Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Is Breakdown streaming in anamorphic widescreen?

It is.

[Full Effect Ed]

My local Best Buy suddenly has 7-8 Scream Factory editions of Child's Play with slipsleeves for $18.99

[Member-222782]

Shout released a couple of DVDs a while ago of titles licensed from Full Moon, including a Robot War/Crash and Burn double feature - one of my favorite Shout releases. I wonder why that was such a limited deal. I'm far from a Full Moon junkie but they do have some films I like that could see decent BDs from Shout. I have very little confidence in FM themselves.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Full Effect Ed

My local Best Buy suddenly has 7-8 Scream Factory editions of Child's Play with slipsleeves for $18.99

They must be clearing out their warehouses.

[RedHarvest]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Shout released a couple of DVDs a while ago of titles licensed from Full Moon, including a Robot War/Crash and Burn double feature - one of my favorite Shout releases. I wonder why that was such a limited deal. I'm far from a Full Moon junkie but they do have some films I like that could see decent BDs from Shout. I have very little confidence in FM themselves.

There are a handful of 90s Full Moon titles I would still love to get on Blu-ray, most of which are in the Charles Band Volume One DVD set.

[Catastrophe]

Originally Posted by mja345

Imagine a cartoonish slipcover for "The Tenant". I can't think of many films where a cartoonish SF slipcover would be less appropriate.

Supposing that Scream Factory does release The Tenant, I would expect the cover art to be something more sedate and "mature" like their cover for Dead Ringers.

[The Geek]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I pulled this one out of the unwatched stack at long last, although I've owned it for years.



After stealing millions of dollars during a heist at Camp Pendleton, a paramilitary team of five criminals hijacks an airplane, with the pilot and his daughter as hostages, and takes off for Mexico, eager for a life of immense wealth and leisure. Unfortunately for them, they are forced by circumstances to land the plane at an abandoned farm, where they are hunted down and picked off by scarecrows that have inexplicably come to life.

The 1988 low-budget action-horror outing, Scarecrows, which was co-written and directed by William Wesley, could have fared reasonably well had it been given a proper theatrical release on these shores, but it has amassed a sizable cult following over the decades on the strength of its home video incarnations. This mash-up of The Evil Dead and Predator makes wise use of its limited resources, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well it manages to mold likable characters out of mostly unknown actors and how the fast-paced narrative blends guns, gore, paranoia, and occult supernatural lore into a cohesive whole.

The titular villains are supremely menacing, due in part to their appearances, but also because of the sinister ways that they exact harm on our antihero protagonists. After killing their victims, they hollow out the bodies, stuff them, and turn them into more scarecrows. These scarecrows also have brains, and they use diabolical tricks to lure their human prey into the fold.

One of my horror fan acquaintances has stated that this is the best movie that he has ever seen. I will not go that far, but I do get a kick out of this low-fi endeavor, and will be revisiting it frequently in years to come.

This Scream Factory Blu-ray delivers the goods with pleasant, albeit not demo, video quality and an audio presentation that brings out the best from the crucial use of sound effects. The cast/crew interviews and commentary tracks are fun supplements, because of the rightful extent to which all involved are proud of their accomplishment.

Fantastic review!

I watch this one multiple times a year. Huge fan

[Michael24]

Bull Moose now has Road Games, The Abominable Snowman and Dracula up for pre-order. Unfortunately, not at the nice low $19.97 price as previous Scream titles were, unless they drop to that later on.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Michael24

Bull Moose now has Road Games, The Abominable Snowman and Dracula up for pre-order. Unfortunately, not at the nice low $19.97 price as previous Scream titles were, unless they drop to that later on.

Saw that this morning... and I had checked every day including yesterday! Bummer that they didn’t hit the $19.99 price point this time.

sounds like Scream is really tightening the screws about their retail pricing. First Hamilton and now Bullmoose?

I may have to bite the bullet and break my "nothing over $20" rule that I've held onto for years.... at least on some titles.

[Michael24]

Yeah, I knew about the MAP stuff with Scream but wasn't sure if it was that being enforced or not, since I did get The Devil Rides Out, Blood From the Mummy's Tomb and Vampires for $19.97 each. I don't mind paying over $20 (and usually do) for stuff I really want but that price was pretty sweet. I guess if they didn't go up with that price then they won't change after the fact, so I'll probably snag them before they risk getting any higher.

[Member-222782]

Really digging these Corman steelbook reissues. Skipped Piranha since I'm not a huge fan of the film but got Forbidden World, Humanoids and now Galaxy of Terror - the best-looking of the bunch IMO. The new 4K remasters are a huge plus. Humanoids looks fantastic.

Really hope Shout considers doing Blu-ray reissues of some of those early titles like Twice Dead and Grotesque

[ProfondoRosso]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Really digging these Corman steelbook reissues. Skipped Piranha since I'm not a huge fan of the film but got Forbidden World, Humanoids and now Galaxy of Terror - the best-looking of the bunch IMO. The new 4K remasters are a huge plus. Humanoids looks fantastic.

Really hope Shout considers doing Blu-ray reissues of some of those early titles like Twice Dead and Grotesque

Yeah, I picked up Humanoids and am looking to upgrade my FW and GoT. HUMANOIDS is such a blast, as are a lot of the 80s Corman titles. I agree on PIRANHA, but I’ll likely pick it up at some point out of curiosity. I haven’t seen it in years.

[Jlouisbarrett]

I wouldn’t mind a remaster of StarCrash, tbh.

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Is Breakdown streaming in anamorphic widescreen?

Yes, i have a bet they might announce that sometime as that would be a best seller for those who have been waiting for a blu-ray and to retire their old DVD.

So no announcement today of any new titles or Big Trouble in Little China? how disappointing, oh well there's always tuesday after Labor day.

[The Great Owl]

Great job, Shout Factory!



A Los Angeles woman, played by Season Hubley, goes by her street name, “Princess”, while working as a hooker on the streets of Hollywood at night in order to support her young daughter. When her friend and fellow prostitute, played by Nina Blackwood, is brutally murdered by a rockabilly cowboy pimp named Ramrod, Princess is enlisted by a city vice detective, played by Gary Swanson, to help capture the violent criminal. Shortly after his apprehension, however, Ramrod, played with terrifying intensity by Wings Hauser, escapes from custody and takes off into the seedy underworld with a single-minded focus to find the woman who entrapped him. As this pimp, in Terminator mode, leaves a trail of bloodied victims across town during one single night, the Los Angeles vice squad is in a race against time to find Princess before he tracks her down.

I was only 10 years old when the television trailers and iconic poster art of the 1982 action thriller, Vice Squad, captured my imagination. The actual feature lives up to the promise of its hype as a twisted amusement park attraction ride of sorts that takes viewers through a myriad of dark corners in the world of nightlife sleaze. What could have been a mere drive-in exploitation exercise in ickiness, however, rises above its subject matter thanks to the committed spirit of the cast and crew to make something special. Director Gary Sherman (Dead & Buried) and the legendary cinematographer John Alcott (Barry Lyndon, The Shining) bring an unlikely beauty to the neon-lit cityscapes, while the screenwriters, Sandy Howard, Robert Vincent O'Neil, and Kenneth Peters, guide us through sordid vignettes while staying on the rails with their fast-paced and riveting primary narrative. Much of this movie's flavor comes from the types encountered by Princess after she returns to her streetwalker work following her assistance to the the police to capture Ramrod, and goes about her routine misadventures with different fetishes and desires of her customers, oblivious to the fact that the escaped pimp is prowling hotels and clubs in search of her.

Season Hubley, who was superb as Priscilla Presley in John Carpenter's 1979 music biopic, Elvis, and as an adult actress who befriends George C. Scott's minister character in the 1979 thriller, Hardcore, exudes a masterful blend of cynicism, vulnerability, and resilience. Gary Swanson is outstanding in the role of his life as the vice detective who continues to carry out heroic deeds, although he knows that his small drop-in-the-bucket contributions to public safety are only temporary speed bumps to the criminals of the sex crimes underworld. Wings Hauser, as the seemingly invincible villain, is insanely off the chain in his role, but still manages to remind us that there are people out there in the world who are not unlike him. Of course, Hauser's vocal track on the song, “Neon Slime”, that opens this film and sets the tone for the proceedings, cannot be ignored in a review.

Pepe Serna, as one of the vice cops, is primarily known for his role as Tony Montana's friend during a chainsaw scene in the 1983 film, Scarface, but I remember him most fondly for his nefarious roles in the Miami Vice television series. He is such an underrated actor, and his hour-long interview as a supplement on the Vice Squad Blu-ray is a joy to watch.

Of course, nobody can forget Nina Blackwood in retrospect, since she followed up her role here as an ill-fated street worker with a rewarding career as a VJ during the fledging years of MTV. Her pivotal role early in this film makes us despise Hauser's Ramrod all the more. Don't mess with Nina Blackwood!

Even now, decades after its release, Vice Squad has lost none of its visceral punch and emotional resonance. This is a great film across the board.

I watched this Scream Factory disc three nights ago, but have had to scramble to find time to go through it's five great interviews, which average an hour each in length, and its two commentary tracks. This is one of my favorite releases of 2019, thanks to a terrific video presentation with great audio quality to boot.

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Great job, Shout Factory!



A Los Angeles woman, played by Season Hubley, goes by her street name, “Princess”, while working as a hooker on the streets of Hollywood at night in order to support her young daughter. When her friend and fellow prostitute, played by Nina Blackwood, is brutally murdered by a rockabilly cowboy pimp named Ramrod, Princess is enlisted by a city vice detective, played by Gary Swanson, to help capture the violent criminal. Shortly after his apprehension, however, Ramrod, played with terrifying intensity by Wings Hauser, escapes from custody and takes off into the seedy underworld with a single-minded focus to find the woman who entrapped him. As this pimp, in Terminator mode, leaves a trail of bloodied victims across town during one single night, the Los Angeles vice squad is in a race against time to find Princess before he tracks her down.

I was only 10 years old when the television trailers and iconic poster art of the 1982 action thriller, Vice Squad, captured my imagination. The actual feature lives up to the promise of its hype as a twisted amusement park attraction ride of sorts that takes viewers through a myriad of dark corners in the world of nightlife sleaze. What could have been a mere drive-in exploitation exercise in ickiness, however, rises above its subject matter thanks to the committed spirit of the cast and crew to make something special. Director Gary Sherman (Dead & Buried) and the legendary cinematographer John Alcott (Barry Lyndon, The Shining) bring an unlikely beauty to the neon-lit cityscapes, while the screenwriters, Sandy Howard, Robert Vincent O'Neil, and Kenneth Peters, guide us through sordid vignettes while staying on the rails with their fast-paced and riveting primary narrative. Much of this movie's flavor comes from the types encountered by Princess after she returns to her streetwalker work following her assistance to the the police to capture Ramrod, and goes about her routine misadventures with different fetishes and desires of her customers, oblivious to the fact that the escaped pimp is prowling hotels and clubs in search of her.

Season Hubley, who was superb as Priscilla Presley in John Carpenter's 1979 music biopic, Elvis, and as an adult actress who befriends George C. Scott's minister character in the 1979 thriller, Hardcore, exudes a masterful blend of cynicism, vulnerability, and resilience. Gary Swanson is outstanding in the role of his life as the vice detective who continues to carry out heroic deeds, although he knows that his small drop-in-the-bucket contributions to public safety are only temporary speed bumps to the criminals of the sex crimes underworld. Wings Hauser, as the seemingly invincible villain, is insanely off the chain in his role, but still manages to remind us that there are people out there in the world who are not unlike him. Of course, Hauser's vocal track on the song, “Neon Slime”, that opens this film and sets the tone for the proceedings, cannot be ignored in a review.

Pepe Serna, as one of the vice cops, is primarily known for his role as Tony Montana's friend during a chainsaw scene in the 1983 film, Scarface, but I remember him most fondly for his nefarious roles in the Miami Vice television series. He is such an underrated actor, and his hour-long interview as a supplement on the Vice Squad Blu-ray is a joy to watch.

Of course, nobody can forget Nina Blackwood in retrospect, since she followed up her role here as an ill-fated street worker with a rewarding career as a VJ during the fledging years of MTV. Her pivotal role early in this film makes us despise Hauser's Ramrod all the more. Don't mess with Nina Blackwood!

Even now, decades after its release, Vice Squad has lost none of its visceral punch and emotional resonance. This is a great film across the board.

I watched this Scream Factory disc three nights ago, but have had to scramble to find time to go through it's five great interviews, which average an hour each in length, and its two commentary tracks. This is one of my favorite releases of 2019, thanks to a terrific video presentation with great audio quality to boot.

Very nice. I still need to pick this up.

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by Jlouisbarrett

I wouldn’t mind a remaster of StarCrash, tbh.

Yes, and both cuts would be nice.

[Member-222782]

Was going through my collection looking for something and I hadn't realized that The Prophecy, which I added to my wishlist, doesn't have commissioned art. Or is that just a placeholder? If that's the art Shout is using, could it mean all of their Paramount titles will feature original art (with or without slips)? I know some studios have mandated the use of studio artwork as a condition for licensing certain titles. I kinda hope that's the case here.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Was going through my collection looking for something and I hadn't realized that The Prophecy, which I added to my wishlist, doesn't have commissioned art. Or is that just a placeholder? If that's the art Shout is using, could it mean all of their Paramount titles will feature original art (with or without slips)? I know some studios have mandated the use of studio artwork as a condition for licensing certain titles. I kinda hope that's the case here.

It’s not a Collectors Edition so I think that’s why. If it was it probably would have gotten commissioned art.

[Marsupial Werewolf]

A shame to hear about Scream Factory's refusal to budge on pricing.

I love their stuff and buy it Day 1 when I can, but they just put too much out and at their current prices, who can keep up?

Some of the recent price reductions via Amazon have been amazing. I was able to fill in a ton of back catalogue stuff that way, but it's a shame that we can't get back to where stuff was right around $20.