Someone already posted about The Hunger, but I didn't see any mention of the other titles.

From DVDFile.com:

Definitely getting ROTLD2, It's Alive and He Knows You're Alone. And I guess this quashes the rumor that ROTLD2 would be released full-frame, although I still don't know if there will be the rumored content edits...

sweet!

It's Alive!!!

Sweeeet!

ROTLD 2 was always going to be widescreen BUT something's not kosher here. DVDfile says only a trailer will be on the DVD BUT in a Home Theater Forum chat with Warner, they said there would be a commentary track on it.

So either DVDfile doesn't have all the details or Warner dropped the commentary.

I always thought the poster for It's Alive was pretty cool.

Do you think WB will release ROTLD2 in a keepcase so it matches 1 and 3?

ROTLD2

Thank god. My list grows shorter

Oh there have been rumors of a severely reedited print airing on some of the digital stations lately with narration and different music.

I am not sure if this is true or not,since I have not seen it air on any of the channels I have. Yet I wonder if it may turn out to be some old tv edit of the film,that was accidentally sent to the station?


Since it would make no sense for Warner to bother altering the film now.

Just a thought since people are worrying if this is the version that will show up on dvd,since most cable stations premire various catalog titles on cable before the release.

...

About dang time!

Your powers of perception are amazing.

Great -- would have hoped for some decent extras though.

It's not a rumor, it is true that there is an alternate version of ROTLD2, I've seen it.

The first ROTLD was changed for it's DVD release due to the director's wishes, why not the sequel?

excited about ROTLD 2. now all there needs to be is ROTLD 3, uncut with OAR.

How was the first one changed? And what's the difference with the alternate version of the 2nd?

Well, I don't think they'll do it specifically so it matches the others... but, yes, it appears that WB is releasing stuff in keepcases now. Sweet.

The director altered the music volume and even deleted and reedited the punk music used in the film. Basically 'Take A Walk' is deleted entirely,besides a brief loop of the intro to the song durring the scene it originally played it(first half of the scene plays without music now sadly!).

Surfing Dead is lowered severely and cut off practically durring the chapel sequence.

Burn The Flames is pretty much deleted,besides a brief intro,then it quickly cuts off,as the rest of the scene plays without music.

Their may be other changes to the music levels,but these were the biggest alterations..and sadly I think they suck!! I wish the original theatrical LOUD music mix was used,as it was a famous part of the appeal of the film,as much as the charecters themselves.

So I really wish they offered the option between the new directors mix and the original mix. Sure some will say,just turn on the dubbed Spanish track for the 'original' mix. But that is not the same,since like most dubbed tracks. The movie audio is severely lowered in the background...& in this case,you can barely hear the music in the scenes they are playing in. Unlike the original theatrical mix which was LOUD and full of energy in the music scenes.



On part 2,I do not know what is up with that. Since I have yet to see this hard to find version. Yet it seems highly unlikely Warner would bother going to the trouble to severely alter the film,especially a cult title like this. So how do we not know,they are just not using a old tv-edit of the film on the cable showings? I mean,it seems like an old tv edit,since it has narrration,re-editing and alternate music. Which alot of 80's and before tv edits used to be like(Halloween 2 for example..or Jaws 4).

It just seems pointless and no real legit reason for them to alter the film after all these years.

Some of the alterations to the ROTLD soundtrack were due to rights issues. One of the things that kept this out of print for so long was the songs on the soundtrack. Enigma records, which released it, and released records by a lot of the bands on it, went bankrupt in the late 80s, the labels rosters and back catalog were split up and sold to a ton of different places.

There are actually a couple of NEW songs in the DVD. In the scene where the punks are first introduced driving there is now a song called "Young, Fast, Iranians" by the boston band The F.U's playing. They were on Engima records, but not on the soundtrack release or in the original version of the movie.

I remember hearing about this a while back as it was the delay for ROTLD making its way to DVD. Maybe I'll play my VHS one of these days to tell the exact differences. I hadn't seen the movie in so long when I watched the DVD that I didn't even notice.

on ROTLD1, also some of the dialogue is re-recorded. the tar man and the "send more cops" line is.

i dont see this as a music rights issue, although some of it could be, but a song like the Roky Erickson song is still in the DVD, just shortened. i think its just the director thinking hes a mini lucas and messing up a movie people love. tar man shoots first in this one too.

With all due respect, the changes made by the director are entirely appropriate and reflect a version of the film he always wanted but his ideas were undercut by the film's producers. The "loud music mix" quite often drowned out the dialogue or hindered the dramatic weight of a scene such as "Burn the Flames".....Dan O'Bannon wanted us to fully hear the painful scream of James Karen's character as he burns himself to death. The producers insisted the music play loudly because they felt that without it, it would be too intense. Any self respecting horror fan would agree with O'Bannon in this case.

Quote:

So I really wish they offered the option between the new directors mix and the original mix. Sure some will say,just turn on the dubbed Spanish track for the 'original' mix. But that is not the same,since like most dubbed tracks. The movie audio is severely lowered in the background...& in this case,you can barely hear the music in the scenes they are playing in. Unlike the original theatrical mix which was LOUD and full of energy in the music scenes.

I agree that both versions should've been made available.

Quote:

On part 2,I do not know what is up with that. Since I have yet to see this hard to find version. Yet it seems highly unlikely Warner would bother going to the trouble to severely alter the film,especially a cult title like this. So how do we not know,they are just not using a old tv-edit of the film on the cable showings? I mean,it seems like an old tv edit,since it has narrration,re-editing and alternate music. Which alot of 80's and before tv edits used to be like(Halloween 2 for example..or Jaws 4).

It just seems pointless and no real legit reason for them to alter the film after all these years.

The changes made to part 2 would take little time and cost little money. As with the changes made by O'Bannon to the first film, all he needed was a day in the studio, the company has thousands of sound files already available and the equipment to make such changes easy to make.

If the director of part 2 wanted to alter some things, it would've been easy and cheap for Warner Brothers to say yes. Regarding the different music being used, the cost to license them again may have been too much for the studio to pay for a small cult title.

There is no "old TV edit" of the film that feature such changes. What we're seeing these days for some cult titles is that TV broadcasts that air before a first time DVD release will reflect a new print that's been made for said DVD. This happened with the first ROTLD as well. It's airings on Showtime and The Movie Channel gave fans a glimpse at what alterations were made before the DVD was released.

I can tell you that song rights weren't the hold up in getting the film released on DVD because they can easily be replaced.

The sole reason why ROTLD was out of print for so long was because the studio the owned it, Orion Pictures, went bankrupt so their entire catalog was in limbo until MGM finally came along and bought the whole thing clearing up the problem.

Also only Dead Beat Dance by The Damned was deleted/replaced from the film based on music rights issues. All the other music & dialogue changes were made by O'Bannon.

I would argue that despite the original intent of the film by the director. That once it was released with the producers approved soundmix. That mix became apart of pop culture and anyone who loved the film,always highly praised the great soundtrack and use of music in the film. While it may not have originally been planned that way,this 'accident' worked and it went over well with audiences.

I never heard people complain "Oh that scene was less intense because the music was so loud and lively!". I thought Burn The Flames added a quirky sad air of tragedy to the scene,since it was a darkly gothic flavored song. Sure the scene works without the music and is even more sad & startling. But I thought it worked beautifully in the orignal mix as well.

The other music changes though I thought did not work at all. When 'Take A Walk' originally amped up with its throbbing pushing forward frantic pace as they board up the zombie in the basement and the gang frantically decide what to do. Sure you can't hear them as clearly because the music overpowers the scene. Yet it still added a pinch of intensitiy and insanity durring the scene,confusing,horror,fear "what are we supposed to do?"...that by the time the lyrics started as they ran out of the warehouse "Don't go out tonight....you took a walk with suuuuuuuuuuuuicide". It worked beautifully,almost as if it was originally planned for the music to play over the entire sequence and lyrics begin at that right edit.

Now that affect is missing,since the song is deleted and placing a loop of the intro over the running from the warehouse shot just didn't seem right at all.

So I really wish they had included both mixes on the dvd. Heck if I ever had millions of dollers. I would buy the film myself and release it with both mixes..and heck even let O'Bannon do his directors cut(but would release the theatrical as well on the same set),if MGM never bothers.




As for part 2,I still have yet to see this 'new' cut of the film. I caught glimpse of it a few months ago edited on basic cable. The 'monster mash' remake played over the end credits and all the other music I was familiar with was their.


So it really seems odd that they would decide to change it for some unknown reason..and I doubt music rights are the issue.

Since anyone who likes the film,likes it as it is now...and have not pushed for a 'revised' version at all.