Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

Don't get me wrong, what happened to that young actor in Clownhouse is deeply tragic, and it should never have happened. Could it happen again? Who knows? But in the western world, our legal system is not built around punishing someone for a crime they might commit. I'm not saying forgive and forget, but I also don't believe in witch hunts.

Honestly, this conversation probably doesn't require any elaborating, but that "young actor" was a child (of twelve, I believe) and this scumbag taped himself molesting him. He served 15 months in jail for that crime. A crime that scars a person for the rest of their life. At best. So add not punishing offenders of child sex crimes properly to your list of things I the "western...legal system" isn't built around. If a couple of people in an online blu-ray forum want to take a break from wingeing about which Jaws sequel is worse to shine a light on this spineless turd, then it's a more productive day than most around here.

[FelixFlankin]

A local record store by me sells used Scream Factory titles for $12.99. That's how I get mine, except The Fog and Halloween 2/3 which I bought for full release day prices.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by Mateo Sanboval

Honestly, this conversation probably doesn't require any elaborating, but that "young actor" was a child (of twelve, I believe) and this scumbag taped himself molesting him. He served 15 months in jail for that crime. A crime that scars a person for the rest of their life. At best. So add not punishing offenders of child sex crimes properly to your list of things I the "western...legal system" isn't built around. If a couple of people in an online blu-ray forum want to take a break from wingeing about which Jaws sequel is worse to shine a light on this spineless turd, then it's a more productive day than most around here.

The sentence was indeed short for a crime that has such overwhelming consequences for another human being. The Polanski girl was 13, by the way. And I have to say it would worry me if the same people were willing to overlook that case and continue to enjoy Polanski's movies while calling for a witch hunt against Salva. I think we, as a society, should be careful when we look at our monsters not to forget to look at ourselves.

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

The sentence was indeed short for a crime that has such overwhelming consequences for another human being. The Polanski girl was 13, by the way. And I have to say it would worry me if the same people were willing to overlook that case and continue to enjoy Polanski's movies while calling for a witch hunt against Salva. I think we, as a society, should be careful when we look at our monsters not to forget to look at ourselves.

I refuse to watch Salva's movies. I also have not seen any Polanski films, despite the fact my family wants me to see Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown. I, for one, do not fit your description.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

The sentence was indeed short for a crime that has such overwhelming consequences for another human being. The Polanski girl was 13, by the way. And I have to say it would worry me if the same people were willing to overlook that case and continue to enjoy Polanski's movies while calling for a witch hunt against Salva. I think we, as a society, should be careful when we look at our monsters not to forget to look at ourselves.

You keep conceding points, but prolonging the argument. No one in this discussion has defended Polanski. Stop moving the target. This conversation wouldn't exist if you hadn't leapt at the oportuninty to challenge the opinions of folks looking to shed some light on a comment about why studios might be less than eager to create special features for Clownhouse with your pseudo intellectual pablam. And thanks for the platitude about looking inward. Maybe take your own advice the next time you feel like "probing the consistency" of someone's opinion about child abuse. I'm done with you. You can go home now.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by demonknight

I, for one, do not fit your description.

Glad to hear it - hypocrisy and fanaticism are two things this world already has too much of. But for me, it is still a stretch to equate Rosemary's Baby or Jeepers Creepers with the abuse of children. It is simply not what those movies are about, which is why I am able to watch them. But like I already said, I'd rather not sit through Clownhouse ever again.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by Mateo Sanboval

You keep conceding points, but prolonging the argument. No one in this discussion has defended Polanski. Stop moving the target. This conversation wouldn't exist if you hadn't leapt at the oportuninty to challenge the opinions of folks looking to shed some light on a comment about why studios might be less than eager to create special features for Clownhouse with your pseudo intellectual pablam. And thanks for the platitude about looking inward. Maybe take your own advice the next time you feel like "probing the consistency" of someone's opinion about child abuse. I'm done with you. You can go home now.

Spitting venom and closing the discussion - neither mature nor constructive.

For the sake of the discussion (and not yours)... I frankly find both the Polanski and the Salva cases unpleasant to discuss. But I feel there is much more attention to the subject when Salva comes up than when Polanski comes up. Is it strictly because Polanski's movies are artistically better? I realise that the Polanski is widely covered, but for some reason, his career moved forward in a way that Salva's didn't. I am not questioning anyone's right to say "I do not want to support this man", nor their right to distance themselves from something that unpleasant. Who wouldn't? But with the similarities in the cases, it is striking that one director's career was relatively unaffected.

I am going to apologise for probing into SMP's personal stance, though. That was tactless of me, and I honestly didn't mean for it to be.

[redrunner97]

Originally Posted by KenHurd

I'd love to see a collector's edition of Needful Things that includes both the theatrical cut and the extended TV cut.

NEEDFUL THINGS!!! YES! YES! YES! YES!

I would sell my soul ( ) for that on blu-ray from Scream Factory! It's one of my personal favorite Stephen King adaptions. This must happen!

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Good call on the night stalker/strangler, those are classics. I'd say MGM already released most of the movies which would have fit in (ex Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Amityville Horror, Species, Child's Play). A ton of the "Midnite Movies" line are well worth bluray releases but wouldn't fit in with the scream factory line. Things like "Invasion of the Bee Girls" and "The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant" would be right in line with the Shout releases like "Incredible Melting Man" and I'd buy them for sure, and obviously there are a ton of Vincent Price movies they could use for a part 2/3 of the vincent price collection, and then there are things like old horror anthology movies (Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror) which are pretty good and have a pretty big following. I'd also be all over things like the amicus giant puppet movies (Land that Time Forgot, Wargods of Atlantis, People that Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core). But yeah, the ones you listed are about the only ones that would fit in with the scream factory line, and I agree that most don't seem to be worth CEs. I don't think Monkey Shines or those three Stephen King movies are particularly good or well-loved, either...I'd like to hear commentaries from Romero on Monkey Shines/The Dark Half, but that's about it!

Overall the horror movie MGM released on DVD that I would be most interested to see on blu-ray would be Planet of the Vampires, but that's way too old to fit in with the scream factory line.

Scream Factory already released the Amityville Trilogy on blu-ray last year, all three as Collector's Editions within the box-set. As a matter of fact the entire box set was labeled a "Collector's Edition".

And Incredible Melting Man is simply mislabeled. It was announced on the Scream Factory page and has always been listed by Scream Factory as a brand title. And it is, its a horror film. A terrible one, but there's tons of gore and violence.

I don't think Planet of the Vampires is too old for the line, I mean Scream Factory has released Die, Monster, Die!, Neanderthal Man, and Beast of Hollow Mountain on blu-ray even!

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by redrunner97

And Incredible Melting Man is simply mislabeled. It was announced on the Scream Factory page and has always been listed by Scream Factory as a brand title. And it is, its a horror film. A terrible one, but there's tons of gore and violence.

I don't think Planet of the Vampires is too old for the line, I mean Scream Factory has released Die, Monster, Die!, Neanderthal Man, and Beast of Hollow Mountain on blu-ray even!

Wow, I never noticed that The Incredible Melting Man was mislabelled. I think it rocks, though, in all its so-bad-it's-good glory.

And yes, Scream Factory has released several movies from the 70's and back... But I don't see much of that on their current planned slate. Which is a shame. I'm happy to get Lake Placid, and Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps seem to have made many fans happy. But maybe I'm too old to consider these "Rated R for Retro".

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

Wow, I never noticed that The Incredible Melting Man was mislabelled. I think it rocks, though, in all its so-bad-it's-good glory.

And yes, Scream Factory has released several movies from the 70's and back... But I don't see much of that on their current planned slate. Which is a shame. I'm happy to get Lake Placid, and Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps seem to have made many fans happy. But maybe I'm too old to consider these "Rated R for Retro".

Lake Placid does. I feel that retro means anything more than/equal to 15 years.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by demonknight

Lake Placid does. I feel that retro means anything more than/equal to 15 years.

I think we all have our individual definitions there, and if I were to state mine, it would be strictly subjective.

I'm not complaining about any of them (though I won't be buying the two werewolf flicks), but I guess the bulk of my wish list are from the 70's through late 80's - glad to see Evilspeak, Final Exam, Sleepaway Camp, The Final Terror, Leviathan, and Pumpkinhead coming up. But I do need more 70's stuff!

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

Guess you won't ever be watching any of Roman Polanski's movies again either?

I am not defending the crime. I've only watched Clownhouse once and it made me uncomfortable. I was almost relieved that I didn't find it that good, because that particular movie is so obviously tainted. But should we, as a society, repeatedly punish someone for the same crime? It is entirely within your right to not want to support Victor Salva. Hey, if the President of Uganda released a product, I would not want to support it either. But Victor Salva, to my knowledge, has not repeated his offense (and I realise that it is a grievous offense) - and Jeepers Creepers features no underage actors.

I guess my point is that you're not supporting or condoning Victor Salva's transgressions during Clownhouse (for which he has already been punished) simply by watching Jeepers Creepers. I intend to watch that movie again. Clownhouse? I don't think so. Sorry for going off topic.

I cannot enjoy a Salva film; they are, for lack of a better word, icky.

His horror films are inherently sleazy because they explore what is so obviously cracked about his psyche; they predominantly deal with young men in danger of predators. With the likes of Coppola bankrolling him, he's being afforded a forum where he can wave his misdeeds in the face of the public through psychologically disturbing material and then he acts like the put-upon artiste. Problem is, I'm not enthralled to be supporting any "art" wherein the creator works out his pedophiliac issues.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by dissention

I cannot enjoy a Salva film; they are, for lack of a better word, icky.

His horror films are inherently sleazy because they explore what is so obviously cracked about his psyche; they predominantly deal with young men in danger of predators. With the likes of Coppola bankrolling him, he's being afforded a forum where he can wave his misdeeds in the face of the public through psychologically disturbing material and then he acts like the put-upon artiste. Problem is, I'm not enthralled to be supporting any "art" wherein the creator works out his pedophiliac issues.

Well said!

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by dissention

I cannot enjoy a Salva film; they are, for lack of a better word, icky.

His horror films are inherently sleazy because they explore what is so obviously cracked about his psyche; they predominantly deal with young men in danger of predators.

That is an interesting point. The first time I saw Jeepers Creepers, I knew nothing about the director's past, so it was merely a popcorn flick - and it scared the pants off me! Yes, the Creeper is a predator, and his primary target is a young adult male. One may even argue that the Creeper's attention towards him is sexualised, in the way it smells his clothes, etc. But... This isn't really different from the way Michael targets Laurie, Freddy targets Nancy, etc. - except for the fact that the target is a male. And I can't get worked up over the switch in gender in itself. But I can definitely see how you can read the creator into his work. Which, in this case, is unpleasant.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

That is an interesting point. The first time I saw Jeepers Creepers, I knew nothing about the director's past, so it was merely a popcorn flick - and it scared the pants off me! Yes, the Creeper is a predator, and his primary target is a young adult male. One may even argue that the Creeper's attention towards him is sexualised, in the way it smells his clothes, etc. But... This isn't really different from the way Michael targets Laurie, Freddy targets Nancy, etc. - except for the fact that the target is a male. And I can't get worked up over the switch in gender in itself. But I can definitely see how you can read the creator into his work. Which, in this case, is unpleasant.

As far as the film goes, no.
But... we are talking about the director, and how he has been tried and convicted of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Last time I checked, both John Carpenter and Wes Craven were not convicted of such crimes.
So bringing them into the discussion is, pretty much, apples/oranges.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by rickah88

As far as the film goes, no.
But... we are talking about the director, and how he has been tried and convicted of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Last time I checked, both John Carpenter and Wes Craven were not convicted of such crimes.
So bringing them into the discussion is, pretty much, apples/oranges.

That is true. But the average movie goer won't even know his name, let alone his past. And for them, something like Jeepers Creepers isn't likely to sound any alarms. It certainly didn't for me the first time I saw it.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

That is an interesting point. The first time I saw Jeepers Creepers, I knew nothing about the director's past, so it was merely a popcorn flick - and it scared the pants off me! Yes, the Creeper is a predator, and his primary target is a young adult male. One may even argue that the Creeper's attention towards him is sexualised, in the way it smells his clothes, etc. But... This isn't really different from the way Michael targets Laurie, Freddy targets Nancy, etc. - except for the fact that the target is a male. And I can't get worked up over the switch in gender in itself. But I can definitely see how you can read the creator into his work. Which, in this case, is unpleasant.

I think Jeepers Creepers actually is an effective film; the chemistry between the leads is fantastic, the story is pulpy without devolving into utter cheese, and some of the suspense is masterfully accomplished. But the underlying themes still make it icky, with the sequel even ratcheting it up. Salva appears to have been emboldened by the success of the first, what with the lingering shots of sweaty male torsos and the homosexual slurs that pepper it. It harkens back to the nude shots of his 12 year old victim found in the opening of Clownhouse, but with the stamp of approval from Hollywood. Yes, they're twentysomething actors, but the film comes from the same mind that saw fit to abuse a 12 year old child and now fetishizes the male body of underage characters onscreen. It's simply gross.

And we haven't even broached the topic of Powder. That's a doozy of a film, hoo boy.

[ghostwhowalks]

Regarding the opening of Jeepers Creepers (IMO the films best moments!), have a look at this clip from Unsolved Mysteries. Coincidence maybe?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O-pmaY2j8w0

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Lucy Ashton

That is true. But the average movie goer won't even know his name, let alone his past. And for them, something like Jeepers Creepers isn't likely to sound any alarms. It certainly didn't for me the first time I saw it.

Uhm...okay...and?
I don't think there are a lot of "average movie goers" in this thread. Furthermore if more people knew about this scumbag's criminal past, I'm sure most would avoid his work. As proven when the victim staged a protest of Powder, which really hurt ticket sales, for such a critically acclaimed film.
Sure there will be some that flock to it, as is their right.

[Lucy Ashton]

Originally Posted by dissention

Salva appears to have been emboldened by the success of the first, what with the lingering shots of sweaty male torsos and the homosexual slurs that pepper it.

The homosexual insinuations shouldn't be problematic in and of themselves. It's 2014, after all. Nor should the sweaty male torsos. At least they're adult male torsos. But yes, it is difficult to accept any kind of sexualised content from the mind of someone convicted of sexual predation, I'll give you that.

Originally Posted by dissention

And we haven't even broached the topic of Powder. That's a doozy of a film, hoo boy.

Ha, I've only seen it once, and that was before learning about Clownhouse...