Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Thought this might be useful for those of us who like these labels and want information on the occasional sales for them.

I'll start things off with the following, all ROAN from Deep Discount:

BLACK AND BLUE COLLECTION $3.24

ROY ROGERS COLLECTION $4.86

S.O.S. COAST GUARD $4.86

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG $3.24

re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

There's a few more Roans there also. As there search engine sucks, you have to look closely. I highly recommend both the Lugosi's Dr Echo mentioned.

Others I saw the other day: (don't know if they're sold out):
SECRET OF DR KILDARE $3.24
LAST FRONTIERS $3.24
ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP $4.86
BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT $3.24

re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

(I can't believe with my OCD wracked brain I actually misspelled a word in the title of this thread. Irony biting me in the ass again! Mods please repair this before I go crazy. Too late!).

re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Good idea for a thread Professor! I've been collecting all of Roan's releases and serials that VCI puts out for a long time. Here are a few more deals I discovered at Deep Discount (Note, sometimes they list a studio other than Roan, but the UPC's listed are fro the Roan releases):

They Made Me a Criminal/Lady Gangster $3.24

Illegal $3.24

Zorro Rides Again $4.86

The Light of Western Stars $3.24

Suddenly $3.24

The Vagabond Lover $3.24

Max Allen Collins: The Black Box Collection $11.36

Does anyone have a list of all of Roan's releases? Their page on Troma's site is good, but it doesn't list the OOP titles. (My Xmas present to myself was a copy of Roan's Fighting Sullivans which has been pricey for a long time.) I think there are a couple of their older releases I still need to track down.

P.S. Fixed the title.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

John, thanks for correcting my spelling error! :)

And thanks to you and Moo for the additional Roan titles on sale at DD. I didn't have a chance to scope them all out, but these are genuine bargains before they go OOP. I also would be interested in a complete ROAN title list as I am guessing Troma will most likely divest themselves of this subsidiary sooner or later.

ILLEGAL is an interesting film, the only one I have ever seen from Warner Brothers' British studios of the 30's, Teddington Studios.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Professor, a year or two ago, TCM ran quite a few of the WB Teddington Studio films...very nice transfers....I don't know if they have run any of them since or not...they ran them once a week for a month...not Illegal though...

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Wow, how did I miss that? I keep close watch on TCM and record anything and everything that is rare. Of course I don't always have time or desire to watch all that I record, so it's possible I have some in my library from those airings and don't know it. I know they show a lot of rare UK films, e.g. those from Gaumont and Rank, but I haven't noticed any with the Teddington Studio banner on them. TCM is where I saw ILLEGAL many years ago.

Thanks for the notice, I will be on the lookout for future airings.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I missed the typo, now I'm really curious dammit!

The most complete list I've seen of Roan, both available and OOP, is DVD Aficionado. http://www.dvdaf.com/search.html?pub...n+Group*rgn_us

As for titles still available, Troma's webstore has some of these pretty cheap last I checked. If you plan to buy several of them it evens out their high shipping charges a bit. After doing a lot of research on Bela Lugosi's White Zombie, I discovered that the Roan edition is the optimal edition to get.

As for my Deep Discount contribution:

Horror Classics 8: Dead Men Walk/The Monster Maker
ITEM #: AED002023
List Price: $14.95
Price: $4.86

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Note, dd is running out of the Roans quickly.

There is still a full list of Roan's on the Troma site, though the majority shows as oos.

I remember trying to order some Roans from Troma a few years back. No longer remember what the problem what, but do remember they made it so difficult to place an order that I gave up.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I shudder to even remember it! Thanks to the timely correction from John and a steady stream of meds, I have rid myself of the experience entirely!-screwy-

You are right about the WHITE ZOMBIE copy from Roan, it was an immense source of pride for the Roan brothers on Laserdisc and they made sure that its transition to DVD was just as meticulous and exemplary. There is no better version anywhere.

I also highly recommend the other double you mentioned, particularly DEAD MEN WALK, which features an incredible performance by the always impressive, if a bit hammily so, George Zucco. And THE MONSTER MAKER is a very unsettling bit of B horror as it uses a genuine disease for its scare element.

Finally, if you missed out on the Marketplace sales for the Roan Pre-Code triple mentioned in a separate thread, please note that the Alpha version of MILLIE is actually one of their better transfers and looks and sounds great.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Decided to go back to DD for more Roan goodies and picked up:

BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT $3.24
(listed as OOS, but confirmation e mail says it's in stock)

ILLEGAL $3.24
(same as above, listed as OOS on site, but not in e mail)

INVISIBLE GHOST $6.49
(not as cheap as other Roans on sale, but reviews were good so I went for it)

ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER $5.34
(VCI title I picked up to get free shipping. Reviews were good)

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Illegal & Bowery are showing as "out of stock" From a ton of recent experience with DD, I wouldn't count on getting anything that's out of print that shows as oos.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I guess I also got lucky & got acquired a Like New copy of Roan's Dementia 13 from an Amazon seller for $10. Do you know what other ones besides White Zombie & D13 contain commentaries?

Aye, thanks, I picked up this DF. Also picked up the Tromasterpiece edition of The Last Horror Film for the same price.

Has anyone brought up that these Roan/Troma/Synapse/Intervision sales are all part of the same CAV Distribution sale going on at DD & DVD Planet? This handy list should hit several brands with one stone (lowest priced first): http://www.dvdplanet.com/promos.cfm?roomID=146&sort=pa. (DVD Planet's easier to browse, but the DVDs are like 15 cents cheaper at DD.)

Slightly OT, but after finding The Last Horror Film I saw on Criterion Dungeon that apparently the Tromasterpiece Collection DVDs have gone OOP? http://criterion.mono.net/15542/Trom...e%20Collection

Oh, Alpha DVDs are actually worth acquiring? Alpha editions have come up a lot when I look for titles on Swap A DVD, but I always kind of wrote off "the oldies.com brand". So, let's say has "Movie X" available from Alpha, Trinity, Diamond & BCI/Echo Bridge. I usually go with the latter. Is Alpha better than other public domain labels? (Once again, I'm mainly just looking for gothic horror to shove into my overstuffed DVD collection.)

Anyway, I'll copy-paste Page 1 of the cheapest Roan/CAV results:

$3.08 Los Polivoces

$3.39 Alien Blood

$3.39 Bowery at Midnight

$3.39 Escape From Hell

$3.39 Illegal

$3.39 John Wayne: The Early Years Collection

$3.39 Kickboxer

$3.39 Light of Western Stars

$3.39 Monster in the Closet

$3.39 Mysterious Mr. Wong

$3.39 New Gladiators (Yep, the Fulci one)

$3.39 Sucker: The Vampire

$3.39 Suddenly [50th Anniversary Edition]

$3.39 The Black and Blue Collection: Bluebeard/Black Dragons/The Black Raven

$3.39 The Secret of Dr. Kildare

$3.39 Vagabond Lover

$3.39 Very Classic Christmas

$3.39 Yellow River Fighter

$5.01
Beast From Haunted Cave [Special Extended Version]
Brain that Wouldn't Die (Synapse Editions)

$5.01 Blood Junkie

$5.01 Coons! Night of the Bandits of the Night

Oh yeah, and go to page 8 & you'll find The Beast in Space: XXX Version under $10.
http://www.dvdplanet.com/promos.cfm?roomID=146&sort=pa

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I was trying to avoid thread pooping, but in MOST cases I highly recommend staying away from Alpha. There are a FEW exceptions.

Thank you for the dd planet list. I wonder if Troma is shutting down?

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Illegal is oos at DP also. They do have a very good price on Vampire Circus in this sale, though. $9.89 for blu/dvd combo pack. I'm somewhat tempted on that one.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Of the ten Roan titles I ordered from DD yesterday, all listed as "in stock", only six shipped toady. The four that didn't make it are: Illegal, Zorro's Black Whip, Max Allen Collins: The Black Box Collection (and I really wanted that one), and Zorro Rides Again. Oh well...

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I'll post my shipping updates from DD on this, but they better not stick me with any delivery charge if they wind up canceling anything from my orders.

Deadpan, thanks for the list!

As far as Alpha goes, Moo is a great guy and I respect his judgment, but in general I have to agree to disagree with him about Alpha. It's all relative with these public domain companies, but I have had good luck with Alpha titles for the most part and find the quality almost always at least watchable. Of course, as with any label, including ROAN, it varies from title to title. I would not dismiss Alpha outright though and have several of their DVDs in my collection. Unfortunately Alpha reviews are scarce online, but always check Amazon for the title you are interested in and see if someone has said anything about the quality.

If you own any Mill Creek sets, usually it's the same quality as Alpha and that's no doubt because they copy each other's transfers. So that's a bit of a barometer.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Speaking of reviews, I can't find one for the LEGEND edition of SUDDENLY, but it supposedly is restored and enhanced, which I assume means anamorphic widescreen? I don't know about the ROAN version, but the HAL ROACH release on IMAGE is a bad PAL conversion with speedup.

And I digress.... Amazon's system for reviews of public domain titles is a maze since they put the same ones under each version. So is the weird tradition there of people reviewing the film itself instead of the DVD. Everyone is a closet critic no doubt, but why anyone who posts at Amazon thinks we need yet another synopsis of the film being sold along with their two cents of a content review is beyond me.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Good news, DD doesn't hit you with shipping if the drop in total is their fault.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I have a suspicion the current batches are going to be the last chance to get Roans at reasonable prices. Hopefully whoever is doing this dump isn't done dumping yet. The only Roan title I've seen on any wholesale list that I have access to was Lugosi's Invisible Ghost; though the same list had tons of Tromas.

BTW, for Bela fans (like me), with the POSSIBLE exception of the out of print Lugosi estate titles of Bowery At Midnight & Devil Bat, imo all the Roan Lugosi's are the best print of each film ever released on NTSC dvd.

Vci/roan/alpha + troma/synapse/cav
 

As a DVD luddite, this is the first DVD/BD combo pack I found worth buying for the DVD alone. I rented the DVD several months ago from Greencine & it's a great, colorful master of a little gem (and it's more uniquely occultic than generically vampiric). I didn't care so much for Synapse's other combos at the time (The Exterminator & The Dorm that Dripped Blood). IMO, Vampire Circus is the most revelatory because there's a whole level of beautiful cinematography to discover, not just more layers of grime in NYC or dorm rooms.

I haven't seen Intruder or Embodiment of Evil. Or am I confusing one of them with Dark Sky?

Bah, screw it. Can we extend the umbrella of this thread to all the companies covered by the CAV Distribution sale?

My pleasure. I also found a few things cheaper at DVD Planet that I bought there:

Mill Creek: Obscure Cult Cinema, Gorehouse Greats (each of these is ~$2.40 more at DD)
Dark Sky: The Amicus Collection

I don't know. It looks like they might be be going back to only distributing "in house" titles. Shedding Roan & Troma Retro. Can't say for sure.

As for Alpha, do any of them have bonus isolated audio tracks? ;)
That's one thing I like about some of those old OOP Image DVDs. I love isolated audio & score tracks.

...Whuh? Did I read correctly that Alpha's Galaxy Invader DVD includes audio commentary?! It's cheaper than the Rifftrax VOD, I'll say that much.

This where where I utilize DVD Empire's helpful DVD rear screen captures: http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_ite...or=1#topoftabs.

Sometimes I mistake Legend Films for Johnny Legend, hah. I'm disappointed that LF didn't release any more 70's Paramount catalog titles like Phase IV. Their main revenue today seems to come from Rifftrax & 3D post-conversion.

I'll actually log in to my Amazon account & give a Plus vote if the reviewer makes DVD specifications. This topic would be a helpful Listmania, that's for sure. It irks the hell out of me to see people praising the colorized Legend Films DVD of Night of the Living Dead. Yes, the other side's b&w, but it doesn't hold a torch to the Elite or Dimension releases. Legend Films: "another one for the fire."

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Glenn, don't know about this particular title. Usually, Legend does some scratch removal type restoration on the B&W & also colorizes. Usually their dvd's have both versions. I've been reasonably pleased with the few i've seen; Kino used Legend's colorized version of She for their deluxe edition; though I BELIEVE Kino did their own work (or contracted someone to do it for them) on the b&w that's also on the Kino.

I don't want to sound like I'm raving about Legend (I'm not), but i would place them at least at VCI level (possibly slightly above); & definately above Alpha, Echo Bridge & Mill Creek.

Re: Vci/roan/alpha + troma/synapse/cav
 

I know for a fact Troma recently did a dump of around 30-40 Troma titles.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Geff, thanks for the information about LEGEND. I picked up some of their Blu Ray releases and thought they looked very good for what is, I'm sure, a small company. So my guess is that their version of SUDDENLY is probably the best out there. I'm looking into getting their Blu of SHE once the price comes down a bit. The LEGEND SD of SHE was actually missing footage that the KINO version has in it so I will have to do some research on the Blu and make sure it's the long version.

Deadpan, I don't know of any isolated score tracks on Alpha, but there are some that do indeed have commentaries on them, e.g. most of the Ted V. Mikels exploitation flicks they inherited from IMAGE. And some Alphas actually have trailers too, but not many unfortunately.

As for adding other lower tier DVD companies to this thread, why not? I just picked what I considered the big three of public domain and buried treasure DVD distributors, but feel free to add deals from outfits like LEGEND (even JOHNNY!), ECHO BRIDGE, MILL CREEK, etc.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I normally don't push our own stuff on here but we have some decent deals on Mill Creek stuff and frankly I love their material:

http://www.hamiltonbook.com/hamilton...65+EN/catalogs

All 3.95:
Best of Match Game
Boris Karloff: Master of Horror
Day Break: Complete Series
Fun With Ozzie and Harriet
Great WWII Campaigns
Hollywood vs. the Mob
Incredible Stories, Vol 2
Journey to the Moon
Love Loss and Affliction 12 Movie Collection
Rampage: Killing Without Reason
Sam Kinison Unleashed
Very Best of the Price is Right
Adventures of Flash Gordon (14 episode one, not full series)
Beetle Bailey: The Complete Collection
Booker: Collector's Edition
Cobra: Complete Series
1st and Ten: Complete Collection
21 Jump Street: Complete Third Season
21 Jump Street: Complete Fourth Season
Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
Aliens Among Us
Beatles and the King
Best of Howdy Doody
Best of Password
Billy the Kid: 20 Movies
Classic Adventures: Vol 1
Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
Great Indian Wars
Greatest American Hero: 2nd Season Complete
Hunter: 2nd Season Complete
Iron King: Complete Series
Legend of Prince Valiant (16 Episodes one, not complete set, which I HIGHLY recommend, and can be found cheaply elsewhere)
Lone Ranger: The Legend Begins, 32 Episodes
NASCAR Presents: Greatest Finishes & Greatest Dominators
Roy Rogers Collection: 20 Movies
Sonny Chiba Collection
Super Robot Red Baron
Vegas: City That the Mob Made
Very Best of All-Star Family Feud

5.95
Tenspeed and Brownshoe

9.95:
America Stories of War: 24 DVD Collection
Comedy Kings: 50 Movies
Cowboy Legends: 50 Movies
Essential Ozzie and Harriet: 100 Episodes
Nightmare Worlds: 50 Movies
Way West: 50 Movies

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Golden, I am also a fan of Mill Creek, though their duplication from set to set drives me crazy. It's hard to keep track of when you buy the 100 packs like I do. Those are some decent prices at Hamilton.

Received from my first DD Roan order:

BLACK AND BLUE COLLECTION
SOS COAST GUARD
ROY ROGERS Triple Feature

The MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG is missing and thus far no word on whether it is back ordered or canceled or what.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

That is for sure and though their site has gotten better, it still is a ton of research to avoid double dips. As a fan of horror though....those Horror 50 packs are awesome--I learned to love Paul Naschy because of those things. And I love the 12 movies sets too (gorehouse, etc).

I bet I have 20-60 dupes between the sets though. What can you do.

Count me as one that wishes Legend still did more new releases too. They're good guys and a good company.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Oh, and these Pacific Home Entertainment guys are new, and it's literally the EXACT same PD you've seen for years, but we move this stuff like nuts, so somebody is liking it. Look for white cases, most start 25 mystery, 25 gangster, etc. Dirt cheap on Amazon and most places.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Actually, you can keep track on their web site. Let's take The Devil's Hand: http://www.millcreekent.com/devil-s-hand-the.html.

Click on the "Found In" tab and you'll see:
To research vice versa, on the page for the Movie Packs click the "Contents" tab.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Great info, Deadpan. Thanks!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

The Roan titles I ordered from DD that didn't ship with the bulk of the order (Illegal, Zorro's Black Whip, Max Allen Collins: The Black Box Collection, and Zorro Rides Again) have all apparently shipped. IF they all arrive that will leave me only a handful to go. *fingers crossed*

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Same for me, John. The two I didn't get, MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG and ILLEGAL are supposedly being prepped for shipment according to a rep I talked to.

Unfortunately the VCI copy of ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER looked to be a used copy that was resealed with really bad shrink wrap. It's a hassle to return stuff to DD so I have just decided to keep it.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I just discovered that Dvd Beaver named a VCI dvd of the year for 2011!

The Prowler

http://www.amazon.com/Prowler-Van-He...6405972&sr=1-1

While Beaver is so focused on Blu these days that I don't pay much attention to them any more (numerous titles in their top 28 BR list don't even show up in the top 25 dvd list), naming a VCI #1 is still a pretty big deal!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

That is indeed a surprise from Beaver since he has taken VCI to task several times for non-progressive transfers and other transgressions. On the other hand, I've always gotten the impression he really WANTS to like VCI and he is a huge NOIR buff. Plus credit where credit is due, THE PROWLER is a great DVD.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

FYI, DD has gotten the Roans back in. Looks like they figured out the value, they have exactly doubled the price on every one.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Thanks Mister Peeps!

Better than nothing, but a far cry from what used to be their 40% off deals. Even the E mail sign up bonus is only 25% now compared to the former 40%.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I got that email also. At least some are cheaper on Amazon then direct with the 25%.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I'd like to get enough for free shipping, which is the only way I'll place an order but I bought most of what I want during black friday.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I can't get excited about 25% off either.

The thing that I always find curious about VCI sales during the holidays is how they start off with a good sale and follow it with lame ones. There was a 50% off sale on Black Friday weekend last year, and then the following week they had a special every day where one title was half off and they included a code for 40% off everything else on the site. If I had wanted anything at 50% off, I would have bought it during the weekend sale (which I did.)

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I hope like heck it isn't another DVDR, but Deep Discount (on Amazon) & Import CD (On Ebay) who are basically the same company, both have the Roan Lonely Wives at around $10 shipped (DD on Amazon is a few cents cheaper). I bit.

Since DD's last batch of Roans was legit, hopefully this is also. This is another one that's been quite pricy in the recent past. It is currently NOT on DD's Web Site. Amazon is also offering it at $9.99 + s/h & in my case it would have also been + sales tax if I had bought from them.

http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Wives-E...0242395&sr=1-1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=140711088640