From gruesome B-films to auteur gems, Arrow Films’ recently launched streaming service has something for almost everyone…
The advent of streaming has been a testing time for specialist DVD labels. Some have stuck steadfastly to physical media, counting on cinephiles’ attachment to hard copies and bonus features – not to mention the spotty online availability of much classic and esoteric cinema – to keep the old form afloat. Others have extended their brand into streaming services of their own. The Criterion Channel, which digitally matches the classic, curated spirit of the Criterion Collection discs, has been a success in the US, though we’re still awaiting a
UK version.
Compensation has arrived, however, in the form of the Arrow Player, which launched earlier this year in the UK and in
Ireland last month as an adjunct to the now 23-year-old Arrow Films DVD label. The Arrow brand was initially rooted in loving presentations of grungy, cult-inspiring genre fare – horror, in particular – before extending into more straightforward arthouse and classic titles, and even international prestige television. Their player covers much the same remit: Arrow loyalists will feel immediately at home, but the library is large and inclusive enough to attract newcomers too.