Horror Express 3D Blu-ray (1972) [Region Free] [BD-R]

[robert kaplan]

https://aipop3d.gumroad.com/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ilm-conversion

Just receive mail from Kickstarter stating that Andrew M's next project will be HORROR EXPRESS. I love this movie! It has it all: model trains that almost look real, mad glowing eyes, really eerie music, Cormanesque sets... and Cushing and Lee (with Telly Savalas! and his New York accent).
Really moody and lots of fun. Looking forward to this one.

[heavyharmonies]

Yep. Signed up to be notified... given that mainstream studios have all but abandoned 3D on physical media, I think these boutique/small label releases will eventually be all we have moving forward. Even if the content isn't exactly on point for my tastes at the moment, I want to support it so the studios in question gain traction to the point that they move enough quantity to justify replicated rather than duplicated discs.

[Phil3D]

Originally Posted by robert kaplan

Just receive mail from Kickstarter stating that Andrew M's next project will be HORROR EXPRESS. I love this movie! It has it all: model trains that almost look real, mad glowing eyes, really eerie music, Cormanesque sets... and Cushing and Lee (with Telly Savalas! and his New York accent).
Really moody and lots of fun. Looking forward to this one.

I did the conversion for this release and your take on the film is spot on!
It's actually better on repeat viewings imo. Even now after spending several months with this film I'll be reviewing something and catch myself just watching the movie again.

Obviously Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are in top form here but Telly Savalas is an absolute hoot in this!

And yes the model trains look great, the makeup work is surprisingly good and just overall the production values are solid. This does *not* come across as a film with a 300K budget. For something made over 50 years ago it's hard to find too much fault with any of the visuals.

I really hope people enjoy this one, especially people seeing it for the first time.

[Elsinore]

How was the quality of the original? Were you pleased with the final 3D result? Looking forward to seeing this one!

[Tricks-OR-Treats]

Originally Posted by robert kaplan

Just receive mail from Kickstarter stating that Andrew M's next project will be HORROR EXPRESS. I love this movie!

I'm a fan of this film as well. I have the Arrow Video release that was a 2K restoration from original film on Blu-ray. I've converted with Owl3D and stream it.

[AIPop Alex]

Originally Posted by Elsinore

How was the quality of the original? Were you pleased with the final 3D result? Looking forward to seeing this one!

I think all of our conversions Andrew, Phil, and myself) have slightly different flavors. I also think we’ve all improved quite a bit with time.

Personally, I think this is the best final result of any AIPop release so far. The 3D is consistent, layered, and volumetric. The film was also a really fun surprise for me (I’d never seen it!) and the transfer and colors look great.

[DVS3D]

Originally Posted by Elsinore

Were you pleased with the final 3D result?

Although I'm obviously biased I think Phil's done a superb job on this one - it's a 3D delight from start to finish!

I'm actually a little loathe to share anaglyph still images as I've done on previous releases, as they really don't do the conversion justice, but wait until you see the trailer in SBS - it's really fantastic.

And if you haven't already seen Phil's work on some of our "just-for-fun" trailers on YouTube you really should go and take a look. His will be the best ones.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Phil3D

I did the conversion for this release and your take on the film is spot on!
It's actually better on repeat viewings imo. Even now after spending several months with this film I'll be reviewing something and catch myself just watching the movie again.

Obviously Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are in top form here but Telly Savalas is an absolute hoot in this!

And yes the model trains look great, the makeup work is surprisingly good and just overall the production values are solid. This does *not* come across as a film with a 300K budget. For something made over 50 years ago it's hard to find too much fault with any of the visuals.

I really hope people enjoy this one, especially people seeing it for the first time.

Super stoked! I’m possibly the world’s biggest fan of this film, having seen it well over a hundred times since I picked up my first PD VHS of it circa 1985 when I was a teen, so I’m daring you to knock me out with this — I’m hoping for train corridor shots with depth going waaaaaaaay back into my television screen, rounded facial features in closeups, and more unabashed use of negative parallax in general than in previous AIPOP releases. There is so much opportunity in this film for impressive 3-D. To quote Brainstorm, I want you to knock my socks off.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by heavyharmonies

Yep. Signed up to be notified... given that mainstream studios have all but abandoned 3D on physical media, I think these boutique/small label releases will eventually be all we have moving forward. Even if the content isn't exactly on point for my tastes at the moment, I want to support it so the studios in question gain traction to the point that they move enough quantity to justify replicated rather than duplicated discs.

Given my view that DVD-Rs and BD-Rs are trash, I find it incredibly frustrating that the priority is not to get these conversions onto proper pressed discs but I will still pick this up anyway no question about it, I love this film and am keen to see how good it looks in 3D.

[GavinGlasgow]

I've never seen this movie but take my money now!!

[Camps]

If you like Cushing and/or Lee, and/or Eurohorror, and (somehow) you have not yet seen this, it's a no-brainer; it's a hoot. Highly recommended. And now I can't wait to see it in 3D.

Andrew, Phil, Alex.... please keep 'em coming!!

[Tim n Tempe]

Originally Posted by the13thman

Given my view that DVD-Rs and BD-Rs are trash, I find it incredibly frustrating that the priority is not to get these conversions onto proper pressed discs but I will still pick this up anyway no question about it, I love this film and am keen to see how good it looks in 3D.

I don't mean any dispespect, but I have many DVD-R from 20 years ago that still play perfectly. I have pressed discs from more recent years (both formats) that have failed.

[heavyharmonies]

Originally Posted by the13thman

Given my view that DVD-Rs and BD-Rs are trash, I find it incredibly frustrating that the priority is not to get these conversions onto proper pressed discs but I will still pick this up anyway no question about it, I love this film and am keen to see how good it looks in 3D.

Originally Posted by Tim n Tempe

I don't mean any dispespect, but I have many DVD-R from 20 years ago that still play perfectly. I have pressed discs from more recent years (both formats) that have failed.

This may be true (I have CD-Rs from the late 1990s that still play fine), but CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, and BD-R do not hold up as well as replicated discs, and the longevity can be extremely variable depending on which burned media is used.

I understand the costs involved with replicated vs. duplicated discs. You need to commit to a certain number to get discs replicated (pressed), whereas with burned discs you can produce them on the fly in much more variable quantities, and if you need more based upon demand, burn more... not so with replication.

That said, the quantities that you have to commit to are far lower than they used to be. I use DiscMakers as my price check, as they have been around for over 25 years, and thus not a fly-by-night operation. There may be cheaper vendors, but there are also scammers and subpar contractors out there. I used DiscMakers for annual 5,000+ CD replication projects back in the early 2000s, so I worked with them directly for several years.

Using their online quote system, I come up with the following. The minimum quantity orderable to get pressed blu-rays is 300 units.

For a single BD in amray case, full color on-disc printing, full color wraparound art, and 4-panel interior booklet, polywrapped, it comes out to $2,037 or US$6.79 per unit. This is before shipping costs and assumes that you can provide your own authoring, artwork creation, and UPC code. If they need to provide those services, the cost is additional.

The next break point is 500 units for a total of $2,900 or $5.80 per unit.

There are other artwork options; I just used the above as a benchmark.

I would suspect that even 300 units is likely more than these independent titles can commit to. What I don't know is what the studio is currently paying per unit for printed BD-R, case, and artwork, to determine how much over current costs the above quotes would cost them. The cumulative difference might not be as much as one would expect, and this would get replicated discs for the project.

Keep in mind that retail prices will always be higher for small-run titles due to manufacturing and development costs being defrayed across a smaller number of units. It's not like major studios that get tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of units pressed at one time, which really drives their cost-per-unit total down.

[WaverBoy]

Maybe there can be a stretch goal for replicated discs for this title. That would be fangtastic.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by Tim n Tempe

I don't mean any dispespect, but I have many DVD-R from 20 years ago that still play perfectly. I have pressed discs from more recent years (both formats) that have failed.

It is shocking how many pressed discs have failed, I agree with you there.

[Tim n Tempe]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Maybe there can be a stretch goal for replicated discs for this title. That would be fangtastic.

That is a great idea.

Originally Posted by the13thman

It is shocking how many pressed discs have failed, I agree with you there.

Yes. For me it has gotten to the point of being afraid to view discs I haven't watched in a long time (especially OOP rarities) in fear they might fail.

[Chedwiggen]

Hoping for some alien/creature movies somewhere down the line.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Chedwiggen

Hoping for some alien/creature movies somewhere down the line.

You’re getting one, it’s this one.

[Chedwiggen]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

You’re getting one, it’s this one.

Cool! Never seen it before.

[bming]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

You’re getting one, it’s this one.

I look forward to seeing some sample footage in the near future.