Gypo66

I know that those Alpha releases are generally pretty mediocre but of somewhat variable quality... so does anyone have any first hand insight on how any of these, uh, cinematic masterpieces from Alpha look? --

Atom Age Vampire
The Head
Monstrosity
I Eat Your Skin
She Beast
Grave of the Vampire
The Red House

DarthMaul420

I don't have any of the titles you listed but I have the following:

The Phantom Creeps 1&2
The Devil Bat
The Human Monster
White Zombie
The Death Kiss
The Gorrilla
The Bat

They are not the greatest quality but they beat all the other dvds I have been able to buy for 6 bucks and under lol. (Ok except the CH cycd codes)

markdclark43016

Of the titles on your list, I have Atom Age Vampire and She Beast. Both are acceptable by budget disc standards.

She Beast was shot on 16 mm so it's never going to look great.

bboisvert

I have a handful of these Alpha DVDs (although none on your list) and I've found the quality to be acceptable. The overall quality varies quite a bit from title to title, but I find that Alpha usually does a better job than most other budget labels...

Sartana

Not true according to those who have seen the original negatives. Pete Tombs of Mondo Macabro has stated on the Mobius Home Video Forum that the original scope negative is being held for a king's ransom in a vault in Rome, and that all other existing 16mm prints are severely cropped and blown up.

sparks

I just bought "Unknown World(1951)(the first before "The Core and Journey to the Center of the Earth") and it was an okay print.

Next I bought "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla(1952) and it was a beautiful print...blew me away...not the movie, I gagged on it, it was the print!!!

I don't have any of the ones you mentioned, but I just got:

1)One Body Too Many(1944)
2)Beast From haunted Cave(1959)-this is in 1.37:1, but someone else puts it out as 1.85:1.
3)Screaming Skull(1958)
4)Flash Gordon(TV Series from 1954)

This is a hit and miss company like Brentwood, Windstar and Navarre...but you can't beat their prices!!!

But then you have to see what they offer. Brentwood has a great "Son of Paleface", Windstar stole Roan's "White Zombie" (same tear in same frame)and Navarre has an original beautiful print of "Rocketship X-M", which if you get the Wade Williams one, it has new scenes added and has all the Mars scenes tinted red. This also includes "Devil Girl from Mars" from Navarre.

Again, we'll never see these by anyone else, so we have to get 'em while they're here!

Sartana

I don't know about that, particularly since you've already pointed out a number of releases that already have been put out by somebody else. Also, I don't really see how this "but-it-looks-great-for-the-price" mantra keeps getting repeated when we've got companies like MGM putting out beautifully remastered transfers of pulp horror stuff for less than $10. Now, those look great for the price. When you can get an MGM double feature for $10, does it still make sense to cut Alpha/Brentwood/et al slack just because they're cheap? It just seems to me that the bar for what is "acceptable by budget disc standards" has been raised by MGM's Midnite Movies Collection, or even by Anchor Bay's Hammer titles that consistently pop up in Best Buy and Suncoast for $12 and under. If the price is the major selling point for these budget labels, then shouldn't the quality be judged against superior discs in the same price range? For around the same price, Alpha's ATOM AGE VAMPIRE is right there on the shelf next to MGM's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES. If we're allowed to compare them, then it's clear that the Alpha disc is way below what should be acceptable for this price range. I mean, crap is still crap no matter how cheap it is.

sparks

You're so right. MGM does put out damn good looking films at 2 for $9.99!!!

$4.99 for one crappy looking film is $4.99 too much.

Jaymole

I have the Head and as far as budget releases go, it isn't that bad.

sparks

Couldn't finish watching "One Body Too Many" and am taking back the other 3.

I learned my lesson, shouln't have wasted my money!

DarthMaul420

I would hope MGM's product is of much better quality considering they are a major studio and alpha could just be a warehouse business. Not disputing your thoughts, as they are very true, but remember MGM didn't always ask 9.99 a title. Remember when they priced bare bones discs at 19.99, then released a planned SE a few months later?

bboisvert

To me, there is a HUGE difference between a major studio like MGM releasing their own films and a budget company releasing public domain prints. It's really apples and oranges.

Certainly not all, but a lot of these films no longer have owners or quality source material. I think it's great that companies like Alpha, VCI, Delta, etc. are at least getting these things out to the public in watchable, cheap editions.

Sure, it's great when Criterion, Image, or some other company takes one of these titles and does a major remastering... we've seen it with some of the early Hitchcocks, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu and other silents, Carnival of Souls, etc. ... but it is fairly rare for a company to invest the time and money into public domain material like this. When they do, I happily upgrade... but in the meantime, I can live with what Alpha is doing.

I don't think there is much of a market for Criterion to do a release of the Flash Gordon or Fu Manchu TV series from the 1950s. And I think the wait for The Manster: Special Edition could take a while. I'm happy to get a these from Alpha for $5.

Gypo66

The Manster: Special Editition?! Now we're talking!
In the meantime, does anyone have a clue how the transfer of Alpha's Red House compares to the Mandacy version? Ditto for Atom Age Vampire.

marty888

ANY version of ANY movie will be better on ANY label that's not Madacy. They specialize in blurred vision, scratchy prints and inaudible sound.