June 14, 2017

If you’re on this website, then you, no doubt, are already a loyal customer of Scream Factory.

The horror offshoot of Shout Factory is currently celebrating their 5th anniversary. We got to chat with them about all things Scream Factory on a recent episode of Shock Waves, and back then, they hinted at an epic June sale to kick off the summer in style, and boy, they weren’t kidding!

Right now through June 19th, 2017, they are having a 50% off sale on their entire Scream Factory back catalog. (Upcoming titles and pre-orders are discounted.) Considering the vast library of titles they’ve put out over the course of the last 5 years, deciding on which titles to pick up in this short amount of time can be overwhelming. But I thought I could break it down into a few sub-categories and make suggestions. You may have even forgotten that Scream Factory put some of the following out on Blu-Ray! So, if you’re looking to fill out little pockets in your home video collection, here’s some recommendations!

COLLECTOR EDITION ESSENTIALS!

BLACK CHRISTMAS, ARMY OF DARKNESS, THE EXORCIST III, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, CARRIE, CHILD’S PLAY. These are bona fide horror classics! I’d argue that every one of these should already be in your home library, but if you for whatever reason haven’t picked them up yet, now’s the time to strike! The majority of the above titles are linked to more lengthy pieces I wrote here on the site offering up reasons why you should upgrade these to Blu! Click and research!

UNDERRATED GEMS!

Quite frankly, BLACULA/SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM was one of my favorite discoveries from the brand. What I had always assumed was a blacksploitation cash-in actually turned out to be a legitimate and frightening addition to the pantheon of vampire movies. THE BATTERY was a little indie movie that we advocated strongly on Killer POV, the previous incarnation of the Shock Waves podcast, and I stand by it! With this current sale, it comes to just under $8 bucks, so you should absolutely blind buy that one! CHERRY FALLS is a “slasher” movie from 2000 that slipped through the cracks and is ripe for discovery. DARK ANGEL (aka I COME IN PEACE) remains my favorite Dolph Lundgren movie, and I even wrote up a little tribute to his side-kick played by Brian Benben! For those craving a good werewolf flick, Eric Red’s BAD MOON is worth a look, most importantly because the “director’s cut” included excised the very, very early CGI werewolf transformation and now turns it into a far stronger, more satisfying character driven creature feature. And I’ve always loved Don Coscarelli’s vastly underrated and heart warming horror/comedy hybrid BUBBA HO-TEP. Here’s a piece I did from when it was originally released. It’s a gem that belongs on your shelf.

SLASHERS!

There are so many great “slasher” films within the Scream Factory catalog. Might we suggest the notorious SLEEPAWAY CAMP, THE BURNING, THE FUNHOUSE and the sleazy SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE. For the die-hard slasher fans out there, obscurities like FINAL EXAM and THE FINAL TERROR might be right up your alley. And for those that want to go old-school, the long lost BLOOD & LACE (not to be confused with Mario Bava’s BLOOD AND BLACK LACE) is one of the first slashers to ever open with a POV kill! There’s also the crazy Golan & Globus produced NEW YEAR’S EVIL, and the bonkers X-RAY, which comes on a double bill with SCHIZOID!

MODERN CLASSICS!

Want some of the more contemporary stuff? How ’bout THE BABADOOK, THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, SpectreVision’s moody THE BOY or I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER? All worth your time!

CARPENTER!

There are a lot of horror director’s that have finally gotten their due thanks to the Scream Factory line, but none more deserving of special editions of all his movies like John Carpenter! ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is an absolutely gem that I once watched two nights in a row because of how damn good it was. Scream Factory created the end-all / be-all version of THE THING on Blu-Ray. There are early classics like ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and THE FOG. Later classics like freakin’ PRINCE OF DARKNESS. And of course, one of the first titles to launch Scream Factory was John Carpenter’s THEY LIVE!

CULT CLASSICS!

There are varying degrees of what constitutes a “cult” classic these days, but Scream Factory covers the entire broad spectrum. The label that put out things like THE CAR and CLASS OF 1984 also put out DEATH BECOMES HER and Brian De Palma’s PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE! And where else would you find the never-before-released in any format alien flick WITHOUT WARNING, as well as the POLTERGEIST rip-off action-fest NINJA III: THE DOMINATION from the director of BREAKIN’ 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!

HORROR ANTHOLOGIES!

Want bite-sized horror? You can’t go wrong with a good ol’ horror anthology! And Scream Factory has got some of the best. From the classic TALES FROM THE CRYPT / VAULT OF HORROR double feature to modern underrated gems like TALES FROM THE HOOD and FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM! Another one of my favorite discoveries is John Carpenter’s BODY BAGS, which will now always be a required Halloween season favorite!

SEQUELS!

Because let’s face it, these days, ya gotta have a sequel! I can not praise the X-MEN of horror franchise that is SCANNERS enough, especially SCANNERS III: THE TAKEOVER, so you should look into the SCANNERS II / SCANNERS III double feature. If you liked the FRIDAY THE 13TH sequels, but wished they were “campier” (pun intended), then SLEEPAWAY CAMP 2 and 3 are for you! Or go classic with HALLOWEEN II or HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH.

There are literally hundreds of more recommendations I can make, but you’ve got to start somewhere! So, why not start with some of the above titles and see where your shopping quest leads you!

Once again, Scream Factory’s 50% off sale is only until June 19th, so act fast and hit up their official website now to take full advantage!