Black Christmas (1974) (Collector's Edition)

[schlock]

Originally Posted by zbinks

I'm pretty sure it's a clever attempt to include one of the key actors in the artwork, and not really a spoiler, per se. I'm pretty sure the face in the shadows is intended to be

[Show spoiler]Peter (Keir Dullea), not Billy. Only the well-lit eye is actually Billy's.

It's not really a spoiler because, until the final moments, the film strongly alludes to

[Show spoiler]the two being one and the same

.

Maybe, but I still don't like it. It removes all the suspense of only seeing Billy's eye in the film. And it also doesn't look anything like

[Show spoiler] Dullea

, at least to me.

I usually flip these covers anyway to the original poster art, but still keep the outer slip on it to have it complete. But I think I'll be filing this particular slip away in a closet for safekeeping instead. Out of sight, out of mind.

[nousefouraname]

the art is not great. It's kinda just there and seems like a mashup sort of thing that a major studio would do. Pretty uninspired. The Seasons Grievings edition is way better, IMO.

Still, if this is a new transfer and it beats out Anchor Bay, I'll go with this one.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

99% of their new covers are lame floating heads, not really surprising. Will be flipping it over to the classic poster art anyway, same as most of my Shout releases. Only exception I can think of is The Fog.

I would not call this a floating heads cover. I see most of their torsos actually, and as I've said before, many of the old classic 30's-80's posters had what you guys call "floating heads" as a prominent part of the artwork. I don't think this is bad at all - it harkens back to old-style film posters. Look up vintage posters on Amazon and you'll see tons of examples of "floating heads" artwork. My problem with floating heads is when it's literally a photoshopped cut-and-paste head just slapped onto the cover.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by nousefouraname

the art is not great. It's kinda just there and seems like a mashup sort of thing that a major studio would do. Pretty uninspired. The Seasons Grievings edition is way better, IMO.

Still, if this is a new transfer and it beats out Anchor Bay, I'll go with this one.

The art is way better than anything Warner or Paramount would serve up. At least this is actual art and not photoshop cut-outs.

[nousefouraname]

Originally Posted by mar3o

The art is way better than anything Warner or Paramount would serve up. At least this is actual art and not photoshop cut-outs.

Either way, Anchor Bay outdid Scream here. It all comes down to the film transfer and special features though.

[Jay Mammoth]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I would not call this a floating heads cover. I see most of their torsos actually, and as I've said before, many of the old classic 30's-80's posters had what you guys call "floating heads" as a prominent part of the artwork. I don't think this is bad at all - it harkens back to old-style film posters. Look up vintage posters on Amazon and you'll see tons of examples of "floating heads" artwork. My problem with floating heads is when it's literally a photoshopped cut-and-paste head just slapped onto the cover.

That I agree with. Photoshopped covers in general suck. I don't mind floating heads if an artist captures the feel and look of the characters, which SF usually does.

[jlk5844]

I like the art, although I expected it to have snow. Might have made it more atmospheric. I actually just imagined a cover similar to the simpler designs for Lake Placid and Carrie, of the decorated sorority house at night with blood flowing out of the second story windows, Billy's eye shrouded in darkness within the frame of the front door (which of course is open), and snow falling. No cast anywhere on the cover. I think that would be wicked cool. Anyone agree?

But I will be flipping the Blu-ray insert to the original theatrical poster art.

What really matters to me though is that the movie looks great. I would love if they found the negative but an IP would be satisfactory too. If there's a good print out there it should be easy to surpass all current home video versions. I don't want them to rush it either, just get this one right! A new transfer is encouraging, can't wait till the details arrive in October, and then this release in December, and then watching the movie not a few weeks later.

[tylerc904]

Not Scream's best cover art, but certainly better than the current Blu edition I have of this. I do love the original rocking chair image so may flip it.

[starman15317]

The artwork isn't too bad overall, though I'll probably flip the art for the original. I still think that Rabid has the worst Scream artwork.

Day one for sure!

[GeoffOliver]

I like the art, but then again, I've always kinda liked the "floating heads" style when done right. I'm also in the minority in liking Scream's deluxe edition cover for Carrie. It looks better than bad floating head posters like Halloween H20 and Final Destination, both of which copied Scream's poster.
One of the Star Trek Beyond posters was done in this style: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/markh...-BEYOND-5.jpeg
AND that movie had a literal floating heads poster: http://cdn3-www.comingsoon.net/asset...yondposter.jpg

But I'm looking forward to seeing the new transfer, though I'm still not expecting it to look like Avatar. Hoping the extras are better than the Critical Mass edition, though those extras were already serviceable.

[petrified-eye]

Originally Posted by Jay Mammoth

That I agree with. Photoshopped covers in general suck. I don't mind floating heads if an artist captures the feel and look of the characters, which SF usually does.

But what makes you think this cover is not photoshopped? The majority of covers looking like this are made with Photoshop rather than painted with real ink.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I would not call this a floating heads cover. I see most of their torsos actually, and as I've said before, many of the old classic 30's-80's posters had what you guys call "floating heads" as a prominent part of the artwork. I don't think this is bad at all - it harkens back to old-style film posters. Look up vintage posters on Amazon and you'll see tons of examples of "floating heads" artwork. My problem with floating heads is when it's literally a photoshopped cut-and-paste head just slapped onto the cover.

Floating heads have been around forever, but they were not the norm all the time like they tend to be now. If you flip your Shout and Arrow covers like I do you'll see very few of them are floating heads on the other side.

[FiendCameron]

Village of the Damned is still the worst SF cover. It's so plain and ugly.

[Blu Myers]

Not a fan of the cover (SF's worst actually), and Billy's face should NEVER be shown, as it wasn't in the movie. I'll still get it though as it is one of my favorite films ever.

[Cronus]

I buy for pq not covers.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Cronus

I buy for pq not covers.

Cool. When we know something about the PQ we can discuss that instead of the art.

[jlk5844]

I will say Scream puts way too many spoilers in their new cover artwork, that is annoying. Not everyone who buys these CEs have seen the films before.

Originally Posted by starman15317

The artwork isn't too bad overall, though I'll probably flip the art for the original. I still think that Rabid has the worst Scream artwork.

Day one for sure!

Seriously? I think Rabid looks awesome! I like that it abandons Scream's traditional style and looks like a mid-action snapshot with unusual title placement.

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

[Show spoiler]I like the art, but then again, I've always kinda liked the "floating heads" style when done right. I'm also in the minority in liking Scream's deluxe edition cover for Carrie. It looks better than bad floating head posters like Halloween H20 and Final Destination, both of which copied Scream's poster.
One of the Star Trek Beyond posters was done in this style: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/markh...-BEYOND-5.jpeg
AND that movie had a literal floating heads poster: http://cdn3-www.comingsoon.net/asset...yondposter.jpg

But I'm looking forward to seeing the new transfer, though I'm still not expecting it to look like Avatar. Hoping the extras are better than the Critical Mass edition, though those extras were already serviceable.

Yeah I'll keep my expectations in check for now, so as not to be disappointed. I just want it to at least look better than what's already out there.

[GasmaskAvenger]

Originally Posted by starman15317

I still think that Rabid has the worst Scream artwork.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that. I really dig the new artwork Scream Factory had made for Rabid.


Also, is it just me or has some of the new Scream Factory floating heads art have gotten worse as of late? In the past they were alright, but now they're getting really sloppy and lacking in details (IMO the floating head cover for The Thing at least matches up to floating heads covers of the past).

[halloween5309]

I want to buy the remake!

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by FiendCameron

Village of the Damned is still the worst SF cover. It's so plain and ugly.

This is awesome. I was just looking to buy VotD yesterday and thinking that I was surprised by how inoffensive the cover was to me. I'd still choose the original cover art, but I don't mind the new one at all.