MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

FYI MGM does not hold the rights to DEATHSHIP nor STEPFATHER.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

MGM must release: Quatermass Xperiment, Hands of the Ripper, Twins of Evil, Vampire Circus, Master of the World, Burn Witch Burn, The Devil Within Her, Cauldron of Blood, The Crimson Cult, Black Sabbath (AIP Version), The Incredible Melting Man, Dr. Blood's Coffin, Horror House, Blood Bath, The House That Dreaded Sundown, Without Warning, The Time Travelers, Queen of Blood, Octa-Man, Grave of the Vampire, Space Monster, Old Dracula, Blood and Lace, House of 1000 Dolls, The Brain that Wouldn't Die, The Evictors, The Black Sleep, Curse of the Faceless Man, Pharoah's Curse, Crucible of Horror, Cauldron of Blood, The Blood on Satan's Claw, Daughters of Satan, Sugar Hill, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, The House of Long Shadows and others.

I still don't understand why major studios only release horror films on DVD for Halloween promotions. But MGM didn't even give us much this Halloween.

And please, no posts about how some of these are available as foreign DVDs. I'm talking about MGM stepping up and releasing their superior transfers for Region 1 buyers. Write to Julia.Simmons@fox.com

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Has MGM released any catalog titles since that big batch last May? They seem to have scaled back considerably, if not implemented a full moratorium. Perhaps they're waiting for their distribution deal with Fox to run out.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

I would definitely like to see The Town That Dreaded Sundown, To All A Goodnight, and Hospital Massacre get an R1 DVD release.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

I second everything you said, Alan...

As a matter of fact, I was watching the recent Sony Icons of Horror/Hammer release last night and thinking what a nice package of four pretty good old-school horror films. And all of this from Sony, no less - not exactly the best studio typically when it comes to releasing such product.

A pity about MGM lately - they used to proudly hold the mantle for just that type of release.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Damn right!

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Actually Studio Canal owns the Avco/Embassy library. MGM currently has the TV and video rights to a select handful of Embassy titles (such as The Graduate, The Onion Field, etc.) but the films themselves are owned by Studio Canal.

Avco Embassy distributed a number of films between 1975 and 1981 that are no longer part of its library. These include ITC titles (The Domino Principle, Russian Roulette, Man Friday, etc.) that have since reverted back to ITC, as well as a number of indie pickups (Phantasm, The Premonition, The Exterminator) that are now controlled by other parties.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

The Stepfather films (yes, there are 3) are all controlled by ITC, which means there are several possibilities:
1. Lionsgate holds the rights as they do with other ITC titles (The Last Unicorn, On Golden Pond, etc.);
2. The Stepfather films may have been acquired by Universal in the same deal that netted them The Return of the Pink Panther; and
3. There may be a remake coming, according to IMDb, which may sort out where the video rights lie.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

No database, but here is a way to suss it all out.

MGM initially inherited home video rights to the Embassy library because their home video arm was spun into a separate production company (Nelson) whose assets MGM bought. At first, this gave them everything, but then they and Canal+ didn't like the arrangement any more, so they cancelled it. The "divorce," as it were, gives MGM the DVD rights to any Embassy film that they had previously released on VHS, and no more than that. That's how they continue to handle THIS IS SPINAL TAP, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE SURE THING, etc.

StudioCanal then takes the Embassy titles to Anchor Bay, with whom they already had a deal in place for the DEG and EMI libraries, some Salkind productions, and other miscellany in their vault, such as SUPERSTITION. That deal expired last year, but some contracts are still valid, so Anchor Bay can do reissues on those titles (like WINTER KILLS) until those rights expire.

What's happened now is Canal+ is making Lionsgate their primary label for everything they own - Embassy, EMI, DEG, the works. Lionsgate already had rights to the popular Carolco titles, since the former Artisan Entertainment had been an equity investor in those movies. The arrangement is a service deal, in that Canal+ prepares the entire DVD themselves - transfer, supplements, etc - and then hands over the finished work to Lionsgate to release, which explains the eclectic catalog material that has been forthcoming from their end that stands in contrast to the normally reticent stance on catalog titles Lionsgate has. Occasionally, Canal+ will still take movies elsewhere, such as the Criterion Collection, so they are free to take a movie anywhere they want, or maybe reup with somebody like Anchor Bay if they want a title bad enough (I suspect EVIL DEAD 2 will stay with them rather than go to LG).

But in conclusion, yeah, any future Embassy requests should first be addressed to Lionsgate.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

For your info, here are some Avco Embassy titles no longer controlled by Canal+

HUMONGOUS
DEATH SHIP
CITY ON FIRE
STINGRAY
SCALPEL
BALTIMORE BULLET
PSYCHIC KILLER
THE PREMONITION
DIRTY TRICKS
GO TELL THE SPARTANS
DEAD AND BURIED
PROM NIGHT
HOG WILD
SCANNERS
PHANTASM
THE EXTERMINATOR
BORN AGAIN
IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN
DIFFERENT STORY
SHOOT
DEADLY HERO
SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH SEA
PAPER TIGER
NIGHT WATCH
RIVALS
PLACE CALLED TODAY
HOT PANTS HOLIDAY
SIDEWINDER ONE
TAMARIND SEED

to name a few

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Question:

Due to it being "presented" by Joseph E. Levine (deceased), who is normally associated with Embassy product, is SANDS OF THE KALAHARI (1965, released to U.S. theaters by Paramount, U.S. TV distribution by Columbia, during its "Coca Cola" era) --which has never seen official release on any home video format anywhere in the world-- now considered an Embassy title, controlled by Canal+, thus a potential future Lionsgate release in R1?

My guess is that it's either with Canal+ or Sony, but I've never been able to figure this out for certain. A great, under-seen color/widescreen adventure film, reuniting the star and director of ZULU (1964), Stanley Baker and Cy Endfield, plus Stuart Whitman, Susannah York, Theodore Bikel, Gordon Jackson and Nigel Davenport.

With A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH coming out in R1 in January, SANDS OF THE KALAHARI is now my most-wanted unreleased-in-R1 (or anywhere else) film.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Add NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT (Cushing/Lee) to the list.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Whats really annoying is Ive seen some of the titles listed in Alans post on MonstersHD, with very nice PQ.

What I remember from that list, I know I watched Blood on Satans Claw and Twins Of Evil quite a few times. Ive seen some other oldies vampire flicks on there I wasnt too familiar with when I saw them- so I wouldnt be suprised if Ive seen some of those others as well.

Kind of ridiculous that a decent version of Twin OF Evil isnt available.
These should be not only on standard DVD, but Bluray as well!

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Studio Canal+ seem to be good guys-several R2 catalog titles they took over either quietly became anamorphic, were cleaned up, or both. They seem to snatch the good indie-or cult titles
Their opening logos are always rather odd

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

When they're good, they can be very, very good, but when they're bad they are truly awful. There's a lack of consistency.


They're very French. And annoying.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

It's conjecture, and a little messy, but here's my reasoning.

Gladden Entertainment was founded by David Begelman out of the ashes of a previous company called Sherwood Productions, both of which had theatrical deals with 20th Century Fox. Gladden made an initial homevideo deal with (and possibly received some production money from) Thorn EMI - the first VHS release of THE MANHATTAN PROJECT was on their label.

Shortly afterward, Thorn EMI agreed to merge with Cannon, and that lasted about six months. During that time, Cannon took over EMI's U.S. label, which was a co-venture with HBO, and at the same time assumed a stake in some Gladden productions, resulting in some strange splits. MANNEQUIN, for example, instead of getting a VHS release through "HBO/Cannon", was funneled to Media, because Cannon had signed an output deal with them before merging with EMI. Six months later, though, Cannon was in debt, and they sold off the EMI library (though they kept a few of their newest titles like DREAMCHILD and MORONS FROM OUTER SPACE), and gave up their stake in the HBO label. The EMI library ultimately wound up at StudioCanal. Cannon also likely gave up their stake in any future Gladden projects.

Gladden, meanwhile, borrowed money from the Belgian bank Credit Lyonnais, the same bank that literally dozens of indie production outfits borrowed from, and all of whom ultimately defaulted to when they went out of business. Those films, called the Epic package, were sold to Polygram, then when Universal bought Polygram, those films along with Polygram's pre-'96 films, were sold to MGM.

Confused yet?

So, in all likelihood, MGM got some ownership stake in THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, since they inherited the movie in the Polygram buy. However, StudioCanal likely still also owned part of the movie from EMI's equity stake before the Cannon merger. So the lawyers must have hashed out a deal where MGM got to put the movie on DVD first, and then the rights would revert to StudioCanal and they in turn did their expanded release with Lionsgate.

Yeah, I sometimes have a hard time keeping this straight too. :/

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

I hope MGM gets back in the DVD game soon. It's already almost time to start announcing Halloween titles, and I fear we're getting nothing but rehashes as reported on the long Midnite Movies thread. I needs my BLACK SLEEP, BLOOD AND LACE and CANNIBAL GIRLS DVDs, among dozens of others.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

MarkEH,

Also an off-topic title, any ideas as to who controls SANDS OF THE KALAHARI (1965) these days?

Theatrically it was released by Paramount. TV distribution in the 1990s was thru Columbia Pictures... though it was a Joseph E. Levine production, which makes me think Embassy, therefore StudioCanal (and, by extension, a potential Lionsgate title).

Getting back to the thread's proper subject, as for the MGM Horrors, I've had to rely on R2 for TWINS OF EVIL, VAMPIRE CIRCUS, HANDS OF THE RIPPER and BURN WITCH BURN, as well as making DVD-R back-ups of my LDs and home-recordings of QUATERMASS X-PERIMENT, THE TIME TRAVELERS, THE MANSTER, THE MAGNETIC MONSTER, MASTER OF THE WORLD, BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN, the english-dubbed BLACK SABBATH, etc. MGM could've saved me alot of trouble and received a nice share of my money if they'd simply utilize the hi-def transfers of these they've already made for R1 DVD and/or Blu-Ray, rather than banishing them to HD cable channels I can't get.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

And this is where it gets really screwy. MOST Joseph E. Levine titles, but not all, are distributed by MGM on video, either by virtue of the Orion acquisition (which gave them a good chunk of the Nelson/Embassy titles), or by virtue of having been distributed theatrically by United Artists e.g. A Bridge Too Far. However, some Levine titles initially distribued by Embassy on video fell into rights hell and wound up being released on DVD by neither MGM nor Lionsgate e.g. Magic, which was released theatrically by Fox, then on video by Blay Video, which became Magnetic Video, then was purchased by Fox. It was then released by Embassy, then by some wierd little PD outfit that released the TV cut. It is now available from Dark Sky, a horror and cult movie outfit.

In short, I don't think there's an easy answer to your question.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

FYI, there's a Canadian company releasing CANNIBAL GIRLS later this year:

CANNIBAL GIRLS

Ben

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

That's an interesting link concerning CANNIBAL GIRLS. The only thing is that it says nothing about a DVD release, only that they are "remastering" the film for Spring 2009, which has passed. Perhaps this was for theatrical showings in Canada? I fear MGM may still be holding the film hostage.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

I hope MGM reads these posts, just so they can see the plight of the fan and know how wasteful it is to just remaster films in HD just for cable channels many of us don't get. I want to own these films MGM! On DVD, blu-ray, whatever, just release them already!!!

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Except for Monsters HD, the cable channels generally show these films pan n scan anyway, which makes you wonder why they bother with HD transfers.

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Exactly, and Monsters HD is now defunct. Logic dicates that the company should do something with these pristine transfers; release them already!

Re: MGM; Please release the rest of your horror library

Cinema Retro site has story about the trouble MGM is in and that the company may not last much longer. I almost wish that would happen and who ever ends up with the library will do something with it.

The leaks from the MGM corporate offices have been about the company not able to meet the debt when due next year and in 2012. All their money is going to paying interest and not to make films.

Presently the one thing of value that the company owns is it's 3000+ library of films.