Dark Force Entertainment Discussion Thread

[rdodolak]

The Last Victim was rebranded as "Mr. Death" and "Rape in the Suburbs" in 1977/78. I'm assuming these versions had the same running time as the original "The Last Victim"?

[Marsupial Werewolf]

Dark Force should look at Mondo Macabro's excellent WILD PUSSYCAT Blu-ray for inspiration on how to handle titles like this.

That release had two drastically different cuts included, had an opening text explanation as to the differences in them so viewers can make an informed choice about which version to watch.

I'm sure the director of that film probably preferred *one* version, too, but they still included correct versions of both.

[nvadr]

"By order of William Olsen the new release of THE LAST VICTIM/FORCED ENTRY will no longer be available until he discusses the running time issue with the director Jim Sotos who is currently in a nursing home. We may have a very small number of copies left from the first batch we had that we will make available for sale when the Dark Force Superstore reopens. In the meantime we were made aware there is an inferior VHS available for those that want to see it. Hopefully this issue will be resolved and we will have access to it again soon.
Dark Force Management" - Dark Force on Facebook.

[Davidian]

Originally Posted by nvadr

"By order of William Olsen the new release of THE LAST VICTIM/FORCED ENTRY will no longer be available until he discusses the running time issue with the director Jim Sotos who is currently in a nursing home. We may have a very small number of copies left from the first batch we had that we will make available for sale when the Dark Force Superstore reopens. In the meantime we were made aware there is an inferior VHS available for those that want to see it. Hopefully this issue will be resolved and we will have access to it again soon.
Dark Force Management" - Dark Force on Facebook.

But Bill doesn't own Dark Force. This is a Dark Force product.

Does no one see the discrepancy here?

[GilaFilms]

Originally Posted by kraven

Apparently Charles is finally doing the semi right thing.

If you're referring to his new "Remastered Edition" of Tourist Trap (now on Prime) possibly coming to blu...it's STILL the 85 minute botch job.

[cloudnine]

Originally Posted by Davidian

But Bill doesn't own Dark Force. This is a Dark Force product.

Does no one see the discrepancy here?

How can anyone not understand that DF released it, but it's really Bill's title sold under the DF name.

[noj222]

Originally Posted by Marsupial Werewolf

I’m already looking forward to Bill’s next livestream where I’m blamed for merely asking a question about run time discrepancies.

How dare a customer question the length of run time of a product they are spending money on. How dare they wonder what product they will actually be getting. It’s all your fault for complaining!

[indravayu]

Originally Posted by cloudnine

How can anyone not understand that DF released it, but it's really Bill's title sold under the DF name.

On the last livestream, Bill thought it was a Code Red release and Demon had to correct him that it actually was a Dark Force release; Bill even argued with him about what logo was on the spine, LOL.

[Dark Force]

Originally Posted by noj222

How dare a customer question the length of run time of a product they are spending money on. How dare they wonder what product they will actually be getting. It’s all your fault for complaining!

That's right because apparently there are so many damn cuts of this movie even we got confused. The bottom line is we put out what the director had for original elements to do an HD release. Anything else may as well been on VHS. As Ruined stated the original post had wrong info pertaining to the PG cut. The info Bill gave us was all very confusing on this movie as well. This movie is lucky it even got released on Blu-ray at the end of the day.

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

That's right because apparently there are so many damn cuts of this movie even we got confused. The bottom line is we put out what the director had for original elements to do an HD release. Anything else may as well been on VHS. As Ruined stated the original post had wrong info pertaining to the PG cut. The info Bill gave us was all very confusing on this movie as well. This movie is lucky it even got released on Blu-ray at the end of the day.

Everyone seems to be forgetting that Bill's kidneys were crapping out for several months, building up toxins, to the point where they had to put him on Furosemide to try to force them to work (the last step before dialysis) and the Furosemide triggered a blood-pressure crisis, with a drop so severe he fell between the tub and the toilet and suffered all of the physical trauma we've witnessed in recent weeks. It's a miracle he was functioning well enough to even know what films he was working on, let alone any of the details.

I'm not saying there wasn't an error here, but I really wish everybody would cut Bill some slack. He made a mistake in describing exactly what it was he had acquired, and apparently so did the director. DD didn't catch it. It sucks all around that it wasn't given a 100% accurate description, however, the original PG cut, Last Victim, is included and a version of Forced Entry, in HD no less, is also included. It's not as though they sent out a blank disc.

And, for the record, David, you did not make a mistake, in releasing this at all, nor was it dumb to do so, just because a bunch of people are loosing it over on Facebook. I was surprised you'd even have thought that.

[The Dugan]

People purchase a product that was falsely advertised and then the shills and movie label fail to understand why there's a backlash? If this was any other thread, I'd be surprised.

I'll fair to Dark Force in saying The Last Victim has a confusing release history. If you're only coming in at the last step of its release (to put the product out), it can be a headache to fully comprehend all the various versions. That doesn't excuse the blatantly incorrect advertising, yet one action could have smoothed over some of the outcry: simply stepping up and saying you made a mistake. Instead, the reaction is to argue and harp on about how awesome the release is while covering your ears.

Even that would be tolerable still, but it's one thing that pushes it over the edge for me. The shills. Everyone reading this knows who I'm talking about. One in particular jumped onto the situation to argue against any comments that didn't praise this release. It's not even a good argument as most of it boils down to how the longer version sucks while totally bypassing everyone else's criticism of how it's not the product advertises and the buyers want to make up their own mind. I was interested in the release because I find re-edits fascinating. Check out Arrow's release of Blood Bath to see a perfect example with multiple cuts and a documentary detailing all the various differences.

This is strike three for me with Dark Force. The House That Vanished was the first example. Screams of a Winter's Night and how unfriendly it was to consumers to snag a copy was the second. This is the third. Add on the obvious label plants who use logic that would make citizens of even Bizarro World look on in puzzlement and I'm out. I'll buy from their competitors or use other means to find their releases. As is, I hope Code Red and Dark Force go out of business and other companies that don't treat their consumers like idiots and trash pick up their titles.

[Pinot Grigio]

I still want to pick up both Winter Night and Last Victim, so it better still be up when the sites returns...

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by The Dugan

People purchase a product that was falsely advertised and then the shills and movie label fail to understand why there's a backlash? If this was any other thread, I'd be surprised.

I'll fair to Dark Force in saying The Last Victim has a confusing release history. If you're only coming in at the last step of its release (to put the product out), it can be a headache to fully comprehend all the various versions. That doesn't excuse the blatantly incorrect advertising, yet one action could have smoothed over some of the outcry: simply stepping up and saying you made a mistake. Instead, the reaction is to argue and harp on about how awesome the release is while covering your ears.

Even that would be tolerable still, but it's one thing that pushes it over the edge for me. The shills. Everyone reading this knows who I'm talking about. One in particular jumped onto the situation to argue against any comments that didn't praise this release. It's not even a good argument as most of it boils down to how the longer version sucks while totally bypassing everyone else's criticism of how it's not the product advertises and the buyers want to make up their own mind. I was interested in the release because I find re-edits fascinating. Check out Arrow's release of Blood Bath to see a perfect example with multiple cuts and a documentary detailing all the various differences.

This is strike three for me with Dark Force. The House That Vanished was the first example. Screams of a Winter's Night and how unfriendly it was to consumers to snag a copy was the second. This is the third. Add on the obvious label plants who use logic that would make citizens of even Bizarro World look on in puzzlement and I'm out. I'll buy from their competitors or use other means to find their releases. As is, I hope Code Red and Dark Force go out of business and other companies that don't treat their consumers like idiots and trash pick up their titles.

A forgiving nature doesn't make a person a shill. As to my assertions that their making of this mistake is understandable, given Bill's health at the time he was passing this release off to David to release and IMDB's claim that the PG cut is 88 minutes long, I stand by it.

If you can't forgive the error, that's fine. Truly, no one should spend money on anything being put out by a company they hold in contempt. For me, I have made so many mistakes in my life, I could never hold anyone to such a high standard as to expect them to be perfect in their attempts to release a film with multiple cuts, conflicting information, including the director's own statements, while handling other releases in the pipeline. The same forgiveness I extend to VS for releasing Mausoleum, when there were conflicting rights issues, forgiveness that I based on the fact that they were just doing the best they could with the information they had at the time, is the forgiveness I extend for making this kind of error. Bill and David did what they did based on the information they had at the time.

Should they say something like, "Oops. We're sorry we made this mistake in advertising. We said that the PG cut was 88 minutes long, when it turns out the extra-long VHS cut is 88 minutes long. Thankfully, the full PG cut is included on the release and, again, we're sorry." ??? Well, big duh on that, they should. However, if you go over to Facebook, some are acting as though the disc should be recalled for not including a VHS port.

As to Last Victim (not Forced Entry), are those in possession of the film happy with the transfer? Picture? Sound? Encode?

[kraven]

Stop with rhe Bill's health bullshit. It has nothing to do with what's going on.

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by kraven

Stop with rhe Bill's health bullshit. It has nothing to do with what's going on.

If you knew anything about what happens to the brain in renal failure, you'd know it has everything to do with what's happened with the advertising error on this release.

But, all of that, the health issues and the mistakes, are beside the point. Is the original film, the PG version, on its own, a quality blu release? I have no idea and would like to know.

[cloudnine]

Originally Posted by miribeau

If you knew anything about what happens to the brain in renal failure, you'd know it has everything to do with what's happened with the advertising error on this release.

But, all of that, the health issues and the mistakes, are beside the point. Is the original film, the PG version, on its own, a quality blu release?

There's the possibility Bill knows these films are cut versions or flawed (FORCED ENTRY, THE HOUSE THAT VANISHED, KILL OR BE KILLED etc.) so to avoid another NECROMANCY mess, he passes these films off to Dark Force to avoid any hassle.

[iamnoone]

Having just scanned through the FORCED ENTRY print on this Dark Force release, it's pretty obvious that every single sequence of violence/rape has been edited and chopped down considerably where everything is chopped out to a large degree - pretty tame stuff left, as if it were a tv print, and I think it may have been a tv print. There's no actual nudity or anything beyond basic network rules for at least late-night broadcast. This is most likely a very cut-down tv-print of the exploitative “Forced Entry” version. Basically useless. Yep, the Harmony Vision VHS release dub in SD would be a million times better than this G-rated for-TV travesty. Oh ya, no Coke bottle or anything else that made Forced Entry how sleazy it was.

Now on to The Last Victim..... It looks uncut, and is an OK film, I liked it OK, it's decent but also pretty generic, and it’s pretty obvious why this version never did anything, and why it was finally reworked into something marketable with much more exploitation added in. As it is, it’s so tame and so similar to every other thriller of the time that there’s nothing that really stands out, and without the name appeal of Roberts or Allen, I’m surprised it would get any release at all at the time, which it may not have. But after the success of Roberts and Allen, it only made sense to make a more successful and exploitative film out of the material, re-shooting and adding material, and making it more grisly and disgusting.

So, FORCED ENTRY wins all the way. But not Dark Force’s edited tv-print. Only the uncut version. Someone will do this film justice the right way someday, I hope. In the end, still glad to get the original rare cut of the film. Easily worth buying it just for that if you are a slasher buff wanting them all.

[Fiocca_Cola]

And so the spin continues, If this is indeed the version the director wanted out there then why the hell would you pull it and deny putting it into the hands of interested collectors for a reasonable price? These petty sales tactics are childish at best. Please Demon if you care for Bill and Code Red fans talk some sense into the guy

[oildude]

Gents,

This thread will re-open with the following warning.

The general rules of the forum apply to this thread and will be strictly enforced from now on.

Discussion of politics, sexuality, gender equality, etc will not be allowed. Stick to discussing the Dark Force releases or Code Red releases handled by Dark Force.

Try to discuss things in a respectful and friendly way. Bashing Bill will not be tolerated. Bashing Dave will not be tolerated. Trolling will not be tolerated. Insulting other members will not be tolerated. It is these things that got out of hand and led to this thread going on lockdown.

Some of you come to this thread seemingly for no purpose other than to attack DF and Code Red and to troll.

Some of you post so much in the DF/CR threads you drown out every other voice. It's like being sprayed with a fire hose. Long-winded and frequently off-topic dumb posts may not be against the rules or worthy of a suspension, but they are not fun to read and above all else these threads should be fun to participate in. For everyone.

Dave runs his label like a showman; enter at your own risk. Deal with it or move on. By the same rules, it is expected that Bill and Dave will reciprocate. This website very much appreciates the presence of label insiders and provides a forum for respectful interaction. It goes both ways.

If you don't like something about Code Red or Dark Force, learn to post without all the name calling and bashing. If that isn't possible for you, please take it someplace other than Blu-ray.com.

I can remember a time not so long ago when these threads were mostly fun, not the toxic and mind-numbing mess they have lately become. Members posted with a sense of humor and a shared excitement for drive-in cinema and exploitation and chop-socky films. Please focus on that.

Thanks for being members here and have a great week.

[AlexIlDottore]

It would be nice if DF could back up the statement that they've made many times that city of the living dead was originally meant to be a drive in movie.

I'm being polite.