Hellraiser BD Reviews

[Teabaggins]

Hellraiser Blu-ray Image

Hellraiser Blu-ray Review



Hellraiser Blu-ray Anchor Bay

Hellraiser Blu-ray Review



Hellraiser Puzzle Box Blu-ray

Hellraiser Puzzle Box Blu-ray Review



I know it's not supposed to be released till the 21st but netflix is saying they are sending me the blu-ray today, is it an error or what?

or am I going to end up with the.....*dun dun dun* "DVD" ?!!!

[FindYourWay]

If you got the shipping confirmation email, it does state in it if the title is a blu-ray. If not...well you got a SD.

[Teabaggins]

I haven't received the email yet, the netflix page still has it listed as "shipping today"...

[andyman1970]

When I had the Die Hard movies on my Netflix list I got the DVD of DH2 because the BD wasn't available at my nearest shipping center. I then had to make a change to my account to where I only get BD if the title is available on BD even if I have to wait a little longer. If the title doesn't have a BD release then I get the DVD. So, don't be surprised if you get the DVD.

[Teabaggins]

hmm, I think I have it set to where if the BD is not available I just have to wait, it doesn't send the dvd by default.

[Blu Titan]

I am ordering this one for sure. One of my favorite horror movies.

[Atari Charles]

So about 6 months back I purchased Hellraiser I on Blu-ray release by Anchor Bay. Yes a great release with extras. So I was very happy with this release especially the $10 price

So yesterday I noticed Hellrasier II on blu-ray released by Image. The Midnight Madness text on the top of the case made me weary. But due to this being bought for me as a gift, I took the plunge. I also noticed Image had also released Hellraiser I on blu-ray. Oh where or where was the Anchor Bay release?

Well as the Cenobites like to make people who open the cube to suffer. I am wondering if the CEO of Image is Leviathan and their film transfer team are Cenobites. Because with this transfer, my suffering was legendary. My eyes burned as if the sun itself was implanted in my retinas. Yes, sad to say, the Image transfer was disappointing.

After doing to internet research, I cam across this very interesting and informative thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1357772

So the Image releases of both Hellraiser I and Hellraiser II are barebones with no real extras. I have not watched the Image release of Hellraiser so I can not overly comment on Image's HR I. But the Image Blu-ray release of Hellraiser II had dust specs galore in certain scenes as well as some minor film damage. The Image HR II film transfer is okay but only a slight step up from DVD. I found it kind of blurry, grainy, and dusty compared to the Anchor Bay Hellraiser I. Still the HR II Image blu-ray release is still okay 5/10, but not worth the $20 price tag.

The Anchor Bay blu-ray release of Hellraiser I looked good to me and had some good extras. So if you are going to buy Hellraiser I on blu-ray, get the Anchor Bay release!

As for Hellraiser II, unfortunately for the time being, has only been released by Image. Too bad really. Again the link has much more info and is really a good read.

Thoughts?

[Beast]

This is already known and being discussed in the Hellraiser BD thread as well as one other.

By the way... grain is not a bad thing. So I wouldn't include grain in the list of defects.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by Beast

This is already known and being discussed in the Hellraiser BD thread as well as one other.

By the way... grain is not a bad thing. So I wouldn't include grain in the list of defects.

In this case it's not a good thing.

[wesslan]

Check this out

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/79785

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by wesslan

Check this out

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/79785

That Cenobite looks like he's having a good time.

Wow, the image transfer looks like crap compared to the HDTV version, actually the Image Blu Ray looks like a DVD. I hope Pinhead tears their soul apart.

[hk3cx]

lol that was a little dramatic but yeah i have alot bad reviews for hellbound, i do have the hellraiser blu and i thought it looks really good especially the when pinhead is in but some parts then look awful and way too grainy, they could actually make this more clear and sharper if they wanted

[mzupeman]

You’re entitled to your opinion and I’m not going to try and change your mind, but I’ll sum up very quickly why people hate what was done to the Predator UHE, and would firmly detest such treatment if made to any other of their beloved films:

DNR removes detail. Humans look like wax figures as a result, and in motion, there’s even a kind of ghosting effect because of the ‘smearing’ DNR introduces when things are in motion. Also, Predator was never a bright and vibrant film. Brightening the contrast and boosting the color completely changes the tone of the film.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. When it comes to excessive digital ‘processing’ of any film, of which many have undergone, Predator: UHE is probably the most extreme example there is… and most absolutely loathe it.

Leave the likes of Hellraiser and Texas Chainsaw Massacre alone.

[Rockercub]

Well, I definitely don't want every movie to get the Predator treatment. An older film should look just like that, an older film. But there is something about what CptHowdy87 is saying that strikes a chord with me. I would rather have an image with some DNR applied than an image that's overly grainy. A slight loss of detail, I don't notice so much, but all that heavy grain? And, again, I'm not talking about trying to make it look modern, just a better version of what it is. The whole Dressed to Kill debate comes to mind, where there's visible grain blanketing some scenes in the new Criterion disc. I much prefer the earlier discs where that isn't the case. Those discs still look like film to me, but the grain seems to have been handled better, at least in my non-professional opinion.

As to Hellbound, I just took a look at it and noticed what initially appeared to be some similar issues (although I'd probably give it a higher rating of 3/5), but on closer inspection of some of the caps, I'm wondering if this isn't an issue of compression artifacts. Some of the "grain" looks a bit blocky to me, but I'm only just starting to get the gist of making such distinctions. Anyways, let's hope that the new Arrow release looks better (yes, StingingVelvet, I decided to go ahead and pre-order it ).

[StingingVelvet]

I think subtle DNR can be used well here and there. The 60's Bond movies, frozen grain aside, look pretty damn good despite the DNR for example. I was mostly "looking for a thumbs down" because he used Predator as a good example, which is probably actually the wooooooorst example.

I basically think you should use all the tools in your arsenal to make a quality looking image, but it should never LOOK processed. Predator looks processed as hell. Bond looks slightly processed, but not too bad. Arrow's stuff looks perfect lately, so we shall see how their Hellbound turns out.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I think subtle DNR can be used well here and there. The 60's Bond movies, frozen grain aside, look pretty damn good despite the DNR for example. I was mostly "looking for a thumbs down" because he used Predator as a good example, which is probably actually the wooooooorst example.

I basically think you should use all the tools in your arsenal to make a quality looking image, but it should never LOOK processed. Predator looks processed as hell. Bond looks slightly processed, but not too bad. Arrow's stuff looks perfect lately, so we shall see how their Hellbound turns out.

The bond films look decent but the frozen grain is bothersome to me anyway. The sad fact is that they were already done in 4K and won't be getting a redo in the near future if ever. They may be the very best they'll ever be now. If they were done today, they wouldn't have that digital processed look IMO. Mastering as come a long way in the last 7 years.

[mzupeman]

You make a good point. It's been said somewhere before that even some of what people considered to be film-like presentations on blu still have a minor amount of DNR used. That may not be so true nowadays, but who knows.

[Ray Jackson]

I bought the part 1 and 2 double pack at Best Buy for $10 yesterday.

Watched the first one last night.

The transfer is unlike anything I've ever seen on blu-ray before. The colors and detail are actually okay imo...I was expecting worse. But my god, the white specks...the white dots or whatever you call them. The majority of the transfer is infested with white dots. I've never seen anything like it on a modern-day color transfer before.

What is that about?

...were they using a damaged negative or something?

I don't remember white dots on the dvd I used to own.

How can this be?

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I bought the part 1 and 2 double pack at Best Buy for $10 yesterday.

Watched the first one last night.

The transfer is unlike anything I've ever seen on blu-ray before. The colors and detail are actually okay imo...I was expecting worse. But my god, the white specks...the white dots or whatever you call them. The majority of the transfer is infested with white dots. I've never seen anything like it on a modern-day color transfer before.

What is that about?

...were they using a damaged negative or something?

I don't remember white dots on the dvd I used to own.

How can this be?

Image Entertainment's philosophy on Catalog titles is to get the cheapest print possible and slap it on a disc with no cleaning/remastering. The Anchor Bay disc (which can be found for around $8 used) uses a MUCH better print and looks superior in every way. It also comes with a bunch of extras. If you aren't getting Arrow's box set release, go buy the Anchor Bay Release.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Image Entertainment's philosophy on Catalog titles is to get the cheapest print possible and slap it on a disc with no cleaning/remastering. The Anchor Bay disc (which can be found for around $8 used) uses a MUCH better print and looks superior in every way. It also comes with a bunch of extras. If you aren't getting Arrow's box set release, go buy the Anchor Bay Release.

I can accept a soft transfer that doesn't look great from a detail standpoint.

But there's absolutely no excuse for a relatively modern film transfer to look like a damaged black and white print from the 1930s.

I went through this thread and I'm surprised that more people weren't screaming bloody murder about the white specks on part one.

...it's freaking ridiculous.