BLUE UNDERGROUND's Slate Of Blu-Ray Horrors For 2011 (1 Viewer)

FANGORIA: Blue Underground has been busy giving its catalog of classic fright features their Blu-ray debuts and new DVD special editions, often with fresh supplemental features, and the trend continues into 2011. We just got dates for some exciting titles planned for next spring/summer!


Joining the previously announced DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS Blu-ray, arriving February 22, on the BU slate are, firstly, a pair of Dario Argento films. Look for the Blu debut and a new special-edition DVD of INFERNO on March 29, with DEEP RED (pictured) receiving the same treatment April 26. May 31 sees the first North American DVD release of THE NESTING, Armand Weston’s 1981 chiller about a writer who moves into a remote house to work on a new book, and discovers that it’s a former brothel haunted by the ghosts of its prostitutes. Set for summer/fall, undated at this point, are the first Blu-ray of Argento’s THE CAT O’NINE TAILS, followed by Blu-rays and new DVD editions of Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE and THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. We’ll bring you more details as we get ’em; check out an extensive video chat with Lustig from The CineFiles and AVManiacs.com about his upcoming titles below.

Wasn't there a movie about giant killer cockroaches called The Nesting? I thought Code Red was supposed to release it. Anyway, bring it on! It's nice to see BU release something new for a change.

I started to get a little bit excited when I read THE NESTING, DVD release, assuming they were referring to standard, and then I read the next sentence, and got all disappointed. That's the only THE NESTING I'm familiar with, too. The killer cockroach one. Never heard of that ghosts of the brothel deal.

Nice interview. I first heard of Bill (outside of directing) when he brought Halloween up to a Criterion-level quality DVD release with Anchor Bay. You may recall, this title was released in rather poor form before Lustig came to the rescue in 1999.


Too bad about Suspiria on Blu-ray...


I agree with Bill and share the same frustrations about the lack of infrastructure for quality digital delivery.

Originally Posted by Luisito34

Wasn't there a movie about giant killer cockroaches called The Nesting? I thought Code Red was supposed to release it. Anyway, bring it on! It's nice to see BU release something new for a change.

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The title is THE NEST (1988). Great one-sheet with a giant cockroach about to have his way with a loosly clad woman. The film was produced and released by Concorde Pictures.

I was right in the middle of working out when I suddenly flashed back on my previous post here, and made a mental note that when I'm done, I gotta go correct that NESTING error. Yeah, you're right, it's THE NEST not THE NESTING. Another D'oh! moment.

Originally Posted by Felix Martinez

Too bad about Suspiria on Blu-ray...

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What do you mean? I know it's had some really ugly Blu-ray releases thus far, but Blue Underground didn't lose the rights to it, did they? I've been waiting in anticipation for their take on a Blu-ray release.


Anyway, three Argento flicks and two Fulci on Blu next year from BU. Sounds good. Really looking forward to what they do with Inferno, since I'm not impressed by the screencaps I've seen of the UK release.

Hey, what happened to the poll I had up?!

Oh, wait, never mind, that was under the Argento INFERNO post. I'm lacking crucial sleep today, damn the Holidays for taking it away from me.

The Nesting was a Warner (Home Video) title - I wonder if Blue Underground made some kind of deal with them for some titles. The Pack, anyone?

In the interview linked above, Lustig mentions that he no longer has the rights to SUSPIRIA. The rights were bought by the Weinstein Company in 2007 when a "restored" SUSPIRIA was digitally projected at the Cannes Film Festival. That "restoration" has been the basis for the Blu-ray versions released so far in Italy and the U.K.


Vincent

Originally Posted by Kriztoffer Swank

Too bad about Suspiria on Blu-ray...

Click to expand...

What do you mean? I know it's had some really ugly Blu-ray releases thus far, but Blue Underground didn't lose the rights to it, did they? I've been waiting in anticipation for their take on a Blu-ray release.

[/QUOTE]

Hope to see at least some Hammer Horror in the future & also more Spaghetti Westerns from BU (The PQ on the Django BD was excellent).

I like Argento's films as much as the next guy but it seems like 80-90% of their releases over the past couple of years are Itallian giallo or crime films.

FANGORIA: Continuing its series of new disc releases of classic Italian horror films, Blue Underground has fresh DVD and Blu-ray editions of Dario Argento’s gialloDEEP RED coming April 26. Full specs and cover art have now been released for your perusal.


[COLOR= #cc0000]Blue Underground[/COLOR]’s DVD will feature the first release of the David Hemmings-starring shocker’s uncensored English-language version, while the Blu-ray will include that plus the full-length Italian-language director’s cut. Each has been newly transferred in high definition from the original camera negative in 2.35:1 widescreen, with DTS-ES 6.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX and original mono soundtracks on the DVD and DTS-HD 7.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX and original mono audio on the Blu-ray. The special features are:


• Interviews with Argento, co-scripter Bernardino Zapponi and Goblin (Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli and Agostino Marangolo)

• U.S. trailer

• Italian trailer

• Goblin music video: “Profondo Rosso” (2010)

• Daemonia music video: “Profondo Rosso” (directed by Sergio Stivaletti)


Retail prices are $14.98 for the DVD, $29.98 for the Blu-ray. Look for an exclusive interview with Argento about his films past, present and future in Fango #302, on sale in March.

Deep Red is probably my favorite Argento movie so I'll pick it up.

BU's version doesn't stand a chance against the powerful and almighty Arrow Import. Tons of great extras, a booklet, reversible artwork. Best of all? You can buy it right now! I'm sorry but BU will have to do A LOT better to get my money.

Originally Posted by Luisito34

BU's version doesn't stand a chance against the powerful and almighty Arrow Import. Tons of great extras, a booklet, reversible artwork. Best of all? You can buy it right now! I'm sorry but BU will have to do A LOT better to get my money.

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I received the Arrow BD yesterday, and was VERY disappointed by the picture quality. It looks overexposed, wrongly timed (too much yellow), the subtitles for the Italian version are out of sync, and there's a strange conflict between what looks like excessive DNR together with a strange lattice-like static grain. If the BU version really is a different transfer (from the original neg no less), then it'll be an instant purchase for me.


For the record though, the Arrow BDs of Inferno and A Bay of Blood are superb.

FANGORIA: [COLOR= #cc0000]Blue Underground[/COLOR] keeps on rolling out the announcements on its updated Dario Argento discs; today the company revealed the specs and cover art for the Blu-ray of CAT O’NINE TAILS (pictured), and also new art for the previously announced DEEP RED.






CAT O’NINE TAILS, Argento’s 1971 film starring James Franciscus and Karl Malden as a reporter and blind puzzlemaker respectively who investigate a string of vicious murders, hits Blu-ray May 31 in a new 1080p HD, 2.35:1 widescreen transfer from the original uncut camera negative, with DTS-HD 2.0, Dolby Surround 2.0 and DTS-HD mono soundtracks. The extras are:


• “Tales of the Cat”: Interviews with Argento, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti and composer Ennio Morricone


• Radio interviews with Franciscus and Malden


• Theatrical trailers


• TV and radio spots


Retail price is $29.98.


Perhaps responding to fan reaction to the previously unveiled art, Blue Underground has decided to go back to the old U.S. poster for its new covers of the DEEP RED DVD and Blu-ray that arrive April 26; you can see the content details here. Look for a new interview with Argento—conducted by fellow Italian genremeister Luigi Cozzi—in Fango #302, on sale in March.

I love Deep Red and will pick it up (and the other Argento films) on blu-ray. If the Weinstein Company owns the rights to Suspiria, perhaps they could get around to releasing it in HD in 2011?