UK based film distributor Arrow Video has a catalog deep with films that repeatedly surface from the underground — minor hits in horror, science-fiction, comedy, drama, international, and erotica that are both so unforgettable and well-loved they have become cult classics. Arrow Video gives each film a thorough updating — remastering and filling each DVD and Blu-Ray with a heavy dose of extras. Alongside the updated video quality and content, each title receives a unique treatment from a roster of international artists that create new artwork for the covers, interiors, booklets, and packaging.
In Irish illustrator Matt Griffin, Arrow has found an artist with a strong understanding of the task at hand. Griffin is a devout illustrator of science-fiction, horror, and all things supernatural and his work for Arrow is a perfect echo of his connection to these genres. His covers convey the tone and themes of each title without relying on the likeness and names of the film’s stars. These illustrations forgo the Hollywood tropes of floating head design and instead reach for true illustration — visualizing the emotional impact and narrative of a film.
Griffin gives each title a sense of age, the illustrations slightly faded with time. His cover for the Arrow release of John Boorman‘s cult classic ‘Zardoz‘ hints at the film’s 1974 origins while also delivering on the movie’s core strangeness. As with the entire Arrow Video catalog, the cover is a treat for those that know the Boorman classic, and enticement for those seeing it for the first time.
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘The Black Cat’
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘Black Cats’
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of the Giallo Double Boxset of ‘The Black Cat’ & ‘Black Cats’
Interior illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of the Giallo Double Boxset of ‘The Black Cat’ & ‘Black Cats’
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘Madman’
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘Zardoz’
Booklet cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘The Cat O’Nine Tails’
Cover illustration by Matt Griffin for the Arrow Video release of ‘The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension’
