Both a comment on the terrors of contemporary America and homage to the horror films of Roger Corman, TARGETS is a thrilling crime drama that launched the career of its director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) and is rightly hailed as one of the most powerful films of the late 1960s. On 25 September the BFI brings it to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, with a raft of extras including an audio commentary by the director from 2003, a new audio commentary by Peter Tonguette, a filmed interview with Boris Karloff’s daughter Sara Karloff, a filmed interview with Stephen Jacobs, author of Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster and more.

Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff) is a retiring horror-star bidding farewell to the limelight. Bobby Thompson (Tim O’Kelly) is an unassuming but disturbed Vietnam veteran who suddenly embarks on a murderous shooting rampage. As Byron makes one final public appearance, their worlds collide as Bobby brings carnage to a suburban Los Angeles drive-in cinema.

Special features

• New restoration supervised by director Peter Bogdanovich

• Audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich (2003)

• New audio commentary by author and film critic Peter Tonguette

• Targets: An Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (2003, 14 mins)

• Hitting Targets: Sara Karloff on Her Father, Boris (2022, 40 mins): Boris Karloff’s daughter looks back on the life, career and legend of her famous father

• On Target: Boris Karloff in the 1960s (2023, 17 mins): Stephen Jacobs, author of Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, considers the great man’s final decade

• Gentleman of Horror (2023, 8 mins): a video essay on Boris Karloff by the BFI’s Vic Pratt

• The Guardian Interview: Peter Bogdanovich (1972, 42 mins): the director of Targets recounts tales of films and filmmaking at the National Film Theatre

• The Guardian Interview: Roger Corman (1970, 64 mins): the filmmaking legend who gave Peter Bogdanovich the opportunity to make Targets discusses his work

• Trailers From Hell: Joe Dante on Targets (2013, 3 mins): filmmaker Joe Dante provides his personal take on Targets

• Image gallery

• Newly commissioned sleeve art by Matt Needle

• ***First pressing only*** illustrated booklet with an introduction by Sara Karloff, essays by Jason Wood, Stephen Jacobs and Ellen Cheshire, credits and notes on the special features

Product details

RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1409/ 15

USA | 1968 | colour | 90 minutes | English language with optional descriptive subtitles | original aspect ratio 1.85:1 BD50: 1080p, 24fps, LPCM 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

Pre-order from the BFI Shop: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-targets-blu-ray.html