Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[prkchopexpress]

Originally Posted by sxerunner

Psst! Hey Scream, I’m sure you’re aware but just a reminder that there’s a fresh 4K transfer of Dog Soldiers now out there.

(Please)

didn’t everyone complain about the transfer on this when it first came out?

[sxerunner]

Originally Posted by prkchopexpress

didn’t everyone complain about the transfer on this when it first came out?

Yes. Scream’s release was... not ideal. But the new 4K transfer is relatively new, and since SF likes to re-release films with new transfers as Steelbooks (or directly to 4K as is with They Live), the opportunity is there to fix a mistake.

[Jobla]

Originally Posted by moviezrule

Does Shout Factory own The Lost Empire now through their Corman acquisition?

It got a BD-R release from a company in 2016 but now it seems to be OOP.

Barndoor would you be able to chime in ? Does Shout own this film now ?

It would be really cool to get this on Blu from Shout Factory....This film is bonkers! In a good way of course.

The version I have is a German BD under the title DREI ENGEL AUF DER TODESINSEL, released in 2016. It appears to be a pressed BD, and has English audio as an option.

Before that, there was a DVD-R in the US that had a really weird menu and was disappointing in terms of quality.

I'd like to see a US Blu-ray of it with some supplements.

[Donl1282]

I wonder which of SF existing releases will get re-released in 4K UHD format.

[zbinks]

Originally Posted by moviezrule

Does Shout Factory own The Lost Empire now through their Corman acquisition?

It got a BD-R release from a company in 2016 but now it seems to be OOP.

Barndoor would you be able to chime in ? Does Shout own this film now ?

It would be really cool to get this on Blu from Shout Factory....This film is bonkers! In a good way of course.

[Show spoiler]

This never was a Corman title, so it would not have been part of Shout! Factory's acquisition of that catalog. I think Wynorski, himself, controls the rights to the film.

[The Great Owl]

In 1931, the grisly and nefarious medical experiments performed by the staff of the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane come to an end when the inmates stage a violent revolt and start a fire, killing everyone inside the building. In present-day, Stephen Price, an amusement park entrepreneur played by Geoffrey Rush, organizes a party for his wife, played by Famke Janssen, at the facility by offering the guests a deal that they cannot refuse. These visitors will receive $1,000,000 apiece if they can spend an entire night in the building. The only catch is that the doors lock at night and will not be reopened until the following morning. During the hours that follow, our unwitting protagonists, played by Ali Larter, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, Bridgette Wilson, along with the residence owner, played by Chris Kattan, will experience the most terrifying night of their lives, and not all of them will survive until sunrise.

The 1999 horror feature, House on Haunted Hill, directed by William Malone, like its Dark Castle Entertainment follow-up, Thir13en Ghosts (2001), remakes a William Castle original film for the present day, with Geoffrey Rush's character serving as a contemporary homage to the unforgettable lead performance by Vincent Price in the 1959 original. The special effects, mostly of the dated computer-generated variety, do not do any favors for the production, nor does the artificial aura of the late-1990s cinematography, but the surprisingly effective ensemble cast makes up for any such shortcomings. The end result is a decent blend of jump scares and campy humor.

I do not connect with this newer update of House on Haunted Hill as much as I do with the other Dark Castle pictures or with its original incarnation of the same name, but it brings back nostalgia all its own from my days of watching cable television two decades ago when I lived in a house with friends during my post-college days. I was a big fan of Ali Larter back in the day due to her performance in Varsity Blues the same year, although Famke Janssen (Goldeneye) steals the show.

This Scream Factory Blu-ray gives us a great-looking high definition presentation that brings out the best of the 1990s late-night-movie look of the feature. The commentary track and special features are all engaging, although I would love to have seen some present-day cast interviews.

[SonnybytheSea]

With the WB and Paramount deals, has SF given up pursuing a new deal with Universal? With Arrow getting Tremors which at one point was part of SF wish list of films and apparently was unavailable due to it still being considered an active franchise by Universal! or was it just a unlucky draw of the cards (Arrow beat them to it or offered more $ for it)?

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by SonnybytheSea

With the WB and Paramount deals, has SF given up pursuing a new deal with Universal? With Arrow getting Tremors which at one point was part of SF wish list of films and apparently was unavailable due to it still being considered an active franchise by Universal! or was it just a unlucky draw of the cards (Arrow beat them to it or offered more $ for it)?

It's likely that the Friday set took a significant investment and that, along with all the first time on Blu Ray releases from Scream Factory that came from Paramount took precedence over re-releasing Tremors.

[filmlover22]

re: the Shout/Scream factory sale that ends 9/30 - do you think these prices will be lower in October, assuming they will do a Shocktober sale? Wondering if I should pull the trigger now, or wait..

Unless, this is replacing the Shocktober sale?

[SonnybytheSea]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

It's likely that the Friday set took a significant investment and that, along with all the first time on Blu Ray releases from Scream Factory that came from Paramount took precedence over re-releasing Tremors.

That's basically what I assumed was the reason. I do find it interesting that with Universal stance on "active" franchises (Jaws, Child's Play) only Tremors has a film Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020) coming out this year.....

[Member-222782]

I prefer Arrow handle most of the big-studio acquisitions like Tremors as Arrow typically does better restoration work and encodes, plus their packaging is always better stylistically. Look at that gorgeous slipbox Arrow came up with for Tremors. Shout is too in love with tacky blue cases

[CrazyBlu-RayFan]

Originally Posted by Luke Dodge748

Mine also says hold. Don't know what's with that... but I don't think it's negative.

I believe someone in the Friday thread said it's a typical part for Shout pre-orders and that they're getting things ready for shipping. There's photos of the set on Facebook already from people who are connected to Shout or at least connected to this set, so things are properly moving along.

[Worship.my.wreck]

Honestly, who cares who releases which titles? As long as they all get released, that's all i really care about.

[The Great Owl]

Brigitte and Ginger, two late-developing teenage sisters played by Emily Perkins (IT) and Katharine Isabelle (Hannibal), are outcasts in their bland suburban neighborhood, but they are proudly content to do everything together while rejecting the social norms of their environment. They elicit concern from their parents and school officials alike due to their uncanny preoccupations with death and suicide pacts. When the elder sibling, Ginger, is bitten by a mysterious wolf-like creature on the night of her first period, she begins to experience radical personality changes. The comparably mousy Brigitte is forced to step out of the shadow of her older sister and reach out to a new friend in order to save the day as Ginger's descent into savagery becomes more alarming and potentially deadly.

The 2000 Canadian horror feature, Ginger Snaps, directed by John Fawcett, does not pull any punches with regard to scary movie conventions regarding werewolves, but it functions equally well as a poignant coming-of-age drama. The subject of puberty has been examined before in horror cinema, most notably in Brian De Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, but co-writer Karen Walton brings an even more intimate perspective to the table, resulting in a film that pushes the envelope of discomfort even as, in the vein of Heathers (1989), it navigates several humorously subversive aspects of high school life.

The interactions between the quietly morose Brigitte, who comes across as a blend of Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice and Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club, and the more assertive Ginger are worth the price of admission. I was reminded of the 2001 comedic drama, Ghost World, where the tight friendship of the teenagers by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson starts to falter when one of them edges dangerously close to to real-world maturation. There is an undeniably resonant catharsis when one of the heroines does finally come into her own.

If you are on board for grisly visceral content, then Ginger Snaps does not disappoint, although animal lovers may want to proceed with caution. Funnily enough, I can handle all of the supernatural-edged gore, but a belly-piercing scene makes me want to curl up into a fetal position.

This Scream Factory Blu-ray, a long overdue purchase from this genre fan, brings us a great-looking transfer, with plenty of lurid detail. Two commentary tracks, courtesy of the director and screenwriter, share important perspectives on the story, while some extended features deliver some fun present-day perspectives from cast and crew.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Worship.my.wreck

Honestly, who cares who releases which titles? As long as they all get released, that's all i really care about.

True, but if X title is going to be released, wouldn't you rather have the best quality? This has nothing to do with label fanboyism if that's what you took from my post, and packaging, while important to many collectors, is only part of the fun. Tremors was going to be licensed from someone, I'm just glad that Arrow won out since I feel their restoration will be the best. I'm in this for the PQ - that's my #1 reason.

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

If you are on board for grisly visceral content, then Ginger Snaps does not disappoint, although animal lovers may want to proceed with caution.

I don't remember any animal cruelty in this film. What happens?

[Savage_Blu]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

re: the Shout/Scream factory sale that ends 9/30 - do you think these prices will be lower in October, assuming they will do a Shocktober sale? Wondering if I should pull the trigger now, or wait..

Unless, this is replacing the Shocktober sale?

Current sale is for Shout Select titles, Shocktober sale typically contains Scream Factory titles.
Doubtful the current sale is 'replacing' the Shocktober sale. However, Shout is going to have their hands full shipping the F13 set, this may have an impact on the timing of the annual October sale that typically runs around mid month.

Will they have a Shocktober sale?
Most likely....but...

[zbinks]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

It's likely that the Friday set took a significant investment and that, along with all the first time on Blu Ray releases from Scream Factory that came from Paramount took precedence over re-releasing Tremors.

That might have played a role, but I think this might also be a case where Arrow was willing to bet bigger on UHD than Shout! Factory. Tremors is probably part of the same package deal that netted Arrow The Last Starfighter, Pitch Black, Flash Gordon and likely others. These are all relatively big titles, but they all needed new masters and Arrow going UHD on 3 of the 4 (with perhaps more to come) is likely to be an expensive gamble, on their part. Shout! is going to test the UHD market, themselves, but they're doing so with one of their legacy titles (They Live) from Universal rather than a title they hadn't previously released, themselves.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by zbinks

That might have played a role, but I think this might also be a case where Arrow was willing to bet bigger on UHD than Shout! Factory. Tremors is probably part of the same package deal that netted Arrow The Last Starfighter, Pitch Black, Flash Gordon and likely others. These are all relatively big titles, but they all needed new masters and Arrow going UHD on 3 of the 4 (with perhaps more to come) is likely to be an expensive gamble, on their part. Shout! is going to test the UHD market, themselves, but they're doing so with one of their legacy titles (They Live) from Universal rather than a title they hadn't previously released, themselves.

For Shout, releasing They Live on UHD is as safe a bet as they come. I'd put money on the studio upgrading other Carpenter titles as long as they don't lose the rights. Maybe EFNY is next? As for Arrow picking up a Universal package deal, I'm more interested in the "and possibly others" part. I have zero desire for Flash Gordon or Last Starfighter.

[BarnDoor]

Originally Posted by zbinks

That might have played a role, but I think this might also be a case where Arrow was willing to bet bigger on UHD than Shout! Factory. Tremors is probably part of the same package deal that netted Arrow The Last Starfighter, Pitch Black, Flash Gordon and likely others. These are all relatively big titles, but they all needed new masters and Arrow going UHD on 3 of the 4 (with perhaps more to come) is likely to be an expensive gamble, on their part. Shout! is going to test the UHD market, themselves, but they're doing so with one of their legacy titles (They Live) from Universal rather than a title they hadn't previously released, themselves.

Also worth noting of course that Arrow have the additional benefit of negotiating UK rights as part of the same package (not in relation to all their Universal properties, but in the case of Tremors and most others). I imagine this helps in discussions with Universal.