Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Just to be clear, I wouldn't consider the volume on this release to be a technical issue. It's just a bit lower than I am normally accustomed to. This is certainly not an issue to the degree that it was on Valentine, and it may not even be noticed by some other folks who don't use surround sound set ups. Typically I listen to most movies on my receiver around 45 - 50 at night and 55 -60 during the day. As I watched this both last night and this morning again (I feel asleep last night as I tried to watch this from Midnight to 2am after having already watched The Tommyknockers...) I had my receiver set for 70 today when I re-watched a the bit I fell asleep for.

In no way, shape or form would I consider The Mangler a botched release and there is no reason for anyone to think the audio is messed up.

WOW! Your volume levels seem really high. On my set up I'm around 25-30 and its really loud.

[The Great Owl]

Let's get this prom party started with my take on Carrie (2002)...



Carrie White, a plain-looking teenage outcast played by Angela Bettis, is harassed and bullied on a daily basis by the popular cliques at her high school, and she finds no solace at home with her fanatically religious mother, played by Patricia Clarkson. When she belatedly experiences her first menstrual period in the showers during gym class and is subsequently teased by her classmates, she discovers that she possesses the telekinetic ability to move objects by using her mind. An ensuing chain of events culminates in a tragically macabre way during a fateful evening at the school prom.

The 2002 television movie adaptation of Carrie was directed by David Carson (Star Trek: Generations) as an attempt to provide a more faithful representation of the Stephen King source novel in the wake of the popularity of Brian De Palma's 1976 theatrical take on the story. While several pivotal sequences mirror the King book to an admirable extent, the finished product stumbles due to the ill-advised intention of the studio to convert it into a pilot for a television series that ultimately never happened. The resultant conclusion to the narrative is a disastrous affair that diminishes the effectiveness of everything leading up to it.

Thanks to the rampant use of hand-held cameras for almost every scene and to subpar digital photography, this made-for-TV feature also suffers from a distracting film style that calls too much attention to itself and is literally painful to watch. During its original television airing and during my most recent revisit, I found my mind taken out of the story at every turn by the constant motion cinematography and by the insistence of the filmmakers to interrupt each engaging scene with after-the-fact interview sequences at a police station that telegraph every major plot point in advance. The single most suspenseful sequence of the film, where Carrie and Tommy Ross, played by Tobias Mehler, walk onto the stage at their prom, is even interrupted by one of these police procedural asides to a detrimental effect.

The redeeming factor of this Carrie interpretation is Bettis herself as the title character. This actress, like Sissy Spacek before her and Chloe Grace Moretz after her, is too attractive for the role, but she delivers perhaps the most believable incarnation to date because she captures the character's drably pasty look in a way that is more unsympathetic and less frail than Spacek's portrayal. Bettis, who shined in Girl, Interrupted (1999) and May (2002), makes the role all her own, so we sense her timid reactions to her surroundings early in the movie and her fiery wrath later on in reaction to a cruel prank.

The always-amazing Patricia Clarkson, in turn, is more subtly menacing as Carrie's mother, although she is not quite as memorable as Piper Laurie before her. Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica) hits all of the right notes as a sympathetic student. Rena Sofer is excellent as the gym student who struggles with student arguments in a post-Columbine Carrie world. David Keith, who was terrific in 1980s movies like An Officer and a Gentleman and Firestarter (another King adaptation), is engaging enough as a police detective, although his scenes all interrupt the story at hand like nails on a chalkboard.

Emilie de Ravin commands the most attention of all of the supporting characters with her role as the ultimate mean girl who orchestrates a terrible plan for our telekinetic antihero protagonist. In retrospect, she seemed destined for the greater fame that would greet her as as result of the television series, Lost. Be on the lookout as well for Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs. Jason) as a scheming sidekick.

If you are a fan of the Stephen King story, then this version of Carrie is worth seeing, although the ending may make your head explode. My advice, without revealing overt spoilers, is to push the “Stop” button on your remote control immediately after the beautifully poetic shot of the title character in a bathtub while her mother lies on the floor a few feet away.

This Scream Factory Blu-ray makes the most of its inherently bad-looking source television movie material. The director commentary track is mostly back-slapping fare, but it provides a few pleasing anecdotes.

Onward to The Rage: Carrie 2...

[jebhdb]

Received my order from Best Buy for Amityville Trilogy and Garbage Pail Kids and was pleasantly surprised that Garbage Pail Kids arrived with a slipcover.

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Let's get this prom party started with my take on Carrie (2002)...

[Show spoiler]Carrie White, a plain-looking teenage outcast played by Angela Bettis, is harassed and bullied on a daily basis by the popular cliques at her high school, and she finds no solace at home with her fanatically religious mother, played by Patricia Clarkson. When she belatedly experiences her first menstrual period in the showers during gym class and is subsequently teased by her classmates, she discovers that she possesses the telekinetic ability to move objects by using her mind. An ensuing chain of events culminates in a tragically macabre way during a fateful evening at the school prom.

The 2002 television movie adaptation of Carrie was directed by David Carson (Star Trek: Generations) as an attempt to provide a more faithful representation of the Stephen King source novel in the wake of the popularity of Brian De Palma's 1976 theatrical take on the story. While several pivotal sequences mirror the King book to an admirable extent, the finished product stumbles due to the ill-advised intention of the studio to convert it into a pilot for a television series that ultimately never happened. The resultant conclusion to the narrative is a disastrous affair that diminishes the effectiveness of everything leading up to it.

Thanks to the rampant use of hand-held cameras for almost every scene and to subpar digital photography, this made-for-TV feature also suffers from a distracting film style that calls too much attention to itself and is literally painful to watch. During its original television airing and during my most recent revisit, I found my mind taken out of the story at every turn by the constant motion cinematography and by the insistence of the filmmakers to interrupt each engaging scene with after-the-fact interview sequences at a police station that telegraph every major plot point in advance. The single most suspenseful sequence of the film, where Carrie and Tommy Ross, played by Tobias Mehler, walk onto the stage at their prom, is even interrupted by one of these police procedural asides to a detrimental effect.

The redeeming factor of this Carrie interpretation is Bettis herself as the title character. This actress, like Sissy Spacek before her and Chloe Grace Moretz after her, is too attractive for the role, but she delivers perhaps the most believable incarnation to date because she captures the character's drably pasty look in a way that is more unsympathetic and less frail than Spacek's portrayal. Bettis, who shined in Girl, Interrupted (1999) and May (2002), makes the role all her own, so we sense her timid reactions to her surroundings early in the movie and her fiery wrath later on in reaction to a cruel prank.

The always-amazing Patricia Clarkson, in turn, is more subtly menacing as Carrie's mother, although she is not quite as memorable as Piper Laurie before her. Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica) hits all of the right notes as a sympathetic student. Rena Sofer is excellent as the gym student who struggles with student arguments in a post-Columbine Carrie world. David Keith, who was terrific in 1980s movies like An Officer and a Gentleman and Firestarter (another King adaptation), is engaging enough as a police detective, although his scenes all interrupt the story at hand like nails on a chalkboard.

Emilie de Ravin commands the most attention of all of the supporting characters with her role as the ultimate mean girl who orchestrates a terrible plan for our telekinetic antihero protagonist. In retrospect, she seemed destined for the greater fame that would greet her as as result of the television series, Lost. Be on the lookout as well for Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs. Jason) as a scheming sidekick.

If you are a fan of the Stephen King story, then this version of Carrie is worth seeing, although the ending may make your head explode. My advice, without revealing overt spoilers, is to push the “Stop” button on your remote control immediately after the beautifully poetic shot of the title character in a bathtub while her mother lies on the floor a few feet away.

This Scream Factory Blu-ray makes the most of its inherently bad-looking source television movie material. The director commentary track is mostly back-slapping fare, but it provides a few pleasing anecdotes.

Onward to The Rage: Carrie 2...

I liked Carrie (2002) for being more faithful to the book. Unfortunately they attempted to replicate the cutaways in King's source novel, which featured testimonies and excerpts from essays and textbooks, with the police interviews - which are ruined by

[Show spoiler]everyone seeming so calm, especially considering this is probably taking place a few days after the destruction of their town.

There is no sense of urgency and they're not used to build tension but as you mentioned just highlight what will eventually be shown anyway. De Palma's movie knew exactly what to discard from the book, and even though they're not hugely integral to the plot, certain scenes such as the meeting between the Principal and Chris' father etc were welcome additions. Whilst it lacks the budget to execute the prom night sequence properly and the cheap CGI is incredibly dated now and distracting, it's still a good companion piece to the 1976 version, except for the ending.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by davidthenikonuser

WOW! Your volume levels seem really high. On my set up I'm around 25-30 and its really loud.

You are likely using Absolute volume settings while I am using relative volume (or vice a versa).

https://www.soundandvision.com/conte...99s-difference

[Professor Echo]

Question: Has anyone ever had any luck canceling an order that hasn't shipped yet from Shout?

I detailed my saga about trying to do that very thing in the Shout sale thread in the MOVIES & TV DEALS forum on this site so I won't duplicate it here, but suffice to say that I have not been able to cancel my order with them in almost a week. After three days of no contact at all from them, they finally sent me a message which said they were going to try and cancel it, but couldn't guarantee it. That's the last I heard from them. So I opened up a dispute with PayPal and am hoping that will help. As I'm not the biggest Shout fan by a long stretch to begin with, this experience has soured me on ever ordering directly from them again.

[Spooked]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Question: Has anyone ever had any luck canceling an order that hasn't shipped yet from Shout?

I detailed my saga about trying to do that very thing in the Shout sale thread in the MOVIES & TV DEALS forum on this site so I won't duplicate it here, but suffice to say that I have not been able to cancel my order with them in almost a week. After three days of no contact at all from them, they finally sent me a message which said they were going to try and cancel it, but couldn't guarantee it. That's the last I heard from them. So I opened up a dispute with PayPal and am hoping that will help. As I'm not the biggest Shout fan by a long stretch to begin with, this experience has soured me on ever ordering directly from them again.

I've had luck in the past, but it's ridiculous. I wasn't going to shop with them again after the Great Poster Debacle of 2018, but I was pulled in by this recent sale. And I'm already having issues with my order(s)...

You know what they say: Fool me once...

I can't say it's always been fun, but I'm saying goodbye Shout. Sales or no.

[barsalou]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

I'm currently nearing the completion of the stephen king portion of my 31 film horror marathon for this Halloween season and have been working my way through most all of his films chronologically (or close to it). Last night I watched The Mangler as I am well into the mid 90's right now. This was my first ever viewing of said film and I had only vaguest of ideas as to what I was going to be watching. Despite a run time that likely would have benefited from about 10 minutes more of cuts, this was an all around very fun film and a very solid presentation from Scream Factory.

I won't pretend that Nostalgia for this early - mid 90's pre scream, pre-abundant CGI era of horror film didn't greatly help my enjoyment of this film as it absolutely did. But even on its own merits this is a wacky, wonderfully off base horror film.

I will say that the audio did appear to be a bit on the quiet side again, though not quite to the level that it was on some of the other titles last year but outside of the slightly lower volume this otherwise looked and sounded great.

These are the kinds of releases that I often enjoy the most from Shout Factory. Slightly off the grid, filmed between 85 - 95, cliched but not in the least pretentious or meta. Just a fun horror tale with actors that gave it their best effort and a cast that clearly was having a good time.

If you are at all on the fence on this one I highly recommend it. This and Phantom of the Opera 89 have been some of my most pleasant surprises from Scream Factory.

I actually read Stephen King's Night Shift for the first time this summer. The Mangler was definitely one of my favorite stories and buying the movie had been on my mind ever since. You just sealed the deal!!

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Question: Has anyone ever had any luck canceling an order that hasn't shipped yet from Shout?

I detailed my saga about trying to do that very thing in the Shout sale thread in the MOVIES & TV DEALS forum on this site so I won't duplicate it here, but suffice to say that I have not been able to cancel my order with them in almost a week. After three days of no contact at all from them, they finally sent me a message which said they were going to try and cancel it, but couldn't guarantee it. That's the last I heard from them. So I opened up a dispute with PayPal and am hoping that will help. As I'm not the biggest Shout fan by a long stretch to begin with, this experience has soured me on ever ordering directly from them again.

Did you goto your account and click on the order, there should be a cancel order button/link.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by davidthenikonuser

Did you goto your account and click on the order, there should be a cancel order button/link.

I tried three different browsers and there is no cancel button anywhere. According to their FAQ any order that is still marked as ORDER TAKEN can be easily canceled, but I followed their directions explicitly and there was no option to cancel. I brought this up several times in my correspondence with Shout and they never even once responded to that part of my letter. If you or anyone else can find the link to cancel an order, please tell me how to do it!

[The Great Owl]

...and now for The Rage: Carrie 2, which I kind of loved...



Rachel, a socially awkward goth girl teenager played by Emily Bergl, finds her inexplicable long-dormant telekinetic powers reawakened when her best friend dies from suicide. When she discovers that her deceased friend's act was a response to being dumped by an arrogant football player, she becomes the target of bullying threats by the teammates, who are trying to conceal a potential scandal before a big game. Rachel is reluctantly drawn into a romance with a genuinely well-intentioned school jock, played by Jason London, but her new boyfriend's popular clique is dead set on humiliating our heroine.

Sue Snell, a guidance counselor played by Amy Irving, was the sole survivor of a disastrous rampage by a telekinetic named Carrie White 23 years before, and she desperately attempts to reach out to Rachel when she senses that the girl has similar powers. She may be too late to save the day, however, when Rachel is invited to a big post-game party where her enemies have set a trap for her.

The 1999 supernatural horror sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, which was directed by a Roger Corman associate, Katt Shea (Poison Ivy), barely made a blip on my radar when it was first released in theaters. Having now given it a chance at long last, I am pleased to report that I had a blast watching this film. It does not hold a candle to Brian De Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, of course, but it easily bests the subsequent remakes of that film and proves to be a wildly fun slice of fiery mayhem on its own terms.

Bergl, in the lead role, is an instantly likable character whose cynical assertiveness is a refreshing counterpoint to the classic Carrie's timidness. Since this story was partly inspired by a real-life 1993 incident where high school jocks, who referred to themselves as the “Spur Posse”, used a point system to rank their sexual conquests of underaged girls, viewers are more compelled to empathize with the wrath of Bergl's Rachel during the final moments, when she dispatches the popular mean kids with fire, shards of glass, and even flying compact discs. In Katt Shea's hands, the narrative takes its time delving into the nuances of each and every character, even the villains, before the big crowd-pleasing showdown.

In retrospect, The Rage: Carrie 2 is so 1990s that it requires a warning label. Jason London, as the love interest, was fresh off pivotal roles in Richard Linklater's Dazed & Confused and in several Aerosmith music videos. Mena Suvari, who stars as Rachel's ill-fated friend, and Eddie Kaye Thomas, who plays an acquaintance of our protagonist, were only months away from being launched into superstardom due to their roles in the teen comedy, American Pie. Zachery Ty Bryan, as the football player who finds himself charged with statutory rape, was a supporting star in the television sitcom, Home Improvement. Two of the bad girls are played by Charlotte Ayanna, who appeared in the Weird Science television show, and Rachel Blanchard, who enjoyed the lead role in the Clueless television series.

Rachel's foster father is played by the one and only John Doe, who is the bassist and vocalist of the seminal Los Angeles punk band, X, and who is best known in the cinema world as the nefarious bartender who is fired by Patrick Swayze's lead in Road House. I saw John Doe in person at an X concert last month, and I knew that I was in for a treat with this movie when I realized that it has his coolness stamp.

An iconic and influential horror game changer this is not, but The Rage: Carrie 2 hits the sweet spot when it comes to a fast-paced and engaging story where the bad guys and the bad girls get what is coming to them.

According the director commentary track on the Blu-ray, Rachel's dog was played by a Basset Hound who was rescued from a shelter specifically to appear in the movie. That must have really been something else, going straight from an animal shelter to movie superstardom. I like that Basset Hound, and so will all of you.

This Scream Factory double-feature gives us a good-looking high definition transfer that is vastly superior to its counterpart, the 2002 digitally-filmed television remake of Carrie. The two commentary tracks are engaging and fun. A deleted alternate conclusion is a trip, but I'm glad that it was not used for the actual movie.

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I tried three different browsers and there is no cancel button anywhere. According to their FAQ any order that is still marked as ORDER TAKEN can be easily canceled, but I followed their directions explicitly and there was no option to cancel. I brought this up several times in my correspondence with Shout and they never even once responded to that part of my letter. If you or anyone else can find the link to cancel an order, please tell me how to do it!

That's weird. I thought I saw a cancel link on some orders I had some time ago.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by davidthenikonuser

That's weird. I thought I saw a cancel link on some orders I had some time ago.

According to their FAQ it is definitely supposed to be there when you click ORDER DETAILS. but I could not find it once. And I thought it very strange that the rep who did write me back never addressed my inability to cancel it manually nor answer my question as to how I could find the option on the site.

I don't want to clog up this thread with my issues and will leave it now, but if anyone has ever been able to cancel an order with Shout, please shoot me a PM with any advice you might have how to do it. Thanks.

[The Geek]

I love The Rage: Carrie II. The end massacre is fantastic.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by The Geek

I love The Rage: Carrie II. The end massacre is fantastic.

I think I recall this particularly standing out from the film. I can't remember anything else though.

[ghoulies]

Does anyone have any expectations that Best Buy will ultimately sell new Shout Factory titles again in the future, or is this an endless scenario?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

I think I recall this particularly standing out from the film. I can't remember anything else though.

More than anything, the sheer 1990s-ness of The Rage: Carrie 2 appealed to me. I keep forgetting how godawful that decade was in terms of fashion, technology, and even, in the latter part of the decade, the popular music. It's all charmingly nostalgic these days in an offbeat way.

I really really need to pull Cherry Falls and Valentine from my unwatched list, since they're carryovers from the end of the decade.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

More than anything, the sheer 1990s-ness of The Rage: Carrie 2 appealed to me. I keep forgetting how godawful that decade was in terms of fashion, technology, and even, in the latter part of the decade, the popular music. It's all charmingly nostalgic these days in an offbeat way.

I really really need to pull Cherry Falls and Valentine from my unwatched list, since they're carryovers from the end of the decade.

I liked Cherry Falls, it’s too bad SF couldn’t find the cut footage for it. Valentine has always been one of my favorites from that era.

[Puffy]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

I liked Cherry Falls, it’s too bad SF couldn’t find the cut footage for it. Valentine has always been one of my favorites from that era.

I debate buying Cherry Falls all the time. I’m a slasher fan and it’s been on sale plenty. There’s really no excuse for it at this point.

[JasonMichael]

I watched Valentine for the first time about 6 months ago and I really enjoyed it. It had a good atmosphere, and it's always fun seeing fairly big stars early in their careers. It was much better than its reputation.
Cherry Falls is on my wishlist. I should probably take the plunge on it.