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In the early 90s, aspiring filmmaker (and General Hospital co-star) Ryan Sexton lugged a giant camcorder into some of the seediest clubs and the filthiest apartments in Hollywood. There he filmed hour upon hour of VHS footage of the jaw-droppingly offensive Shock Rock band The Mentors, focusing on their infamous lead singer, "El Duce." 30 years later, the team behind The Nightmare and Room 237 and the editor of Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist uncover this dusty stockpile of long forgotten - and unseen - footage. They begin to piece together a picture of the man under the black executioner's hood and what his wilfully offensive act and controversial views might tell us about 21st century America. An Incendiary, tragicomic documentary (midway between The Decline of Western Civilization and Crumb) which has been hailed as "Essential Viewing" by CineVue and called "Dark and Irresistible" by director John Carpenter, The El Duce Tapes will chew you up, spit you out, and leave you floored.

Media

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Bonus Materials

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Brand new audio commentary with The El Duce Tapes crew
• The Ryan Sexton Tapes – 34-minute illustrated audio conversation between Ryan Sexton and producer Tim Kirk about the shooting of the original VHS footage
• The Nilbog Tapes – Video of the band recording the original score for the film
• More El Duce Tapes – A free-standing alternate assembly of unused material, sort of a sideways sequel
• Tape 2: Hollywood Reservoir – A piece of raw tape providing a peek behind the scenes of the process of shooting the footage and a candid document of El Duce and Ryan’s rapport
• El Duce Stories – A humorous cut-up of a few of El Duce’s famously long aimless stories into one completely incomprehensible and endless word salad
• Return to Rape Rock Mountain – A brand new interview with Steve Broy, aka Dr. Heathen Scum of The Mentors
• Reality Check presents the all-female El Duce tribute band The Womentors
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson and reverse art by Benjamin Marra
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Manish Agarwal

Sales Points

• El Duce was one of the most controversial punk rockers of all time. His lyrics were entered into the official record of Senate Subcommittee hearings on obscenity, and he implicated himself in the death of Kurt Cobain mere days before his own death.

Press Quotes

The El Duce Tapes is a controversial film about a very offensive band and character.

     —Alex Distefano, The Hollywood Digest

By turns powerful and harrowing and disgusting and stomach churning.

     —Brent McKnight, The Last Thing I See

Funny, honest, grotesque and fascinated by a pot-bellied miscreant most would run a mile from, the film is a thought-provoking foray into anti-commercial art and outsider lifestyles.

     —Martyn Conterio, CineVue

... Frightening, engrossing, and surprisingly resonant. Though it's a tough watch, Arrow Video's lavish disc sets an early high-water mark as one of this year's top documentary physical media releases. As much about the act of assembling the titular tapes as it is about the man-shaped monster himself, it's an analog abyss worth staring into.

     —Rue-Morgue

If you're a fan of so-called "shock rock" you will no doubt want to check this out. This is another release of a cult item with a well done supplementary package.

     —Blu-ray