‘Garden of Love’ Gets First Blu-ray Release From Unearthed Films

Olaf Ittenbach’s cult shocker Garden of Love is set to receive its first-ever Blu-ray release, with Unearthed Films confirming a limited edition collector’s release scheduled for 3 February. The disc arrives just in time for Valentine’s season, offering a high-definition debut for one of the German filmmaker’s most notorious early features.

Originally released in 2003, Garden of Love sits firmly within Ittenbach’s body of extreme cinema, combining supernatural horror with graphic practical effects that helped define his reputation. The film follows Rebecca, a young woman plagued by violent visions connected to a childhood trauma she can barely remember. As fragments of her past resurface, it becomes clear that her family’s murder was not an isolated tragedy. The spirits of the dead seek vengeance, and Rebecca is drawn into guiding those responsible towards a brutal reckoning.

Unearthed Films’ Blu-ray edition is being presented as a collector-focused release, overseen by label founder Stephen Biro. The disc includes newly assembled bonus material, with a making-of featurette, behind-the-scenes footage, a photo gallery and trailers included alongside the feature. The presentation features a 5.1 surround audio track, with the film running at 89 minutes and presented in English.

The release offers a new opportunity to revisit a title that has circulated largely through DVD and underground trading circles for more than two decades. While Garden of Love was never positioned for mainstream exposure, it has remained a point of interest within extreme horror circles due to its unrestrained violence and bleak tone.

Ittenbach, who both co-wrote and directed the film alongside Thomas Reitmair, has long balanced directing with an extensive career in special effects. His earlier work on titles such as Premutos: The Fallen Angel and The Burning Moon established him as a practical effects specialist willing to push boundaries well beyond conventional horror standards. Garden of Love arrived during a particularly prolific period, released the same year as Beyond the Limits.

The cast includes Natacza Boon, James Matthews-Pyecka and Daryl Jackson, with Boon leading the film as Rebecca. The production leans heavily on prosthetic effects and elaborate gore sequences, elements that have remained central to Ittenbach’s filmmaking across subsequent projects.

With only one disc and a tightly focused set of extras, the Blu-ray positions itself as a straightforward archival release rather than a restoration-heavy package. For collectors and fans of Ittenbach’s work, the February release marks a significant upgrade for a film that has long existed on the margins of home media.

Garden of Love trailer