The movie’s star may not have lived to see what has been hailed as his greatest film on the widest of screens, but that didn’t stop The Crow, the controversial 1994 feature adaptation of the underground comic book miniseries by James O’Barr, from becoming a box office hit and spawning a franchise that includes three sequels, a short-lived television series, and a forthcoming remake. Now the original film that helped establish Miramax Films’ genre movie arm Dimension Films as a major force in the industry that would give rise to the Scream and Scary Movie series several years later is coming to Blu-ray. You can check out the trailer and a list of special features below this article.

The Crow marked the directorial debut of Alex Proyas, the Australian music video and commercial director who would follow the success of his first feature with movies such as Dark City, I, Robot, and Knowing. Brandon Lee, the son of the late martial arts master and movie star Bruce Lee, was chosen to play the lead role of Eric Draven, a rock guitarist who is murdered along with his girlfriend Shelly (Sofia Shinas) by a vicious group of gangsters. With Eric’s soul unable to rest in peace until justice is served, he rises from the grave to avenge the deaths of himself and the woman he loves. Eric hunts each member of the gang down and one by one takes his violent revenge until he reaches the top of the city’s criminal underworld, represented by the maniacal crime lord Top Dollar (Michael Wincott). Aiding him in his quest for retribution are a haunted neighborhood girl who was Eric and Shelly’s friend (Rochelle Davis), a world-weary cop (Ernie Hudson), and a mysterious crow that gives him the superhuman power he needs to complete his mission.

The cast also features a virtual who’s who of great cinematic character actors including Ling Bai (Crank 2), David Patrick Kelly (The Warriors), Michael Massee (Seven), Laurence Mason (The Lincoln Lawyer), Anna Levine (Unforgiven), Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing), Tony Todd (Final Destination), Marco Rodriguez (East Bound & Down), and Bill Raymond (The Wire). The low-budget production went on to gross $50 million in the U.S and a total worldwide take of $94 million. Splatterpunk horror novelists David J. Schow and John Shirley wrote the screenplay. The great production designer Alex McDowell (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Watchmen) was responsible for the film’s spectacular look, heavily influenced by films such as Blade Runner and the first Tim Burton Batman movie, highlighted by the gorgeous cinematography by Dariusz Wolski (the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Crimson Tide).

The Crow will be available on Blu-ray on October 18, 2011 and is available for pre-order now.

Special Features

– Audio commentary with producer Jeff Most and screenwriter John Shirley.
– Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
– Extended/Deleted Scenes
– Storyboards
– Photo Galleries

Trailer