Why no UK blu ray of Vincent Price's House On Haunted Hill (1958)?

[CinemaOfBlood]

Was wondering why the UK hasn't been treated to a blu ray of House On Haunted Hill (1958) or indeed another Vincent Price film The Bat (1959).

According to Google both films are Public Domain - does this help or hinder their blu ray chances?

[starsteam]

Even if a film is public domain, it doesn't mean that adequate film materials are openly available. The US SF release for HOHH in the Vincent Price set was licensed from Warner who held a film print. Anyone trying to restore a copy without going through Warner would have to rely on alternative sources which may vary in quality. Such as The Film Detective's release of The Bat, which was mostly unsatisfactory due to the grain being scrubbed.

A UK company could either license someone else's restoration or attempt a restoration themselves. It's a hard market for public domain movies though, as restoration costs are expensive and the market is already saturated with cheap lower quality releases. Not to mention having to file copyrights for the restoration so others don't steal it to sell cheaper. I think this is a big reason why we don't see many public domain films from big labels.

[CinemaOfBlood]

Originally Posted by starsteam

Even if a film is public domain, it doesn't mean that adequate film materials are openly available. The US SF release for HOHH in the Vincent Price set was licensed from Warner who held a film print. Anyone trying to restore a copy without going through Warner would have to rely on alternative sources which may vary in quality. Such as The Film Detective's release of The Bat, which was mostly unsatisfactory due to the grain being scrubbed.

A UK company could either license someone else's restoration or attempt a restoration themselves. It's a hard market for public domain movies though, as restoration costs are expensive and the market is already saturated with cheap lower quality releases. Not to mention having to file copyrights for the restoration so others don't steal it to sell cheaper. I think this is a big reason why we don't see many public domain films from big labels.

Thanks for replying, I was hoping a team like Indicator may have took up the challenge especially after their excellent William Castle at Columbia sets.

[drush9999]

The current pressed US BD version of The Bat had horrendous DNRing. Would upgrade to a better one.

[renegadeviking]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-V...lu-ray/147347/

Region B