The House of the Devil (Ti West, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, April 2025)

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Frankly bizarre that this isn’t a 4K release. We’re supposed to be excited about a new Blu-ray release of this in the year 2025?

"Bizarre" that a film shot on 16mm and finished digitally in 2K isn't on a febrile collector's format that doesn't even have 10% market penetration in the UK? Black plastic is one hell of a drug.

[BobSimms]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

"Bizarre" that a film shot on 16mm and finished digitally in 2K isn't on a febrile collector's format that doesn't even have 10% market penetration in the UK? Black plastic is one hell of a drug.

Sorry, didn’t realize it was 16mm. Not that that has stopped such films from getting 4K releases in the past (see: Martin, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, both released by Second Sight AND IN THE UK WHERE THE FORMAT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE 10% MARKET PENETRATION), but point taken. I guess.

[A.B.]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Sorry, didn’t realize it was 16mm. Not that that has stopped such films from getting 4K releases in the past (see: Martin, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, both released by Second Sight AND IN THE UK WHERE THE FORMAT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE 10% MARKET PENETRATION), but point taken. I guess.

I reckon this would have looked pretty great in 4K, too. As you point out, 16mm hasn't stopped a few rather nice releases on the format. Would have been all over a 4K myself, but can certainly wait to double-dip on the blu-ray.

Frankly can't remember how good or not-so-good the old edition is. Still my favourite Ti West, might just have to watch it again.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

"Bizarre" that a film shot on 16mm and finished digitally in 2K isn't on a febrile collector's format that doesn't even have 10% market penetration in the UK? Black plastic is one hell of a drug.

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Sorry, didn’t realize it was 16mm. Not that that has stopped such films from getting 4K releases in the past

The 2K DI is the bigger factor since, unless they went back tot he film elements for a fresh scan, a UHD release would be an upscale.

[BobSimms]

Originally Posted by ravenus

The 2K DI is the bigger factor since, unless they went back tot he film elements for a fresh scan, a UHD release would be an upscale.

Is there something preventing them from doing that?

[Keoma]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Is there something preventing them from doing that?

Money?

Honestly, a quality BD is all this title really needed.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Is there something preventing them from doing that?

Going back and remaking the entire post-production process of a film from scratch from its rushes you mean? Quite apart from the fact that would cost a six or even seven figure sum to accomplish (and really for why?), most films, even ones made only 10 or 20 years ago, don't have their complete rushes logged and archived anyway. It's rarer that they are kept than they aren't.

More people need to accept the fact that a good decade or more of English language cinema was made as - and can only exist as - 2K DIs. Either film dailies were telecined and the films were made out of those digital files, or (rarer this happened, more an early 2000s thing) films were cut rough on film, then telecined and finished/graded digitally. Something like No Country For Old Men that had a cut negative was an outlier, and there are a huge number of digitally shot films that were captured, edited and finished in 2K. The 2K DIs of this era were good enough for 35mm distribution, good enough for DVD, good enough for HDTV and good enough for Blu-ray. They are good enough now.