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Summer time is approaching, which means it is, of course, Belarusian folk-horror season. As part of Deaf Crocodile Films’ new collaboration with DiabolikDVD, the largest independent online distributor of specialized home video releases, their first release will be Valeri Rubinchik’s ultra-rare 1980 feature The Savage Hunt of King Stakh, based on the novel by Belarusian writer Uladzimir Karatkievich. Newly restored by Craig Rogers, Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder and Head of Post-Production and Restoration, this will mark the first-ever North American Blu-ray release of the two-hour Director’s Cut version. Ahead of the July 1 release, we’re pleased to exclusively share the restoration trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “‘We have more ghosts than live people,’ murmurs the pale, haunted mistress of the mansion of Marsh Firs (Elena Dimitrova) to a scholar of ancient folklore (Boris Plotnikov) who has arrived at her castle to research the bloody legend of King Stakh, a murdered...

Shot in Oakland, California in 1973, the Black crime drama Solomon King marked the only film from writer-director-actor Sal Watts. Featuring a soul-funk soundtrack and a cast of mostly non-professional actors, the film was unfortunately relegated to obscurity for many decades, but now thanks to a new restoration it has returned. Ahead of a world premiere at Fantastic Fest this September, followed by a release from Deaf Crocodile, the new trailer has arrived.

Restored with the cooperation of the filmmaker’s widow, Belinda Burton-Watts (who appears in the film), and utilizing one of the only surviving complete prints from the UCLA Film & TV Archive, as well as original soundtrack elements (which had been stored in Burton-Watts’ closet for several decades), a Kickstarter campaign is now in its final hours to help underwrite the significant restoration costs on the film, which include extensive picture and color grade restoration and repairs to the audio.

Until recently, even the most dedicated grindhouse enthusiasts may not have recognized the name “Solomon King.” The 1974 thriller, which follows a Black ex-CIA agent who travels to the Middle East to avenge his girlfriend’s murder, was the only film directed by Sal Watts. Shot on location in Oakland with a cast of non-professional actors and costumes provided by a clothing store owned by the director, the movie is an early example of the DIY spirit that later came to define independent cinema.

The film was thought to be lost, but a highly successful Kickstarter campaign raised over 22,000 to restore it. Backers of the campaign will finally see the effort pay off this fall when Deaf Crocodile Films’ new restoration of “Solomon King,” complete with new color grading and significant audio improvements, premieres at Fantastic Fest in September. With today’s release of the new trailer, many are taking...