Eureka! has today announced its April 2024 releases. Featured amongst this line-up are Paul Leni's definitive 'haunted house' thriller, The Cat and the Canary, action-packed superhero spectacle Black Mask starring Jet Li, and two of the most gloriously entertaining films of Cynthia Rothrock's career, China O'Brien 1 & 2 on Blu-ray and 4K UHD. And for the very first time two of these titles will be available in both the UK and North America.

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (USA 1927)

Limited Edition Blu-ray | 22 April 2024 (UK), 23 April 2024 (US) | £17.99

Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs) directs one of the most important and influential films in the early history of American genre cinema, which perfected the 'old dark house' formula and set the stage for the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s.

Twenty years after the death of millionaire Cyrus West, his surviving relatives are called together in a decaying mansion on the Hudson River. There, they gather to hear West's lawyer Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) read his last will and testament and discover that West has left everything to his niece Annabelle (Laura La Plante). That is, at least, on the condition that she is judged to be legally sane. As the family settles in for the evening, tensions rise when they are informed that a murderer nicknamed the Cat has escaped from a nearby asylum and is suspected to be somewhere on the grounds. Crosby soon disappears in mysterious circumstances, which proves to be just the first in a series of horrifying events that will punctuate a long, dark night of terror – during which Annabelle's sanity will be called into question again and again.

Based upon the 1922 stage production by John Willard, The Cat and the Canary is a perfect blend of horror and black comedy and stands at the apex of a cycle of films adapted from mystery plays throughout the 1920s. It later inspired James Whale's The Old Dark House and has been remade several times – but never bettered. The Masters of Cinema series presents this cornerstone of horror cinema for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a glorious 4K restoration.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys [2000 copies]
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives supplied by MoMA
• DTS-HD MA 5.1 score by Robert Israel; compiled, synchronised and edited by Gillian B. Anderson, based on music cue sheets compiled and issued for the original 1927 release 
• Brand new audio commentary by author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman
• Brand new audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Mysteries Mean Dark Corners – brand new video essay by David Cairns & Fiona Watson
• Pamela Hutchinson on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson
• Phuong Le on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with film critic Phuong Le
• A Very Eccentric Man & Yeah, a Cat! – extracts from John Willard's original play
• Lucky Strike – Paul Leni gives a full-throated endorsement to the product that got him through filming The Cat and the Canary
• A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Richard Combs, Craig Ian Mann, and Imogen Sara Smith

BLACK MASK [HAK HAP] (Hong Kong 1996)

Limited Edition Blu-ray | 22 April 2024 (UK), 23 April 2024 (US) | ££19.99

Jet Li stars in an action-packed superhero spectacle produced by the legendary Tsui Hark.

Tsui Chik (Li) is a librarian who leads a quiet, unassuming life – or, at least, that's what he wants people to believe. In truth, he was once a member of the 701 Squad, a group of elite combatants produced by a failed super-soldier project. In kind with his former comrades, his central nervous system has been altered to render him impervious to pain. When several of his fellow test subjects resurface and embark on a crimewave under the leadership of their former commander Hung Kuk (Patrick Lung), Tsui is forced to use his extraordinary abilities once more. Donning a costume, he sets out to face his past – as the vigilante known as the Black Mask.

Adapted from the manhua by Pang Chi-ming and Li Chi-tak and heavily influenced by Bruce Lee's turn as Kato in The Green Hornet, Black Mask is one of the most entertaining movies in Jet Li's filmography and boasts action orchestrated by Yuen Woo-ping, who would later win an Academy Award for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Eureka Classics presents the film in its rarely seen uncut version on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• imited Edition Two Disc Set [2000 copies]
• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
• A limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver
• Limited Edition bonus disc featuring two alternate versions of the film

Disc One:

• Fully uncut Hong Kong version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
• Original US version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
• Original Cantonese Stereo and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Hong Kong Version)
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film festival)
• Brand new audio commentary on the US export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Brand new interview with stuntman Mike Lambert
• Brand new interview with film critic Andrew Heskins (Eastern Kicks)
• Brand new interview with Leon Hunt, author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger
• Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
• Archival Making of featurette
• Trailers

Disc Two

• Alternate Taiwanese cut of the film 
• Extended version of Black Mask featuring all the unique footage from the various releases of the film re-inserted

CHINA O'BRIEN 1 & 2 (USA / China / Hong Kong 1990)

4K Ultra HD | Blu-ray | 29 April 2024 | £29.99 (UHD) / £24.99 (Blu-ray)

The inimitable martial arts superstar Cynthia Rothrock stars in two of the most gloriously entertaining films of her career.

In China O'Brien, city cop and formidable martial artist Lori "China" O'Brien (Rothrock) is forced to resign from the force and return home to a small Utah town after her involvement in an accidental death. But upon arrival in Beaver Creek, she finds that her lawman father – Sheriff John O'Brien (David Blackwell) – is desperately trying to bring down local crime boss Edwin Sommers (Steven Kerby), and it isn't long before she steps into the fray. Then, in China O'Brien II, Lori must once again protect her hometown when it becomes a hideout for a dangerous fugitive: the escaped drug lord Charlie Baskin (Harlow Marks).

Helmed by Richard Clouse, the celebrated director of Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, the China O'Brien films firmly established Cynthia Rothrock as an International action star following a successful string of hits in Hong Kong. Eureka Classics presents both films for the first time on Blu-ray / Ultra HD Blu-ray from brand new 4K restorations.

UHD / BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited-edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (2000 copies)
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations, presented in Dolby Vision HDR from brand new 4K restorations of the original film elements (UHD only)
• 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from brand new 4K restorations of the original film elements (Blu-ray only)
• Uncompressed restored English audio
• Brand new feature length audio commentaries on both films
• Brand new interview with Cynthia Rothrock
• Trailers
• A Limited-edition collector's booklet featuring new essays by James Oliver and film scholar Eddie Falvey (2000 copies)

* All extras subject to change