Anyone for a few American International Pictures horror titles on Blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

Derek M Germano said:

My DVDs are starting to feel a bit dated, would love to see the following released on Blu-ray:
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
THE PREMATURE BURIAL
TALES OF TERROR
THE COMEDY OF TERRORS
THE RAVEN
THE HAUNTED PALACE
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

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Halloween is coming and these would be perfect Blu-ray titles for the season.

Derek M Germano said:

My DVDs are starting to feel a bit dated, would love to see the following released on Blu-ray:
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
THE PREMATURE BURIAL
TALES OF TERROR
THE COMEDY OF TERRORS
THE RAVEN
THE HAUNTED PALACE
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

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Outstanding suggestion. Roger Corman's literal, straight-forward adaptations of Poe were soaked in atmosphere and style. Immensely entertaining films. It was a pleasure to watch Vincent Price enjoying himself. Let's add AIP's two classic H.P. Lovecraft adaptations DIE MONSTER DIE (1965) and THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) to the roster. These films were in the same spirit and style as the Poe films.

Roger Corman's most inventive and thoughtful sci-fi / horror film never gets enough attention. I would also like to see it on Blu-ray:

I love the Corman Poe films and would snatch up well rendered Blu-Rays of them in a heartbeat. Ditto the Beach Party films.

AIP's 1962 version of Tower of London is often overlooked but well-worth watching. Although in monochrome, it drew more directly from Shakespeare's Richard 111 than did the 1939 original, and it gave Vincent Price more meat than usual to chew on:

There is also Price's one-man show AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE (1970), which was paired with TOMB OF LIGEIA on the Midnite Movies DVD. I believe a poor 16mm dupe was used for the DVD while TCM aired the 35mm original in better quality. Blu-ray offers the chance to upgrade.
Money burns a hole in my pocket for these films on Blu-ray.

Actually, AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE was originally shot on videotape and the dvd used a tape to film conversion.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is playing on Epix HD on Aug 5th (Sun) at 5:05am Eastern time.
I'm curious to see what this looks like in HD.

I'd love to see these wonderful films come to Blu-ray.

In particular, I've got a real fondness for Scream and Scream Again and Madhouse. The current DVD of Madhouse isn't even 16:9!

I saw Scream and Scream Again on Monsters HD back in 2008. It looked absolutely marvellous.

JohnS said:

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is playing on Epix HD on Aug 5th (Sun) at 5:05am Eastern time.
I'm curious to see what this looks like in HD.

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Yes, since this was not an anamorphic transfer I'd be curious as well.

The one question nobody's asked yet is, who OWNS the ex-MGM/UA AIP Midnite Movies catalog now?
MGM's DVD rights had lapsed; thought someone else (Fox?) had picked up the rights after they were floating around in the ether.
I mean, we're not even going to hope to see that Dr. Phibes double feature (even though the second one stinks, they always pair them off) until someone can competently answer that question.

What fantastic film posters, it seems that's a lost art now. For anyone who can play region B, Germany released The Haunted Palace on Blu a few months ago, I haven't seen any reviews, but it's had good feedback.
http://www.amazon.de/Folterkammer-Hexenj%C3%A4gers-Blu-ray-Vincent-Price/dp/B007IEDFF8/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1343642374&sr=1-2
Premature Burial is due for release on 24th August.
http://www.amazon.de/Lebendig-begraben-Blu-ray-Ray-Milland/dp/B0087M5L20/ref=pd_sim_d_4
Hoping for The Pit & The Pendulum sometime soon.

Mark B said:

Actually, AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE was originally shot on videotape and the dvd used a tape to film conversion.

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So that's what happened. Thanks. As I said TCM aired the film -- or TV special -- in excellent quality while the DVD looks like a splotchy conversion.
AIP continued to make Poe films into the early 1970s -- including THE OBLONG BOX (1968), CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970) and MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) all directed by Gordon Hessler. The films weren't as good as the earlier films by Roger Corman, although CRY OF THE BANSHEE had the advantage of John Coquillon as photographer. SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN wasn't a Poe story at all, no matter what the posters and trailer claimed.

Tales of Terror is playing today on Epix HD;A Bucket of Blood is scheduled for tomorrow.

Billy Batson said:

What fantastic film posters, it seems that's a lost art now. ...

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Take another look The Masque of the Red Death poster. Note the bodies entwined in the lines of Vincent Price's features. What a cleaver and brilliant idea. It goes straight to the meaning of the story. I don't know who the artist was, but if there was an annual award for the best poster, I'd give to him for the best poster of 1964.

These films have meant the world to me since I first saw The Premature Burial on its opening night in our town around age 12. I literally remember that Friday night, and the next morning when I found and started devouring the novelization paperback. I bored my family to tears talking non-stop about it. I soon caught up with the first two films, coercing my mom and dad to take us repeatedly to showings at drive-ins, and it's been a love affair ever since.

Richard, those poster images are a treasure. The whole world should take a look at what they're missing now.

My dream has been one glorious box set of the whole line-up, with appropriate art and a beautiful booklet. My dollars are here, waiting.

BTW, the UK release of Pit and the Pendulum is anamorphic. It lacks Corman's commentary track, and the PAL speedup is a little distracting to these ears (it isn't on every PAL disc I watch, but I know the sound of this film way too well for it not to be noticeable) -- but the image is much nicer.

Yeah Id get the Poe titles, plus Squirm, Frogs , Angry Red Planet, Reptilicus , etc.

Richard--W said:

Take another look The Masque of the Red Death poster. Note the bodies entwined in the lines of Vincent Price's features. What a cleaver and brilliant idea. It goes straight to the meaning of the story. I don't know who the artist was, but if there was an annual award for the best poster, I'd give to him for the best poster of 1964.

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I remembered I had an old copy of a Cinefantastique film poster special, & it's by the GREAT Reynold Brown, who did all the other classic American International posters, as well as stuff like: The Time Machine, The Day Of The Triffids, This Island Earth ect. In a sane world this guy would be well known!

I want all those Corman/AIP/etc movies on blu-ray. I've got THE HAUNTED PALACE from Germany and it does actually look good. I've seen the MGM HD broadcasts of some of the others and they look outstanding, clearly blowing away the old transfers for dvd. I'm hoping Koch goes ahead and releases more of them in DE.
For people in the US, the best place to get the German bds is http://www.Grooves-Inc.com. Prices are very fair and shipping is ridiculously low.
http://www.grooves-inc.com/lon-chaney-debra-paget-vincent-price-die-folterkammer-des-hexenjaege-koch-media-gmbh-dvd-blu-ray-disc-pZZa1-1897429212.html

Oliver Siegel said:

Tales of Terror is playing today on Epix HD;A Bucket of Blood is scheduled for tomorrow.

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Just watched A Bucket of Blood for the first time. Really liked it.
It also looked good.
What's really horrifying is the DVD cover art.