Cate Blanchett in eerie thriller The Gift

Electric and eerie, The Gift is Sam Raimi’s colourful and creepy dive into the world of Southern Gothic horror. Twenty Five years after its initial release, Arrow has release an in-depth, lovingly crafted Limited Edition 4k Ultra HD release that is sure to become a must-have for fans.

Sam Raimi melded his mastery of dramatic narratives with horror tropes in the 2000 supernatural horror The Gift. Boasting Southern Gothic charm and a star-studded cast, The Gift’s stellar performances that flesh out its rounded, endearing characters work perfectly alongside Raimi’s dramatic flair that brings tension to the twisty – if sometimes sagging – plot. Twenty-five years after its initial release, physical release purveyors Arrow have released a limited edition 4k Ultra HD version of the film giving fans a closer look than ever before at the labour of love behind the ghostly thriller.

Set in rural Georgia, the film follows recently widowed clairvoyant Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) who experiences visions of her late grandmother. To support her young family, she works as a tarot reader, often helping locals with various personal dilemmas. Her world is turned upside down when she meets her son’s school principal Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear) and his socialite fiancée Jessica King (Katie Holmes). When Jessica goes missing, Annie has a grisly vision of her body being dumped in a pond. When her premonition comes true, she takes it upon herself to track down the culprit herself. Multiple people are in the frame – Donnie (Keanu Reeves), the abusive husband of one of Annie’s regular clients Valerie (Hilary Swank), skittish mechanic Buddy (Giovanni Ribisi), or the possibility of something far more sinister.

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While the psychic, supernatural elements of the film are suitably sinister, the horrors of The Gift come from what happens behind closed doors. The colourful characters and their backstories are what bring the eccentricities of the film to life, elevating what could have been a bog-standard ghost flick into something so much more. While the pacing can mean the second act feels meandering, the expert world-building means that by the time all hell breaks loose in the final scenes, the audience is on the edge of their seats. The whodunnit narrative with a supernatural twist is a trope we’ve seen time and time again, but Raimi’s theatrical genius makes The Gift feel fresh and exciting, even 25 years on.

What’s more, Arrow’s limited edition box set remasters the film from its 35mm interpositive with Shout! Factory, allowing fans of the film to view it like never before. Commentary from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson as well as Meagan Navarro explore the themes, performances, and context of The Gift in exquisite detail, while brand new behind-the-scenes crew interviews and archival footage from the making of the film highlight the heart and soul poured into the film. They add a whole new layer of appreciation for the ominous horror, wrapped in an intricate reversible sleeve with original artwork by Thinh Dinh. It doesn’t take a psychic to know that Arrow’s Limited Edition release of The Gift will become the definitive copy of the film for all fans to own.


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