Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by JMDiaz718

Agreed 100%. Not sure why all the hate, but I love Shout/Scream Factory's work so far. Lifeforce, Humanoids From The Deep, Halloween II, The Burning, Without Warning & The Howling, also look amazing!

I also think that Scorpion, Synapse, Blue Underground & Olive Films, do great work as well.

I guess these haters, would rather NOT have these genre classics available to them, at all. Hmmmm.

We should be bowing down to them and singing hymns and praise because they "let" us have these blu-rays? So then they shouldn't be held accountable for their issues? Why is it every other blu-ray company has figured out how to handle compression but Shout can't?

Just because they are bringing lots of older horror titles out doesn't mean we should give them a free pass to put no effort or care into their authoring. Arrow used to put out some terrible discs way back, and they have screwed up discs on several occasions requiring recalls (at least they fix their discs - something Shout doesn't do). But people have complained and it looks like they have cleaned up their act because they put out fantastic quality discs now. Their Lifeforce disc blows Shout's Lifeforce disc out of the water in terms of quality - better color timing, no phased sound on the theatrical, actual AVC on a second disc for the theatrical (not MPEG, and not on the same disc as the extended feature, like Shout did), and no compression issues (like Shout). Not to mention the feature-length new documentary. I own the steelbook and it's gorgeous and the transfer is far better than Shout's. I'm not an Arrow fanboy either - I'm just stating the facts.

I own many Shout discs and some don't seem to suffer from compression issues (TerrorVision looked fantastic and so did The Incredible Melting Man). But far too many of their discs have the issue, and it needs to be addressed. It would be nice if people here faced the facts and joined in to try and get them to address it, rather than give us a hard time for talking about it. I don't hate Shout factory - but i hate their compression issues, and it needs to be addressed.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Horror Pride

Haters gonna hate unfortunately. I don't even see any other company releasing these classics so you would think they would be grateful. I mean I dont see how anyone can find fault in Lifeforce and Prince of Darkness. I understand Cat People and Motel Hell but seriously.

I'm not a "hater". As I've said, I have half a shelf full of their discs. I'm stating facts. Their Lifeforce disc is nowhere near as good as Arrow's, for the reasons I've mentioned above. There were lots of complaints about the phasing sound in the theatrical version of Shout's disc. Personally I found it totally unacceptable. It was like listening to it in a tin can. And the MPEG compression was a joke. There are screenshots out there that clearly show Shout's compression issues with the extended version vs Arrow's release.

[slasherdisc]

Originally Posted by JMDiaz718

"I don't care what "scores" they get on this site or any other. I care about what I see with my own eyes. Many of the reviews here and elsewhere fail to even mention compression issues on Shout discs plagued by compression issues."

Agreed 100%. Not sure why all the hate, but I love Shout/Scream Factory's work so far. Lifeforce, Humanoids From The Deep, Halloween II, The Burning, Without Warning & The Howling, also look amazing!

I also think that Scorpion, Synapse, Blue Underground & Olive Films, do great work as well.

I guess these haters, would rather NOT have these genre classics available to them, at all. Hmmmm.

Agree completely!

[Marsupial Werewolf]

I like Scream Factory. Their release of The Final Terror is one of my favorite releases of the year. Knowing what they had to go through to make that thing presentable is a small miracle.

In fact, I don't think they're getting enough credit for that release. As a huge slasher movie fan, I grew up with borderline unwatchable VHS and DVD copies.

Last month was the first time I actually felt like I got to see the movie in the whole and I loved it.

But, frankly, their compression issues are out of hand. And that's not hyperbole. I view their stuff on an Epson projector and on a 110" screen, and I also double check them on a 60" plasma to see if they're just as apparent there. They always are.

Compression issues are flaws in their releases. Flaws that no Synapse or Scorpion release ever has.

That's not "hating." And I'm also not *****ing about the elements they use for their transfers. With the exception of Ravenous, which I skipped, I haven't really minded ANY of the Scream Factory transfers (although Cat People was massively disappointing). I've been collecting cult films for as long as digital discs have been around, so I'm used to transfers that are "rough around the edges."

But it's the compression issues that are consistent and troubling. This has nothing to do with the transfer elements, which is why so many people are disgusted by it. They COULD address these issues and they simply CHOOSE not to.

And it's fine that some of you aren't bothered/can't see/don't care about this. Just don't expect that nobody else should because you don't.

Accepting Scream's compression issues lowers the bar, especially when other, smaller labels like Synapse, Scorpion, and Vinegar Syndrome are doing consistently better work and with less resources.

[Rocky01542]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Just because they are bringing lots of older horror titles out doesn't mean we should give them a free pass to put no effort or care into their authoring. Arrow used to put out some terrible discs way back, and they have screwed up discs on several occasions requiring recalls (at least they fix their discs - something Shout doesn't do). But people have complained and it looks like they have cleaned up their act because they put out fantastic quality discs now. Their Lifeforce disc blows Shout's Lifeforce disc out of the water in terms of quality - better color timing, no phased sound on the theatrical, actual AVC on a second disc for the theatrical (not MPEG, and not on the same disc as the extended feature, like Shout did), and no compression issues (like Shout).

You bringing up Arrow's problematic releases in the past made me realize how similar of a situation we are in now with Scream Factory. I remember that whenever an Arrow title was criticized for some reason, a group of people attacked those with the contrarian opinion, and pretended like everything was fine and made up excuses for them saying that they couldn't possibly look better. Now, Arrows releases like The Beyond, City of the Living Dead and a lot of their other Italian titles are generally noticed as not being good and you won't see anybody defending them.

The people who weren't happy with the Arrow releases were branded as trolls and haters despite bringing up valid points. The same thing is happening now, as shown in the childish posts above with all the "you're a hater" and "haters going to hate nonsense".

The thing with Arrow is they learned from all the criticism and made themselves a much, much better company that pleases most of the customers most of the time. We've learned from them what criticism can do, so why are these dedicated Scream Factory defenders trying to silence those who aren't happy with the obvious issues? You would think, they of all people, would want the company to get better since it would likely please more people and would decrease the amount of criticism, but apparently not.

[KenHurd]

Originally Posted by JMDiaz718

I'm also a little disappointed, at how low most of these movies, are rated on this site. Without Warning got one of the worst ratings I've seen. It's not Casablanca, but it IS a forgotten classic, that's been on many a wish list for years!

I was pleased with Without Warning's presentation. The first few minutes were a bit rough, but when the main characters started showing up I thought the image improved for the remainder of the film. I did find the audio a bit underwhelming at times, but like you said, it's a forgotten film. I have no other version to compare its quality to. I did think it had a better presentation than The Final Terror, which had numerous issues due to the different sources used.

I don't think I'm a SF fanboy who ignores their issues just because these are being released by Scream Factory, but I haven't noticed as many issues as everyone points out. Nosferatu and Ravenous were probably the two worst offenders that I thought didn't look that good, but Prince of Darkness, Phantasm 2, etc. looked good to me. But I do have a 46 inch LCD TV that was purchased in 2007, so it may not display the image the way newer models do.

I do think some issues are from where Scream Factory gets their masters. Ginger Snaps was an improvement over the Canadian DVD by a long shot -- in my opinion -- and even more of an improvement over the Full Screen U.S. DVD we got here, but its source was obviously from an old master. I noticed numerous spots in the print.

As far as I'm concerned, everyone makes a valid point that Scream Factory should be making efforts to improve their compression issues, and I agree, but I can only go by what I see. For most of their releases, I've been pretty happy and enjoyed their releases. But when Arrow offers a better product, I can definitely understand the argument that Scream Factory should put out a product that is at the very least equivalent to Arrow's.

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by MattFini

I like Scream Factory. Their release of The Final Terror is one of my favorite releases of the year. Knowing what they had to go through to make that thing presentable is a small miracle.

In fact, I don't think they're getting enough credit for that release. As a huge slasher movie fan, I grew up with borderline unwatchable VHS and DVD copies.

Last month was the first time I actually felt like I got to see the movie in the whole and I loved it.

But, frankly, their compression issues are out of hand. And that's not hyperbole. I view their stuff on an Epson projector and on a 110" screen, and I also double check them on a 60" plasma to see if they're just as apparent there. They always are.

Compression issues are flaws in their releases. Flaws that no Synapse or Scorpion release ever has.

That's not "hating." And I'm also not *****ing about the elements they use for their transfers. With the exception of Ravenous, which I skipped, I haven't really minded ANY of the Scream Factory transfers (although Cat People was massively disappointing). I've been collecting cult films for as long as digital discs have been around, so I'm used to transfers that are "rough around the edges."

But it's the compression issues that are consistent and troubling. This has nothing to do with the transfer elements, which is why so many people are disgusted by it. They COULD address these issues and they simply CHOOSE not to.

And it's fine that some of you aren't bothered/can't see/don't care about this. Just don't expect that nobody else should because you don't.

Accepting Scream's compression issues lowers the bar, especially when other, smaller labels like Synapse, Scorpion, and Vinegar Syndrome are doing consistently better work and with less resources.

I wonder what company Scream! uses to author/distribute there releases?

Synapse, VS, Grindhouse, Cult Epics, Severin use a company called CAV Distributing Corporation and they don't get any complaints on there releases about compression problems. Maybe Scream! needs to look into using CAV for there releases.

[kidglov3s]

Originally Posted by KenHurd

But when Arrow offers a better product, I can definitely understand the argument that Scream Factory should put out a product that is at the very least equivalent to Arrow's.

Or in the case of Phantasm II Anchor Bay's R2 DVD.

[The Great Owl]

I used a 20% off coupon from Barnes & Noble to order Death Valley for $15 and free shipping.

Death Valley was one of the first R-rated movies that I saw during my childhood, so, despite any shortcomings, it will always hold a place in my heart. It's a rather interesting movie in terms of mixing family films with horror. If Frank Capra had directed a slasher film, it probably would have been sort of like Death Valley. The screenshots on the site review here look amazing, so this will be a nice step up from my early 1980s days of watching this movie on HBO.



I'm now caught up on all of the existing Scream Factory titles that I've wanted to buy. That's a good feeling. Of course, I have a way of being intrigued by more titles over time. I wouldn't mind having the Amityville Horror set, but I'd rather wait until the price drops significantly.

[Goremeister100]

You're keeping the slips? That's the best part

[Fadeaway189]

Originally Posted by Goremeister100

You're keeping the slips? That's the best part

No a lot of them didnt come with any and I already sold the other few lol

[Goremeister100]

Originally Posted by KenHurd

I was pleased with Without Warning's presentation. The first few minutes were a bit rough, but when the main characters started showing up I thought the image improved for the remainder of the film. I did find the audio a bit underwhelming at times, but like you said, it's a forgotten film. I have no other version to compare its quality to. I did think it had a better presentation than The Final Terror, which had numerous issues due to the different sources used.

Tell me you're kidding. WITHOUT WARNING looked like crap. I felt like I was watching a dvd. There were a few scenes that looked HD but the majority of it was way too soft. I need to compare it to the dvd and post some screenies. I thought FINAL TERROR looked better. So obviously WITHOUT WARNING didn't come from the original negative? The grain structure didn't look right for a blu. I expect grain to look like this on a dvd.

[Goremeister100]

Originally Posted by Horror Pride

Haters gonna hate unfortunately. I don't even see any other company releasing these classics so you would think they would be grateful. I mean I dont see how anyone can find fault in Lifeforce and Prince of Darkness. I understand Cat People and Motel Hell but seriously.

Why do people say Haters gonna hate? I don't hate Shout. I have a lot of their releases but I'm just not happy with the picture quality on some of them. WITHOUT WARNING is the new one that I find underwhelming. No reason why we can't whine if we aren't happy with a release. We are spending our hard earned cash after all. If they sold these discs for 5 bucks, I wouldn't even say anything.

[donidarko]

Originally Posted by Liquid_Swords

Hopefully Motel Hell will have a comparison on caps a holic soon

My Motel Hell arrived today. I was hoping it would mirror the fantastic quality of the Arrow disc that I also own. It's gonna be HELL if I have to sell Screams disc on Ebay if I see massive compression artifacts.

Just get a new authoring house or something. Why the loyalty to whoever is authoring these terrible problematic discs. Fire them already and be done with this problem.

I enjoyed Without Warning. I wasn't expecting much but it looked good for a 35 year old forgotten film. I'm very happy Scream released it.

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by Goremeister100

Why do people say Haters gonna hate? I don't hate Shout. I have a lot of their releases but I'm just not happy with the picture quality on some of them. WITHOUT WARNING is the new one that I find underwhelming. No reason why we can't whine if we aren't happy with a release. We are spending our hard earned cash after all. If they sold these discs for 5 bucks, I wouldn't even say anything.

Without Warning is something that you should just be happy is out at all. 1st time on home video ever.

[Jman76]

Are there any promo codes going for shoutfactory.com? I want to get a few things...

[dissention]

Originally Posted by horror pride

haters gonna hate unfortunately. I don't even see any other company releasing these classics so you would think they would be grateful.

Ridiculous.

[k_huntington]

i watched motel hell last night and did not notice any compression problems. i just noticed film imperfections.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by k_huntington

i watched motel hell last night and did not notice any compression problems. i just noticed film imperfections.

Great for you that you didn't notice the compression issues, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. It's been confirmed by several website reviews including this one, so it's not a question of if this release has compression issues - it's whether it will bother you or not.

[fuzzymctiger]

Originally Posted by Horror Pride

Haters gonna hate unfortunately. I don't even see any other company releasing these classics so you would think they would be grateful. I mean I dont see how anyone can find fault in Lifeforce and Prince of Darkness. I understand Cat People and Motel Hell but seriously.

Synapse, Severin, Vinegar Syndrome, Grindhouse Releasing, Blue Underground

88 Films, 101 Films, Arrow Video, Second Sight.

Hell even in Australia, Cinema Cult and Umbrella.

There are many companies more than happy to release these titles, especially in the UK.

Sure maybe Scream Factory is the only US company with the budget to put out these many, but I can tell you right now there are many companies that would want to put all these out, and overseas companies doing an even better job on the same titles.

As for the two listed above, compare the German release and US release of a Prince Of Darkness to see the digital manipulations, and Lifeforce, whilst mostly good, had some minor compression artifacts in the red, which are completely absent in Arrow's release. Not to mention both cuts in 1080p.