Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Member-222782]

Once in a blue moon we'll get a premiere, like Alligator and Company of Wolves, but, yeah, looks like it'll be mostly re-issues going forward. I'm OK with it since I upgraded to an OLED and am getting more and more enamored of the 4K format so I want the best-looking PQ. The out-of-left-field premieres are now just pleasant surprises sprinkled around. They're sporadic but I think that makes them more special. No one should fret about re-releases because there's a ton of boutique labels out there doing all sorts of stuff. If you're region-free and/or not shy about importing, the choices expand even further.

[TotoroDragon]

Really happy to see Freaky getting a UHD release.
That's one off My 2023 want list from a few pages back already.

I hope Shout find a balance of disc debuts & UHD upgrades.

Not a bad start for 2023 could be better,but not that bad either.

[BarnDoor]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

No one should fret about re-releases because there's a ton of boutique labels out there doing all sorts of stuff. If you're region-free and/or not shy about importing, the choices expand even further.

That depends though. I don't expect SF to put out the independent, lesser-known titles we see the likes of VS and Arrow release, but I'm hoping to see more Warner Bros titles, given they're the only label who have a relationship with WB (other than Criterion, who it's fair to say won't be interested in these kind of films). My hope is that the lack of WB-licenced titles in 2022 (a mere one) was due to the troubles which also plagued Warner Archive's schedule, so fingers crossed 2023 is an improvement.

[HipsterTrash]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

I hear that. But out of all the films you could release on disc, or even upgrade or 4K, not mentioning the thousands of movies never released on disc, they go for……Ouija? I own the Blu Ray and haven’t even watched it yet.

What a waste of a title. Just my opinion of course.

Ouija is bland and not worth a UHD. The prequel is better.

Originally Posted by SpiderNerd09

That was my reaction too. Like come on now The Gift (2015) was right there Scream.

Or Raimi's The Gift along with his film A Simple Plan need Scream releases.

[SoulTaker3000]

Let’s hope site exclusives will make up for the dull lineup.

[Member-222782]

I'm happy about Dawn of the Dead getting a 4K but yet another edition of They Live is 100% milking the cow. Tell ya what: Rescan the film since the SC scan is less than perfect and I'll buy it again.

[HipsterTrash]

There's a few Glass Eye Pix films they could release. They already worked with Larry Fessenden and released a box set of his films. They also did Depraved.

Why not get Ti West's firs two films, The Roost and Trigger Man released?

[The Great Owl]

I was only 10 years old when the 1982 supernatural horror film, Cat People, was released in theaters. I was too young to see this movie on the big screen, but I recall the posters, the prime time commercial trailers, the magazine ads, and the overall hype with crystal clear clarity. Amusingly, I also remember watching a television review of the film with my parents and my being told by my parents that this movie was off-limits to me because of its much-discussed nudity and lurid subject matter.

At my young age back then, I was already fascinated with scary movies, but my peripheral exposure to Cat People elicited a new kind of intrigue altogether. Everything about the film, from the sleekly captivating poster image of Nastassja Kinski to the music from Giorgio Moroder and David Bowie, represented the mystique of eroticism to my boyhood self during a time before the full onset of puberty. At 10, I was just beginning to warm up to the concept that girls were more interesting than monsters or dinosaurs, but this film, which clearly covered both mindsets with no restraint, was something that I resolved to see as soon as humanly possible.

From my present-day adult perspective, the movie itself, directed by Paul Schrader as a remake of the 1942 Val Lewton production of the same name, does not quite live up to the pedestal that my young self placed it upon based on the eerie, yet titillating posters and trailers that I stared at with marvel all of those decades ago, but it nonetheless pleases as a cinematic oddity that brushes shoulders with multiple taboos while still keeping a foot in fun-spirited creature feature territory. The fact that Malcolm McDowell and Nastassja Kinski were two of the most interesting-looking movie stars of the era immensely adds to the effectiveness of their brother-and-sister characters who are descended from an incestuous family tree with other sinister secrets that are far more ghastly. The casting of the late great John Heard as a zoo curator who pursues Kinski's lead for romance enhances the allure of her character, since he is such an everyman by contrast. Annette O'Toole (Superman III, IT) is also effective as a female counterpoint who further helps to accentuate the strangeness of Kinski's Irena, who has just arrived in New Orleans to be reunited with her brother many years after the two of them were orphaned during early childhood.

Cat People, as promised by its advertisements, does not short-change the audience when it comes to showing plenty of skin. It also provides plenty of blood-soaked mayhem by way of its murderous feline, a massive black leopard that roams the French Quarter area, terrifying all who cross its path. Despite the sleaze and the visceral content, however, the film remains grounded on a human drama level, culminating in a rather touching love story sacrifice conclusion that leaves the viewers with mixed feelings about how primitive instincts are caged, both figuratively and literally.

Paul Schrader has always been one of my favorite filmmakers because of his willingness to fixate on corners of our world that most would rather avoid. After writing Scorsese's Taxi Driver, he went behind the director's chair to deliver skewed classics like Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), and Patty Hearst (1988), before recently making a dent in new millennium cinema darkness with First Reformed (2017) and The Card Counter (2021).

I own the original soundtrack to Cat People on vinyl, as well as the 12-inch record of the iconic David Bowie/Giorgio Moroder theme song. Both merit frequent turntable rotation under my roof.


This 4K UHD Blu-ray is spectacular, far overpowering the noise-reduction disappointments of the former standard Blu-ray incarnation. This is one of my favorite releases of the year.

[freddy=legend]

Welp, easy pass on the January slate. Maybe Feb won’t just be 4K re-releases.

[DukeTogo84]

I'm pretty excited about the Jackie Chan collection for sure, but I do share the sentiment that I do hope we get more new to HD horror as well like Alligator and In the Company of Wolves versus months of nothing but 4K upgrades. There are still a lot of horror and thrillers from Paramount and WB especially, so hopefully Shout goes after some of those. I don't mind the 4K upgrades as long as there is some new stuff thrown in as well. Either way, the Jackie Chan set should be pretty awesome.

[Member-222782]

Whatever Shout is passing up from Paramount Imprint will probably cover. They were first out of the gate with Fire In the Sky and theirs is the only release of The Gift on BD so far. A Simple Plan will also probably come out first via Imprint. ViaVision/Imprint are the only label outside of Vinegar Syndrome that I closely follow and watch every month. While everybody else is busy reissuing everything, Imprint is coming up with some very diverse and interesting titles every single month.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by SpiderNerd09

That was my reaction too. Like come on now The Gift (2015) was right there Scream.

He was talking about "new to disc" stuff and you bring up a movie that already has a perfectly fine BD release.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

That depends though. I don't expect SF to put out the independent, lesser-known titles we see the likes of VS and Arrow release, but I'm hoping to see more Warner Bros titles, given they're the only label who have a relationship with WB (other than Criterion, who it's fair to say won't be interested in these kind of films). My hope is that the lack of WB-licenced titles in 2022 (a mere one) was due to the troubles which also plagued Warner Archive's schedule, so fingers crossed 2023 is an improvement.

Considering the ongoings happening at Warner right now and the vast budget slashing occuring, now might be a good time for Shout Factory to really go hard after that Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise again along with any other titles of interest as the potential for Warner to make money off of licensing may suddenly be a bit more appealing to them as they seek to straighten out their financial situation.

Licensing titles for a physical release is going to be a drop in the bucket considering the debt they now have, however earning money for doing nothing is still a benefit to them when the alternative is to spend money themselves to sell said titles, or to do nothing with them and not make anything.

Here's to hoping for some excellent Warner deals/releases in the coming year.

[Surge92]

Well, my first big sale order is out for delivery, finally. I did receive my copy of Killer Party, which shipped separately, earlier, but I was irritated by its condition when it arrived. The cover had creases all over it, and it looked like it had been re-shrinkwrapped (it wasn't the usual sealed cellophane wrap). Needless to say, I was very displeased.

[SoulTaker3000]

I received my sale order today, everything was included except for Superstition.

[Luke Dodge748]

I picked up the 4Ks of Return of the Living Dead and Army of Darkness, and the discs will not even stay in the tray. Anyone use any different cases because of the poor quality of the black 4K cases...?

[bsend]

Jackie Chan collection is listed as Volume 1 which is promising for more.

[Rayjg]

Is it just me or has Shout customer service gotten worse the last few months? They’ve always been friendly and helpful in the decade I’ve been ordering direct but now all of sudden they’ve adopted a wolf warrior customer service mentality. Not surprisingly it coincides with their new insurance option.

[MifuneFan]

Artwork!







Shout titles:




credit to sonicyogurt for the heads-up

[bsend]

Originally Posted by SoulTaker3000

Let’s hope site exclusives will make up for the dull lineup.

Fingers crossed some of the site exclusives are double features again. $26 for a 60 minute movie isn't fun.