exist or fails to manifest, it's x-a-go-go.

These box sets have made me resolve to hate myself for a lot less money.

[Orlac]

Rewatching INVASION FROM INNER EARTH

In one scene, characters are sitting around moping and listening to a De Wolfe instrumental on the radio...a cue later used for a similar scene in DAWN OF THE DEAD!

And that's really the most interesting thing about this clunker!