criterionforum.org

Scream announced William Castle’s THE TINGLER and STRAIT-JACKET for blu on Aug 21st

Looks like beyond Warner they’re now working with Sony too. Expect those Carpenter Twilight Time titles (and probably Fright Night) to resurface soon....

DRW.mov wrote:Looks like beyond Warner they’re now working with Sony too. Expect those Carpenter Twilight Time titles (and probably Fright Night) to resurface soon....

Plus maybe a special edition of Carpenter's Starman.

Survive! is coming out on Blu-ray July 26th. It's a Paramount title, but I can't say for sure if Shout/Scream has a deal with them currently.

Scream announced a new trio of steelbooks: Army of Darkness, The Howling, and Lifeforce. And the Lifeforce re-release will have a new 4K scan of both cuts

...The Blu-rays included inside will have the same content (but with different disc label art) that is currently available in their respective Collector Edition releases. The exception to this is LIFEFORCE—which we’re pleased to announce that we’ve been the green-light to do brand-new 4K film transfers on both versions of the film!

Return of the Living Dead Part II Blu-ray on August 14th.

Extras and specs are still in progress and will be announced later in early July. However, we can confirm today that we will be doing a brand-new HD film transfer and will be correcting the soundtrack issues that were present on the previous DVD release.

Hope they get Doug Benson for an interview or commentary track.

The Unborn Blu-ray also on August 14th.
Brainscan Blu-ray on August 28th.

What's the story with Shout Factory's encoding? I just got Of Unknown Origin, which says it comes from a new 2K master, but it often looks digital and filled with artifacts. I know it can't be Warner as their 2K masters licensed to Criterion or released on Warner Archive look spectacular. I'm always reluctant to get Shout Factory discs as they can look lousy, but I can't see there being much of an excuse for this in 2018. Although I did appreciate the interview with the guy who gets his head blown up in Scanners, the picture quality is a real let down.

KJones77 wrote:Looks like Wild at Heart got delayed to August 21 due to an error on the original pre-order release. Those that got their pre-order delivered already will get a replacement disc in 8-12 weeks.

My order from Amazon just shipped. Hopefully they’ll replace copies bought from other vendors, not just SF as that linked statement implies.

Nice, Amazon will not let me cancel my pre-order...

Extras announced for The Curse of the Cat People:

NEW Audio Commentary With Author/Historian Steve Haberman
Audio Commentary With Historian Greg Mank, With Audio Interview Excerpts With Actress Simone Simon
NEW Lewton’s Muse: The Dark Eyes Of Simone Simon – A Video Essay By Filmmaker Constantine Nasr (Shadows In The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy)
NEW Audio Interview With Ann Carter, Moderated By Tom Weaver
Theatrical Trailers
Still Gallery

I got my copy of Wild at heart from Amazon.

I can confirm a few things that I noticed. There's a moment with Bobby Peru where he opens a door and the audio seems to skip oddly. It sounds very off, but it could just be the film or just me mishearing something.

There is no audio in the main menu/top menu, which I found odd but could be intentional. Aside from that, the film looked pretty good (though not great). It also seems like some scenes of graphic violence were restored back into the film. I can say with certainty that you can see the head explosion in full glory.

ryanvision wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 9:16 pm ...It also seems like some scenes of graphic violence were restored back into the film. I can say with certainty that you can see the head explosion in full glory.

I don't think there were multiple scenes of violence that required censoring to get an "R" rating. The head explosion was retained, but Lynch was obligated to superimpose a plume of smoke that obscured some of the details. When you say "full glory", do you mean the superimposed smoke has now been removed? The other instances of imposed alterations were for the sex scenes: Lynch came up with a creative way to reduce the graphic nature of these scenes by having specific shots half-dissolve to a yellowish orange color. I always thought this was an inventive decision that added to the scenes instead of taking something away.

Yeah, I find it unlikely the “head explosion” has been restored to its original state, but I’d be absolutely happy to be proved wrong. It seems like something that Shout! would highlight in the specs if they’ve released the film in it’s non-US version.

Two more Sony titles have been announced by Scream Factory: The Seventh Sign (September 11th) and The Bride (September 25th).

And the Amazon price for the Lifeforce (new 4K scan) steelbook has dropped to $19.61.

On September 25th Scream is releasing The [REC] Collection: [REC], [REC] 2, [REC] 3: Genesis, [REC] 4: Apocalypse Blu-ray box set.

The first one is a modern horror classic, the second one is a decent sequel, the other two I’ll never need to watch again.

Scream announced they are releasing The Texas Chainsaw Massace: The Next Generation on Blu in September.

Shout Select is releasing a special edition blu of Valley Girl in October.

Agree with Lost Highway: I'd only want the first and maybe the second. Hopefully Shout will consider individual releases down the line.

Lost Highway wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:12 pm The first one is a modern horror classic, the second one is a decent sequel, the other two I’ll never need to watch again.

Pretty much. I'd also add that the sequel is actually quite fun. I've had the luck to see it in a packed theater that reacted to it quite cheerily, and it only added to the silliness of it.

tenia wrote: Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:36 pm

Lost Highway wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:12 pm The first one is a modern horror classic, the second one is a decent sequel, the other two I’ll never need to watch again.

Pretty much. I'd also add that the sequel is actually quite fun. I've had the luck to see it in a packed theater that reacted to it quite cheerily, and it only added to the silliness of it.

I saw REC 2 at the Glasgow Frightfest with an audience full of horror fans and it went down a treat. REC 2 is good fun, throwing a few new twists into the mix. Its only problem is that it's lacking a main protagonist which makes it a bit more choppy than the first film.

It indeed felt very choppy, and the end doesn't help, but it otherwise indeed is good fun, "light" fun. With hindsight, the other 2 sequels show how this could have taken a more serious turn straight ahead and how it might not be such a good idea. But REC² remains very funny to me, almost playing like an 80s actioner. Plus, at less than 90 minutes, it avoids overstaying its welcome.

If you want to pick n choose, all four [REC] films are already out in the UK in fine editions (though with progressively less extras as the series petered out).

Scream is releasing Exorcist II in a 2-disc set on September 25th

• Extras and specs are still in progress and will be announced later in August. However, we can confirm today that we will have a new high-definition transfer of two cuts of the film! (The 117 min version that has been on Blu-ray and DVD before and a shorter, alternate version that was created after the film’s initial release in 1977.) You’ll also be happy to know that we have a brand-new interview with ‘Regan’ herself, actress Linda Blair!

For fans of trash cinema (me), Shout Factory is putting out Michael Winner's very illogical and sleazy thriller, Scream For Help, the best film where a teenaged girl catches her stepfather having gross, doggy style sex on camera. Also features an over-cooked soundtrack by Led Zeppelin drummer John Paul Jones. I have to admit to really enjoying this one, especially when it develops into one of my favorite thriller sub-genres: the home invasion film.