Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[towecana]

I contacted Shout's Customer Service about if they will have a Shocktober sale, still waiting for a response

[Bradsdadg]

Didn't the Summer sale end up being a dud this year? Would be nice to see a Shocktober type sale but also not holding my breath for anything great...

[MifuneFan]

Last year's Shocktober sale was good, with everything in the sale being 50% off.

[The Great Owl]

On a remote vacation island, seasonal tourists who pick up dogs from the pound for companionship during their stay often carelessly abandon the dogs in the island wilderness before returning to the mainland. These discarded dogs, suffering from starvation, ultimately form a pack to pursue prey, soon developing a taste for human flesh. After realizing that these animals are on a bloody rampage, a marine biologist, played by Joe Don Baker, must protect his family and a small crew of visitors by barricading them inside a cabin.

The 1977 horror feature, The Pack, directed by Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon), is an engaging and often riveting entry in the when-animals-attack sub-genre that thrived during that decade. The kill scenes, made possible by real dogs and their capable handlers, have an unnerving verisimilitude to them as the vicious canines are tearing their victims apart. One particular scene, where an unfortunate woman is trapped in her car by a dozen of the feral creatures, surely anticipated Stephen King's Cujo. The proceedings are elevated by a strong cast of believable characters, all of whom have disparate personalities that lead to unexpected behavior in the face of danger.

As much as I love adventure thrillers like this, I cannot help being taken aback by a handful of sequences where attacking dogs are shot by the endangered humans. In each of these scenes, a whimper sound is heard right after the boom of the gunshot. Boom! *whimper* Boom! *whimper* Boom! *whimper* I am bewildered that the filmmakers consciously made this choice and thought that it was okay. In the grand scheme of the story, I understand and agree with why the humans are driven to defend themselves and their families from the dogs, but that whimper sound breaks my heart every time. If a one can get past this aspect of The Pack, then one will likely find it to be a superbly entertaining slice of 1970s grittiness.

Incidentally, one of the human characters whose vacation goes horribly wrong is played by Paul Willson, who probably is best known to contemporary audiences as one of the “Bob” consultants from the 1999 comedy, Office Space.


This Scream Blu-ray looks and sounds great. The plentiful extras make for a perfect set of kibbles and bits for fans.

[Donl1282]

Are the December releases usually revealed or leaked this coming week?

[jcole8882]

Originally Posted by Donl1282

Are the December releases usually revealed or leaked this coming week?

Well get leaks any minute now tonight, tomorrow or Saturday.. if not they'll be announced next Monday anyway

[Spooked]

So, Pumpkinhead arrived today, and holy crap the slipcover was mangled beyond belief. Thankfully for me that's a train I got off of long ago, but for those of you who really value these, I hope you have better luck than I did. Shrinkwrapping the slipcovers on was definitely the better idea.

Very faint scratches on the outer edge of the 4K disc, Blu-ray looks spotless. Reminder that I'm better off ordering from Amazon - this company has been consistency unreliable for me in regard to manufacturing.

[Monterey Jack]

Isn't it time for an October horror sale...?

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Isn't it time for an October horror sale...?

Shocktober should be starting any day now. Could be tomorrow, but probably next week.

[Monterey Jack]

Hope the prices are as nice as last year (and we get some cool swag as well).

[Pete Rock]

How about some new Concorde/New Horizons site exclusives?

[Resident Evil Labs]

Originally Posted by Spooked

So, Pumpkinhead arrived today, and holy crap the slipcover was mangled beyond belief. Thankfully for me that's a train I got off of long ago, but for those of you who really value these, I hope you have better luck than I did. Shrinkwrapping the slipcovers on was definitely the better idea.

Very faint scratches on the outer edge of the 4K disc, Blu-ray looks spotless. Reminder that I'm better off ordering from Amazon - this company has been consistency unreliable for me in regard to manufacturing.

Wow that's really early, doesn't it come out in like two weeks?

[MifuneFan]

I'm about to head out for the day, which is usually the universe's signal to post leaks somewhere

[snipemonkey]

Originally Posted by Pete Rock

How about some new Concorde/New Horizons site exclusives?

Not of This Earth (original and Traci Lords remake), pleeeeease!!!!

[Justin2000]

Originally Posted by Pete Rock

How about some new Concorde/New Horizons site exclusives?

Little Miss Millions, Transylvania Twist, Purple People Eater, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom 1 & 2, Sorority House Massacre 2 & 3, Summer Camp Nightmare?

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by Pete Rock

How about some new Concorde/New Horizons site exclusives?

No site exclusives, making these releases so limited is in poor taste to consumers.

[Metalbeast]

Originally Posted by Pete Rock

How about some new Concorde/New Horizons site exclusives?

Would like to see Not Like Us, Suspect Device and Virtual Seduction get released next.

[Jacques Souvenir]

Originally Posted by Spooked

So, Pumpkinhead arrived today, and holy crap the slipcover was mangled beyond belief. Thankfully for me that's a train I got off of long ago, but for those of you who really value these, I hope you have better luck than I did. Shrinkwrapping the slipcovers on was definitely the better idea.

Very faint scratches on the outer edge of the 4K disc, Blu-ray looks spotless. Reminder that I'm better off ordering from Amazon - this company has been consistency unreliable for me in regard to manufacturing.

Seems like I have the opposite luck. Whenever I get shrinkwrapped slips(Kino titles from Amazon) it seems like it's too tight and smashes the corners up.

[Jacques Souvenir]

And of course I must've jinxed myself. My copy came today and my slipcover is also beat up. Do they do replacements for slipcovers - has anyone on here received a replacement slip before? Wondering how much of a hassle it will be to ask them for one - I'm pretty picky about my slips.

[The Great Owl]

Delving into the Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection box set...



Despite the fact that heavy rains in the mountains above the resort town of Brownsville, Oregon are causing the lake waters to rise to a high level, the mayor, played by Richard Basehart, is hesitant to open the floodgates of the massive rock dam because the resultant loss of fish will affect the town's busiest tourist season. A town board member, played by Martin Milner, has been monitoring the increasing number of leaks in the dam and is convinced that the community is in trouble. An easygoing helicopter pilot, played by Robert Culp, is enlisted to help raise the floodgates after a power failure, but his efforts may be too late.

The title of the 1976 made-for-television film, Flood, directed by Earl Bellamy and produced by disaster film extraordinaire Irwin Allen, is a spoiler in and of itself, notifying us the audience that nothing is going to end well for the above-mentioned town or for any of the above-mentioned characters. The predictable plot element of an avaricious mayor not wanting to enact safety measures because of the lucrative tourist season is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, except that, this time around, the enemy is water itself. As with all Irwin Allen productions, a star-studded cast of actors is half the fun. Be on the lookout for Barbara Hershey, Roddy McDowall, Teresa Wright, Leif Garrett, Gloria Stuart, and Cameron Mitchell as unfortunate townspeople caught in the fray.

The titular disaster that occurs roughly halfway through the proceedings always fascinated me when I used to watch Flood on television during my childhood. Despite the limitations of the special effects, this film sells the tragic event in a convincing way even by today's standards.


The Blu-ray looks quite nice, considering the source.