Shozin Fukui’s Rubber’s Lover has always been the kind of film you hear about before you ever see it: a black-and-white, 16mm explosion of industrial noise, psychic experiments and body horror from Japan’s cyberpunk underground. Now it’s getting the premium treatment. Here’s everything announced for the first-ever 4K UHD release, plus the limited VHS edition.
UK label Lost in Cult is releasing a Limited Edition dual-format 4K UHD and Blu-ray of Rubber’s Lover on January 11, 2027, built on a new director-approved 4K restoration from the original 16mm camera and sound negatives. The label says it’s the first time the film has appeared on 4K UHD anywhere in the world. Pre-orders are open.
The Notes
- Release date: January 11, 2027, as a Limited Edition from Lost in Cult.
- Formats: A 4K UHD disc (region free) plus a 1080p Blu-ray (Region B) in a collector’s slipcase with a collector’s booklet.
- The restoration: New, director-approved, and sourced from the original 16mm camera and sound negatives.
- Extras: A new audio commentary, a conversation between Fukui and actor Yohta Kawase, and new interviews with Kawase and editor Kunihiko Ukai.
- VHS option: A limited run of 500 PAL VHS tapes, Fukui’s preferred format for the film, is also available alone or bundled with the disc set.
The story
A cult film finally gets its due. Rubber’s Lover (1996) follows a team of scientists who push drug-fueled psychic experiments on human test subjects past all reason. It’s often described as a prequel of sorts to Fukui’s 964 Pinocchio and sits alongside Tetsuo: The Iron Man in the canon of Japanese cyberpunk. It took about five years to make, and its frantic editing and mechanical sound design have kept it a favorite of extreme-cinema fans for 30 years.
Why this release matters. Home video for the film has been patchy. A U.S. DVD from Unearthed Films in 2004 went out of print, and the film was long known mostly through rough-looking copies. New Wave Video put out a limited 1080p Blu-ray from a new 4K restoration in 2025, and fans praised how much better it looked. Lost in Cult’s edition takes it a step further with a native 4K disc, and it’s the label’s first venture into releasing films.
A bittersweet milestone. Fukui died on April 2, 2026. Both the New Wave Video restoration and the new release are described as approved by the director, and the Lost in Cult edition includes a conversation with Fukui filmed at a Tokyo retrospective of his career, which makes it one of the last chances to hear him discuss the film.
Why VHS? Lost in Cult says Fukui preferred the film on VHS, so it’s producing PAL tapes for the first time outside Japan, limited to 500 copies. The label warns that VHS orders may ship later than January 11, with delivery expected in the first half of 2027.
Edition details at a glance
| Edition | What you get | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Limited Edition UHD + Blu-ray | Region-free 4K UHD disc, Region B Blu-ray, collector’s slipcase and booklet | £29.99 |
| Limited-edition VHS | PAL tape, 500 copies, black and white, Japanese with English subtitles | £29.99 |
| VHS + UHD bundle | Both of the above | £49.99 |
Prices are as listed on Lost in Cult’s site in British pounds at the time of writing, and stock on the VHS options was marked low.
What’s on the discs
- Disc 1 (4K UHD): The film in 2160p with a new audio commentary from a Japanese underground cinema expert
- Disc 2 (Blu-ray, Region B): The film in 1080p with the same commentary, plus the Fukui and Kawase conversation, a new interview with Kawase and a new interview with editor Kunihiko Ukai
- Packaging: Collector’s slipcase and collector’s booklet
- Presentation: Black and white, Japanese with English subtitles, about 90 minutes
What to know before you buy
The 4K UHD disc is region free, so it should play on any 4K player. The Blu-ray is Region B, so North American buyers will need a region-free player to watch that disc. The film was shot on 16mm, so a 4K scan won’t look like a modern digital release. Expect grain and texture, which is part of its character.
More coverage of Fukui’s revival
It’s a good year for the director’s fans. Fangoria reports that 964 Pinocchio is also getting a Blu-ray from 88 Films and a 4K UHD from Media Blasters. If you’ve been waiting to dive into Fukui’s two features, this is the moment.
Where to pre-order
Sources & further reading
- Lost in Cult: Rubber’s Lover 4K UHD and VHS (official)
- City on Fire: Rubber’s Lover headed to 4K Ultra HD in January
- Sydney Underground Film Festival: Rubber’s Lover 30th anniversary screening
- Disc-Connected: New Wave Video Blu-ray announcement
- Blu-ray.com forum: New Wave Video release impressions
- Wikipedia: Rubber’s Lover
- Wikipedia: Shozin Fukui
- Fangoria: 964 Pinocchio coming to 4K
Last updated October 26, 2026.