Among the great companies out there releasing vintage horror, sci-fi, action, fantasy, and cult films on high-quality Blu-rays and DVDs, Shout! Factory is by far the best in the business. In recent years they’ve put out some fantastic box sets of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and given many of the finest B-movies produced by Roger Corman a much-deserved digital makeover, and nearly all of those releases were packed with terrific bonus features. The company’s dedication to giving the films and television programs in their catalog top-notch treatment has earned them accolades from critics and fans and fine sales figures.
Shout! Factor has just announced the creation of Scream Factory, a new label that will specialize in releasing classic horror and science-fiction cinema from the 1970s and 80s on Blu-ray and DVD. Many of their titles will be making their debut in high-definition and each will be presented in brand new anamorphic widescreen transfers, with select titles receiving the full Collector’s Edition treatment.
The Scream Factory line will launch this Fall with the release of the first two sequels to John Carpenter‘s horror classic Halloween – Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. You can check out the Blu-ray cover art and bonus features lists for both movies here below.
Halloween II was released on Blu-ray last year by original distributor Universal, but the disc was greeted with controversy when it was revealed that the studio had initially removed the film’s producer Moustapha Akkad‘s name from the restored feature’s opening credits. Halloween III, the first (and only) of the sequels to not feature its iconic slasher villain Michael Myers, has built up a loyal cult following over the years and will be making its debut on Blu-ray in a 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. Extra features on both titles will include multiple commentaries, retrospective documentaries, still galleries, and theatrical trailers.
Future Scream Factory releases will include the 1980 slasher flick Terror Train (featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and illusionist David Copperfield), John Carpenter’s sci-fi cult classic They Live, Phantasm II, Tobe Hooper’s carnival horror The Funhouse, and the Peter Benchley adaptation The Island (with Michael Caine). Making their DVD debuts will be Wes Craven‘s pre-Nightmare on Elm Street fright flick Deadly Blessing and the suspense thriller Death Valley. Most of these films have been released on DVD before, but usually with shockingly subpar transfers and nothing in the way of supplementary features. Superior discs for They Live, Phantasm II, and The Funhouse have seen release in the past in overseas markets.
I couldn’t be happier about this news. Shout! knows how to treat their titles with great love and respect and the movies in their Scream Factory line have been begging for great Blu-ray releases ever since the format’s inception. Horror and sci-fi fans are going to have something mighty fine to be thankful for this Halloween.
Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch will both be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 18, 2012. You can pre-order both titles now at the Shout! Factory website.
HALLOWEEN II Collector’s Edition Special Features
- Audio commentary with director Rick Rosenthal
- Audio commentary with stunt coordinator / actor Dick Warlock
- The Nightmare Isn’t Over – The Making of HALLOWEEN II, featuring Rick Rosenthal, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Alan Howarth, Dean Cundey and more..
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds- Revisiting the original shooting locations
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer, TV and Radio Spots
HALLOWEEN III Collector’s Edition Special Features
- Audio commentary with director Tommy Lee Wallace
- Audio commentary with actor Tom Atkins
- Stand Alone: The Making of HALLOWEEN III: Season of the Witch featuring Tommy Lee Wallace, Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dick Warlock, Dean Cundey and more
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds- Revisiting the original shooting locations
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
[Source: Dread Central]
