Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

My parents were probably the last in the world to get a VCR (around 1991), so what little horror I was able to see growing up was whenever my parents would let me rent a player and a few movies for a weekend (cheaper than a babysitter), or the rare occasion when something was broadcast on TV.

The latter happened almost never on Danish TV, but luckily we could receive German TV as well, and they were more horror-friendly, showing series of classic gothic Hammer and AIP movies and the odd modern horror like Jaws and Poltergeist (dubbed in German of course).

Haven't got any kids of my own, but as for children watching horror movies, unless they are toddlers, kids can watch almost anything, and they will let you know if something's a bit too much for them. Kids are much more media savvy today than we were.

Here in Denmark we have a national media council, which rates all movies. We haven't had any adult censorship since 1969, but until the 1990s we used to have mandatory age restrictions. Nowadays, the only age restriction concerns children under 7. Basically anyone over 7 can watch anything in the cinema as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

The media council even published a leaflet called 'the good horror/ thriller' about how to watch those genres with kids. Their advise is first and foremost to listen to your kids and talk with them about what you watch. If something's too scary, it may be an idea to just rewatch that scene and talk about how it was made, that it's all make-believe and so on.

Also, there's a huge difference between watching horror movies in a cinema and in the comfort of your own home. Big screens make for a much more intense (and potential scary) experience for children.

Yeah you basically put it all down. I can remember vividly when my dad rented John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness when it first came out on video when I was 7 or so and it traumatized me and I had to tell my dad I couldn't finish it and went to bed and I didn't see it again until my early 20s. Also had become a huge Carpenter fan before that and was thrilled and not surprised when I found out that he had directed it lol. Its now one of my top Carpenter films and is one of my top 10 horror films. Still find it very creepy and scary but can obviously handle it now but what's crazy is that in an interview with Carpenter on the blu ray he said he wanted and set out to make a film that would just fill you with unease and dread and thats exactly why I couldn't finish it when I was younger and it still gives me that feeling. I just always found that interesting.

His Halloween terrified me so much as a kid that it kept me up all night and couldn't wait to watch part 2 the next morning lol.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

While we're on the subject of horror films I just watched a 1971 obscure horror gem called Let's scare Jessica to death. I highly recommend it. It was very good and creepy. Its Paramount unfortunately so hopefully Scream Factory will get the rights one of these days.

[jthefrank]

Originally Posted by Donl1282

This is off topic but for you blu-ray collectors with small children:

1. Do you watch horror films when your kids are at home?
2. Since small children throw and destroy things, do you tend to keep your disc collection out of your child's reach or do you let them see and touch them?

I have my collection seperated. The "family" collection is the mainstream stuff, in our office. The nicer stuff like Criterions and Disney are on higher shelves, but everything else is basically within the kids' reach. Stuff like Sixteen Candles where it is fine if my sons see the art, and I don't care if they accidently step on the case and crack it.

Everything cult and horror is in another room, out of reach, and not really for a little kid's eyes. I tell my wife all the time that my favorite thing to do as a child was peruse the horror section of the rental place and scare myself shitless, and that one or more of the kids will more than likely do the same. So it's inevitable they start getting into it.

And I also got rid of everything that was really just over the top. Stuff like Caligula and Thriller, that I didn't even care to watch in the first place, is all gone

[The Great Owl]

I'm enjoying the ongoing discussion about parents and horror films.

My parents have always hated horror movies. It's funny, in a way, because, they enjoy watching violent cop movies and such, where Clint Eastwood or Mel Gibson shoots about 150 people over the course of one film, but they refuse to watch anything involving supernatural horror.

When I was a teenager and would often go to the rental place to grab a movie for the family to watch, I always went for the basic crowd-pleasing stuff if I were watching a film with my parents (Lethal Weapon, Dirty Dancing, etc.), while I waited until they were not home to have movie marathons of violent horror flicks.

My parents discouraged my fascination with movie monsters, horror, and such, from the beginning during my childhood, but, after a certain point, they just sort of threw their hands up in exasperation and accepted the fact that I was never going to outgrow this stuff.


If I ever have kids of my own, then I'll keep the bulk of my movie collection out of reach until they are a certain age. Kids can...and will...find everything in a home that is supposed to be out of reach to them, but the idea of young young kids stumbling across the cover of, say, Cannibal Holocaust or A Bay of Blood, is not appealing. I won't censor or forbid anything after a certain point, though.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm enjoying the ongoing discussion about parents and horror films.

My parents have always hated horror movies. It's funny, in a way, because, they enjoy watching violent cop movies and such, where Clint Eastwood or Mel Gibson shoots about 150 people over the course of one film, but they refuse to watch anything involving supernatural horror.

When I was a teenager and would often go to the rental place to grab a movie for the family to watch, I always went for the basic crowd-pleasing stuff if I were watching a film with my parents (Lethal Weapon, Dirty Dancing, etc.), while I waited until they were not home to have movie marathons of violent horror flicks.

My parents discouraged my fascination with movie monsters, horror, and such, from the beginning during my childhood, but, after a certain point, they just sort of threw their hands up in exasperation and accepted the fact that I was never going to outgrow this stuff.

Haha! Yeah same with my folks. Horror really is one of the best genres and I never understood why its been so looked down upon. I'd say its the main genre I'm most addicted to. Every year I can't wait for my September-October horror marathon. A tradition I've always done since I was younger and will always continue to do.

[NeonStreetMelt]

Originally Posted by jthefrank

Hah, yes, the price point is the factor there. Really, really want Waxwork I/II and The Gate, but I've been holding off

Keep an eye on vestron video Facebook page, which I believe is unofficial, but someone seems to post whenever the Vestrons go on sale. I missed one but then I made the last one, I think it was Waxwork, Parents, and ROTLD 3. Best Buy puts them on sale for 17.99. Chopping Mall was featured in a previous sale, I got mine from Diabolik in a 19.99 sale. I don't think I've seen The Gate on sale yet.

It was this week last year Amazon 12.99'ed a bunch of Scream Factory titles, I checked and I see no sales...was really hoping they'd do that again, missed the last one.

[sxerunner]

Dad showed me NOES 3 (on sci-fi channel) and I never looked back. My grandmother was the manager at my local Hastings and thus I was able to bypass the age restrictions and sometimes I watched horror films on the TV in the kid's section. Mom never knew I caught the horror bug.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

While we're on the subject of horror films I just watched a 1971 obscure horror gem called Let's scare Jessica to death. I highly recommend it. It was very good and creepy. Its Paramount unfortunately so hopefully Scream Factory will get the rights one of these days.

that movie actually has a pretty solid following and has been requested about 500 times for a blu ray release 'round these parts!

Yes, it's an awesome flick.. typical of early 70's horror flicks--- played totally straight with an abundance of creepy mood and imagery.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by MJD64

While I essentially agree with your main point, Lifeforce is out there in a way current Hollywood blockbusters aren't, they feel way too much like "product". While Lifeforce is certainly bloated and structurally a mess, the dark, campy and outrageous sensibilities of director Hopper do come through in a big way. I can't imagine Hollywood taking a hundred million dollar plus gamble on so schizy a premise, though anytime they want to attempt a remake with, say, Alexandra Daddario, I'd love to see them try...😊

Yes absolutely. The film isn't perfect but it's so effective that it didn't really matter to me and gave me a sense of excitement that is scarce these days.

[rocknblues81]

Picked up The Burning Brand New for only 13.50.

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

While we're on the subject of horror films I just watched a 1971 obscure horror gem called Let's scare Jessica to death. I highly recommend it. It was very good and creepy. Its Paramount unfortunately so hopefully Scream Factory will get the rights one of these days.

That really is a creepily effective movie, it's low-budget 70's grittiness really works in its favor.
I know a lot of posters here are excited about intimations that Scream might be re-releasing the Friday The 13th series, but I'm far more excited that that would likely indicate the door opening to a licensing agreement with Paramount, which would hopefully include a release of Jessica (along with so many other titles).

Jessica's director John Hancock was the original director of Jaws 2 before he was fired by the producers for attempting to provide a film more atmospheric than they wanted; would have loved to have seen what he might have come up with if he'd finished the film.

[wonkavision]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

While we're on the subject of horror films I just watched a 1971 obscure horror gem called Let's scare Jessica to death. I highly recommend it. It was very good and creepy. Its Paramount unfortunately so hopefully Scream Factory will get the rights one of these days.

Originally Posted by AKORIS

that movie actually has a pretty solid following and has been requested about 500 times for a blu ray release 'round these parts!

Yes, it's an awesome flick.. typical of early 70's horror flicks--- played totally straight with an abundance of creepy mood and imagery.

Agree with both of you....unsettling film for sure.
Did you know the director (John D. Hancock) of Let's Scare Jessica to Death was hired to direct Jaws 2 solely based on the water scenes in Let's Scare Jessica to Death, but was fired after about a month due to personnel conflicts apparently. According to some trivia, there are 2 scenes in the final cut of Jaws 2 that were actually John D. Hancock's direction.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by MJD64

That really is a creepily effective movie, it's low-budget 70's grittiness really works in its favor.
I know a lot of posters here are excited about intimations that Scream might be re-releasing the Friday The 13th series, but I'm far more excited that that would likely indicate the door opening to a licensing agreement with Paramount, which would hopefully include a release of Jessica (along with so many other titles).

Jessica's director John Hancock was the original director of Jaws 2 before he was fired by the producers for attempting to provide a film more atmospheric than they wanted; would have loved to have seen what he might have come up with if he'd finished the film.

Oh agreed completely! I love Jaws 2 and think it is extremely underrated but I had just recently found out about John Hancock's version last year and read up on it and it sounded very interesting to say the least. I would love to have been able to see that version as well if it ever got finished. There's one existing scene from his version that is currently in Jaws 2 and it's right at the beginning after the celebration party and it shows Amitty all deserted like a ghost town and then the shark's finn comes up and enters the waters of the town. Always been one of my favorite moments in that film.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by wonkavision

Agree with both of you....unsettling film for sure.
Did you know the director (John D. Hancock) of Let's Scare Jessica to Death was hired to direct Jaws 2 solely based on the water scenes in Let's Scare Jessica to Death, but was fired after about a month due to personnel conflicts apparently. According to some trivia, there are 2 scenes in the final cut of Jaws 2 that were actually John D. Hancock's direction.

Which is the second scene? I know the shark entering the waters of the town at the beginning is one of them

[wonkavision]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Which is the second scene? I know the shark entering the waters of the town at the beginning is one of them

The sharks "big shock" at the end.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by wonkavision

The sharks "big shock" at the end.

Oh yeah that's right!

[jthefrank]

I don't think I've seen Jaws 2 or 3 in 15-20 years. Those inevitable CEs/boxset would be welcome

[jthefrank]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Huge-lot-of-...AAAOSwdGFYsFOc

Jesus Christ. I'm guessing some of them are quite hard to come across at this point

[Trekkie313]

Dolls, Pumpkinhead and The Funhouse are the only really rare ones. I've seen a bunch of the other titles in various stores still shrink wrapped with the slips.

The Sleepaway Camp sequels, Nigthbreed and Halloween II are very common.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Scream Factory Blu-ray of I Bury the Living.



A prominent businessman takes on a community volunteer job as chairman of a large local cemetery, and is shown a map of cemetery plots, where white pins signify the plots claimed in advance and black pins signify graves occupied by the dead. When he discovers, by accident, that replacing white pins with black pins results in the deaths of the plot owners, he wonders if he is possessed by a dark supernatural power. More importantly, he also begins to wonder what will happen if he replaces the black pins with white pins.

I first heard about I Bury the Living when I read Stephen King's glowing endorsement of the film in his book, Danse Macabre, but I have not been able to see it until now. It's a great little film, and it stands as an example of what can be accomplished in horror cinema with little or no special effects or budget. There are some truly intense moments that resonate, thanks to some great camerawork. During one pivotal scene, a closeup of a ticking clock hand is brilliantly used to amp up the tension.

This Scream Factory disc looks great. There's some print damage here and there, but it's all inherent to the source. There are no special features to speak of, other than a photo gallery, but the movie is its own reward.