Disc two features one of Empire’s best films. Dolls has a horrific fairy tale vibe to it that connects on many levels. It has some terrifying scenes but also has an innocence to it and is whimsical in certain moments. It stars Guy Rolfe (Mr. Sardonicus) as the dollmaker. There are a couple of “punk” girls in the film, but they come off more like fans of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. David Allen provides the stop-motion animation, and his work is mesmerizing as always. The attack scenes can be nightmarish but the scenes where the puppets are commiserating with each other are effective and give them character. While Empire did have a reputation for churning out low-budget films that were kind of corny, this film is exceptional. Some films like The Dungeonmaster do have a cheesy but fun approach, but Empire Productions like this are well crafted from top to bottom and are very effective. On disc three we have Cellar Dweller. This is another film with a high cheese factor, but it is goofy fun, and worth a watch or two. The plot concerns comic book art that comes to violent reality with Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) in a bit part as the original creator of the supernatural art. Make-up effects wizard John Buechler directs, and his beastie creature is fun. The film Arena is featured on disc four and is one of the Empire films that tries to go a little further out there than other releases. It is a sci-fi epic, and it gets a lot of production value out of its low budget. It concerns a space age gladiator sport on another planet and human beings have not participated, or won the championship, in decades. A short order cook trying to earn some dough to get back to Earth ends up competing and whoops some ass and starts working his way up to a title bout with a little help from his amusing six-armed friend. It’s kind of like Empire’s version of Rocky and it is loads of fun with some cool special effects. This is another Empire product that rises above and is engaging and fun.

The final disc has another homerun production that seems like a precursor to big screen giant  robot movies that have dominated the box office for the past few years. Robot Jox takes the  concept of a future where territorial disputes are fought using gigantic robots in big arenas  before spectators wearing surgical masks due to bad air. A robo-pilot usually fights ten fights  and then retires. The top pilot, a fellow named Achilles, has his last fight end in a draw and 

struggles with whether to come back and face his deadliest opponent once more or let a new  breed of genetically engineered pilot take his place in the rematch. 

The film is a triumph. The acting, sets and costume design all look bigtime when you think  about the budget involved. And then there are the very special effects by David Allen.  Combining mechanical puppets and stop-motion animation, Allen conjures up miraculous  visions of monolithic monsters of metal battling each other under the majestic desert sun.  These images are especially impressive when you consider that since they were shot for real  using movie magic to create the illusion that these robots really exist, and they pull it off more  than convincingly. In the age of Transformers and Pacific Rim with their million-dollar CGI, as  great as those effects look, it is refreshing to see photography of real objects manipulated by  human hands.  

This box set is a monster. And considering the excellent creatures by Buechler and Allen  contained in the films it should be a monster of a set. All the films are 2K remasters except for  Cellar Dweller. The Dungeonmaster can be viewed in three different versions including a pre release version with the title Ragewar. Arena was restored from the last surviving 35mm print and the credits are offset but it’s a small sacrifice for the best picture quality. All discs come  with commentaries and loads of extras. Arrow has produced new content for the discs and two  of them really stand out. The Toys Of Terror featurette is fantastic covering everything about  the film Dolls with an appreciation of David Allen’s stop-motion effects and an interview with  makeup effects artist Gabe Bartolos (Frankenhooker, Basket Case 3). The other is the featurette  on the special effects of Robot Jox. Interviews and excellent behind the scenes footage gives us  a look at the astounding craftsmanship at work. In the post Harryhausen days of stop-motion  there were many talented artists continuing in Ray’s line of work, but David Allen was always  my favorite. From his debut with Equinox, the funky aliens of Laserblast to the stoned dinosaur  from Caveman his work really stood out and seemed to carry at least some of the same charm  and personality that the best Harryhausen creations had. 

The discs all come in separate cases with reversable cover art, there are double-sided posters  for each film, 15 art cards, an 80-page book and one more small little surprise.