Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998)

[KenHurd]

I wasn't that impressed with TCM The Beginning. It looks good for being 1080i, but the DVD upconverts really well and they look very similar. The DTS-HDMA track is a bit lower and not as aggressive sounding as the lossy Dolby Digital track on the DVD. I didn't find it much of an upgrade and since its owned by New Line, I'm sure a U.S. release will happen sooner or later, and may be a true upgrade by then. At least this title isn't in the Echo Bridge mix. If you don't already have the DVD, then the Alliance release is good to get, but if you do, you may not find it much of an upgrade.

[iap738]

With all the good reviews about the PQ/AQ on the triple pack disc I really want to get that to replace the crappy Echo Bridge H20, but I REFUSE to invest any money in Halloween 6 or Halloween Resurrection. Pure garbage.

I wish there was a way to just get H20 out of there.

[CaptainZombie]

Originally Posted by KenHurd

I wasn't that impressed with TCM The Beginning. It looks good for being 1080i, but the DVD upconverts really well and they look very similar. The DTS-HDMA track is a bit lower and not as aggressive sounding as the lossy Dolby Digital track on the DVD. I didn't find it much of an upgrade and since its owned by New Line, I'm sure a U.S. release will happen sooner or later, and may be a true upgrade by then. At least this title isn't in the Echo Bridge mix. If you don't already have the DVD, then the Alliance release is good to get, but if you do, you may not find it much of an upgrade.

Thank you for your thoughts. I still have the DVD and I agree that it upconverts very well so for now I'll stick with that unless I find the Alliance release dirt cheap. I keep going through that phase where I want to replace any remaining DVD's if there is a Blu available.

[dickdarlington]

For clarification, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a New Line title, not a Miramax/Dimension property.

However, I picked it up yesterday at FYE alongside From Dusk Till Dawn too.

Now watch, Warner will probably release a 1080p version with all of the DVD bonus material come Halloween now that I spent money on the Canadian version.

I almost picked up Good Will Hunting which is 1080p (despite the cover saying 1080i), but I know that title is in Liongate's hands and not Echo Bridge.

[KenHurd]

Is there a list of which titles went to Lion's Gate and which ones went to Echo Bridge?

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by CaptainZombie

Are both Dracula 2000 and TCM: Beginning priced reasonably? Does anyone have the specs on D2000 and TCM:B? I would think that both would be 1080p and DTS-HD MA 5.1. TCM:B DVD looks good upconverted, so I can imagine that the Blu is really good.

The Canadian BD of Dracula 2000 has lossless audio and is in 1080p. Picture quality is pretty good.

[sancho]

I would double dip on TCM The Beginning since I only paid $12.99 for the Alliance version. Thanks for the heads up on Dracula 2000. I am glad that I picked that up.

[28BlusLater]

Originally Posted by dickdarlington

For clarification, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a New Line title, not a Miramax/Dimension property.

However, I picked it up yesterday at FYE alongside From Dusk Till Dawn too.

Now watch, Warner will probably release a 1080p version with all of the DVD bonus material come Halloween now that I spent money on the Canadian version.

I almost picked up Good Will Hunting which is 1080p (despite the cover saying 1080i), but I know that title is in Liongate's hands and not Echo Bridge.

Thankfully!!!

I'm already angry with Miramax for giving any titles to a company as lazy as Echo.

Lets hope that New Line brings TCM: The Beginning to Blu in the near future.

[dickdarlington]

I could see Warner bringing out Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning sooner rather than later for two specific reasons.

1. Halloween is a few months away and studios like to bring genre-specific titles around the late-summer/early-fall time frame for promotions.

2. Jonathan Liebesman, the director, is filming Wrath of the Titans for Warner (with a March 2012 release date planned).

[CaptainZombie]

Originally Posted by sancho

I would double dip on TCM The Beginning since I only paid $12.99 for the Alliance version. Thanks for the heads up on Dracula 2000. I am glad that I picked that up.

I was just at FYE trading in some old DVD's and found TCM:B for $10.99, so I had enough credit to get it. At that price I couldn't resist and since Ken says its slightly better than the DVD, that works for me.

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

The Canadian BD of Dracula 2000 has lossless audio and is in 1080p. Picture quality is pretty good.

I didn't even look, but is Dracula 2000 also available at FYE? After Wave 1 of releases, I just do not trust EB enough to spend money on that one next month and would rather trust the Alliance release at this point to provide better AV quality. The Dracula trilogy is actually pretty good, even though the second and third one went a different direction than the first movie I still enjoyed them.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by CaptainZombie

I was just at FYE trading in some old DVD's and found TCM:B for $10.99, so I had enough credit to get it.

So what does FYE give these days for DVDs (on average)?

[CaptainZombie]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

So what does FYE give these days for DVDs (on average)?

The most I got for one today was about $2.00 and it was an older movie. I know if its a newer release, you can get up to $6. I've become such an HD snob, I dread sometimes when I want to watch a movie that is only on DVD. LOL!

[jamesdarko]

I saw this blu ray at BestBuy last weekend, i was thinking of getting it, the price was 9.99 but it just looked so cheap and didnt want to get it if the picture quality wasnt good so i decided to wait for a review see if it's worth the upgrade.

[CaptainZombie]

This now sucks, I just received an email from Axel saying that the triple pack from Alliance is on back order. Hopefully they get more in stock.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by CaptainZombie

This now sucks, I just received an email from Axel saying that the triple pack from Alliance is on back order. Hopefully they get more in stock.

After the disastrous Echo Bridge release, there has been a rush of orders on the Canadian set. I am sure Alliance will make sure the set stays in-print.

[crazferret]

There are some screenshots here that do direct comparisons with the DVD....

http://www.theaterthoughts.com/?p=2313

Dimension DVDs used to be SO good. It is unfortunate that we won't get the same treatment on Blu-ray

[n8boss87]

Originally Posted by crazferret

There are some screenshots here that do direct comparisons with the DVD....

http://www.theaterthoughts.com/?p=2313

Dimension DVDs used to be SO good. It is unfortunate that we won't get the same treatment on Blu-ray

that last blurb is hilarious. the disc is really labeled From Dusk Till Dawn!?!?! that's classic!

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by CaptainZombie

Thanks again. I can't wait for next week to receive this set. For $27, I should have bought it months ago and quit this waiting game for better US releases. I'm very familiar with the Alliance titles as I've owned several of their releases over the years and they have been decent.

I was actually surprised at how good H6 and H20 looked, considering their age and an obvious lack of remastering, and the interlaced transfers...and the fact that three films are crammed onto one BD-50. Here, the lack of extras kind of helps, as there's nothing but the films and their accompanying audio to occupy the discs. haha

H6 and H20 both display the expected dirt and specks, but it never reaches a distracting level. H6 looks sharper and has more vivid colors, while H20 is softer, with a more subdued palette...which is all mostly a product of the source material, rather than the transfer. That said, both are a HUGE step up from the awful letterboxed DVD transfers, and clearly better than anything Echo Bridge is currently putting out. Oh, and regarding the 1080i transfers, I didn't notice any artifacts when the transfer was in motion, so the interlacing isn't sloppy.

As for H:R...well, I didn't watch it, and never will again. haha Saw it once on the big screen and once on DVD, and that was more than enough for me. But I did watch part of the opening, then chapter-skip through the whole thing just to see how day/night/interior/exterior scenes looked. Overall, it's probably the best transfer on the disc (and the only one in 1080p, for some frustrating reason), but that doesn't make much difference. The film itself is still unwatchable. haha Oh well, at least it's now a polished turd.

The lossless 5.1 tracks for all three movies (well, two and the fraction I watched of H:R, that is) are excellent. Major, major upgrade from the DVDs...even more so than in the PQ department. Overall, for the price, you can't beat it. For anyone who's a fan of the franchise, it's a good deal, and I can't imagine we'll get anything better in the States. Couldn't imagine it then, and with Echo Bridge handling the U.S. releases, I certainly can't imagine it now.

Originally Posted by dickdarlington

I almost picked up Good Will Hunting which is 1080p (despite the cover saying 1080i), but I know that title is in Liongate's hands and not Echo Bridge.

I'd definitely wait on Lionsgate for that one. From what I've seen of the Alliance release, detail and clarity seem pretty good, but the color timing is WAY off. Maybe it sounds like a weird complaint to anyone who's not that familiar with the movie, but the Blu-ray colors are too natural. haha Hopefully, Lionsgate will reinstate the golden tone that the film had in its theatrical run.

Originally Posted by crazferret

There are some screenshots here that do direct comparisons with the DVD....

http://www.theaterthoughts.com/?p=2313

Dimension DVDs used to be SO good. It is unfortunate that we won't get the same treatment on Blu-ray

Actually, most Dimension DVDs sucked. The transfers weren't even anamorphic. Anyone looking at the transfer for movies like H20 and Scream, and saying they're "SO good," should get new prescription lenses. haha

And while the ample compression on those BD screencaps makes it impossible to determine much, regarding the overall level of detail in Echo Bridge's transfer, two things are immediately clear:

1. The open-matte framing ruins the composition of the cinematography.

2. The Echo Bridge BD transfer is much darker than the Alliance. Note in particular the complaint lodged against the shot where Laurie and Michael come face-to-face for the first time in 20 years. The screenshot shows very little shadow detail, and judging from the comments made, this is an accurate representation of the transfer's overall brightness/contrast. I'm looking at the same shot right now on my Alliance disc, and shadow detail is abundant. Certainly, Michael's "face" is not rendered as an indistinct grey/black blob. The Alliance transfer is never overly bright, but it's certainly much brighter, and features a much higher level of detail in dark scenes.

[CaptainZombie]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

I was actually surprised at how good H6 and H20 looked, considering their age and an obvious lack of remastering, and the interlaced transfers...and the fact that three films are crammed onto one BD-50. Here, the lack of extras kind of helps, as there's nothing but the films and their accompanying audio to occupy the discs. haha

H6 and H20 both display the expected dirt and specks, but it never reaches a distracting level. H6 looks sharper and has more vivid colors, while H20 is softer, with a more subdued palette...which is all mostly a product of the source material, rather than the transfer. That said, both are a HUGE step up from the awful letterboxed DVD transfers, and clearly better than anything Echo Bridge is currently putting out. Oh, and regarding the 1080i transfers, I didn't notice any artifacts when the transfer was in motion, so the interlacing isn't sloppy.

As for H:R...well, I didn't watch it, and never will again. haha Saw it once on the big screen and once on DVD, and that was more than enough for me. But I did watch part of the opening, then chapter-skip through the whole thing just to see how day/night/interior/exterior scenes looked. Overall, it's probably the best transfer on the disc (and the only one in 1080p, for some frustrating reason), but that doesn't make much difference. The film itself is still unwatchable. haha Oh well, at least it's now a polished turd.

The lossless 5.1 tracks for all three movies (well, two and the fraction I watched of H:R, that is) are excellent. Major, major upgrade from the DVDs...even more so than in the PQ department. Overall, for the price, you can't beat it. For anyone who's a fan of the franchise, it's a good deal, and I can't imagine we'll get anything better in the States. Couldn't imagine it then, and with Echo Bridge handling the U.S. releases, I certainly can't imagine it now.

I'd definitely wait on Lionsgate for that one. From what I've seen of the Alliance release, detail and clarity seem pretty good, but the color timing is WAY off. Maybe it sounds like a weird complaint to anyone who's not that familiar with the movie, but the Blu-ray colors are too natural. haha Hopefully, Lionsgate will reinstate the golden tone that the film had in its theatrical run.

Actually, most Dimension DVDs sucked. The transfers weren't even anamorphic. Anyone looking at the transfer for movies like H20 and Scream, and saying they're "SO good," should get new prescription lenses. haha

And while the ample compression on those BD screencaps makes it impossible to determine much, regarding the overall level of detail in Echo Bridge's transfer, two things are immediately clear:

1. The open-matte framing ruins the composition of the cinematography.

2. The Echo Bridge BD transfer is much darker than the Alliance. Note in particular the complaint lodged against the shot where Laurie and Michael come face-to-face for the first time in 20 years. The screenshot shows very little shadow detail, and judging from the comments made, this is an accurate representation of the transfer's overall brightness/contrast. I'm looking at the same shot right now on my Alliance disc, and shadow detail is abundant. Certainly, Michael's "face" is not rendered as an indistinct grey/black blob. The Alliance transfer is never overly bright, but it's certainly much brighter, and features a much higher level of detail in dark scenes.

Awesome job on your thoughts man for the Halloween triple pack. I'm even more excited for this whenever Axel gets more of these in stock to ship out.

Comparing the FDTD Echo vs. Alliance, the Echo release is loitered with DNR and is a darker looking film.

Michael's face in the famous H20 shot where Jamie sees him for the first time in 20+ years through the window, the DVD seems to have more details. LOL!

Originally Posted by crazferret

There are some screenshots here that do direct comparisons with the DVD....

http://www.theaterthoughts.com/?p=2313

Dimension DVDs used to be SO good. It is unfortunate that we won't get the same treatment on Blu-ray

The reviewer mentions that opening up the frame, the pq doesn't look much different than the DVD. I almost feel by looking at those screen shots that the Blu-ray looks worse than the DVD because it was opened up. Looking at the shot with Janet Leigh, she looks a little stretched out in the Blu-ray with the open matte.

[jimmymiro12]

I picked this up before I really read all the reviews it was $9.99 at BestBUy and yes it is out 1 month early. So I think I am going to take it back.


I just dont know if i should buy the triple pack on Bluray or wait to see if we get a better future release. Any suggestions?