Living Deadpan

Blue Underground's been rereleasing a lot of oop Anchor Bay titles (especially Italian horror/giallo, Argento/Fulci/etc). What I'd like to know: is there any difference in audio/video quality between the old/new versions? I ask because I've been finding lots of cheap Anchor Bay versions, especially some of the Drive-In Double Features, which DVDplanet has for $5-6. I recently got the DF for Rats/Hell of the Living Dead at DVDempire for $7, both titles reissued by BU individually at $14.99 retail. Are the Anchor Bay issues somehow inferior, or am I justified in grabbing 'em where I find 'em?

Living Deadpan

Oops. I meant I got Macabre/A Blade In the Dark at DVDempire for $7. Rats/Hell I got at DVDplanet for $6. (crucial error, I'm sure)

beesonosu

I am almost positive that the transfers/extras/etc. are exactly the same. Obviously the discs themselves have less years on them and I prefer the BU packaging more but $6-7 on those DF is good.

Disc-Flipper

Do the BU releases have subtitles or closed-captioning on their Argento movies?

Mondo Kane

Deep Red only has subtitles. Suspiria only has captions.

Living Deadpan

Thanks!

Just curious, why do you prefer the BU packaging, the clear keep cases?

In many cases I prefer the AB packaging because they have the lobby card insert of the cool looking European poster. That is, I dig pre-Starz AB.

While we're on the subject, do you (or anyone reading this) know if BU will be releasing Fulci's The Beyond? I still can't forgive myself for selling off my limited tin.

MTRodaba2468

It wouldn't surprise me if the releases were identical A/V-wise. I know the BU release of Suspiria is basically the first two discs of AB's Limited Edition (it only lacks the soundtrack).

OopAnt

From what I hear and read, they are by and large they are an exact import, save some of the special features which might be owned by AB. On the other hand, titles like Suspiria, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, and a few others have been revamped to be better with new additional extras.

beesonosu

I have had not heard anything about The Beyond.

I do prefer the clear keepcases and most of their covers although I did forget about the awesomeness of the European poster cards which trumps all.

highclassrob

Does AB or BU have the rights to The Beyond now? I'd really like to see some Fulci BluRay this halloween!

riotinmyskull

i'm dying for one of them to re-issue THE BEYOND. i've never seen it and i really want to.

Zodiac_Speaking

I thought Grindhouse Releasing had the rights to The Beyond?

Alkaline

BU's Suspiria has no new features. The second disc with the documentary and other extras is just disc 2 from Anchor Bay's 3 disc limited edition. None of the BU reissues have added anything not already on the AB versions.

Alkaline

Somebody on an imdb thread a couple months ago posted that he was friends/on a speaking basis with the guys from Grindhouse and that Beyond was due for an upcoming re-release through Rykodisc. This made me assume it was probably Blue Underground since they are distributed by Rykodisc, and it would be in lin with all the other AB reissues from BU. The post was extremely vague and didn't go into any specifics. I implored about said specifics, e.g. new extras, new transfer, whether it would just be a port of the AB disc--and he never made a follow-up post. So that could be garbage.

Giles

so who's going to release 'Zombie' on bluray? - both of the them?

Living Deadpan

Well, circumstances led me to having both the 2002 AB and 2007 BU of Michele Soavi's Stagefright. Same transfers, same extras, same synopsis on the back. Only difference is AB has the poster replica insert, BU has an insert advertising its back catalogue.

junyab

the DVD content of all the releases have been identical, so far...case closed