Why So Blu?

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Has Really Bummed Me Out Today

I really don’t understand the big studio distributors sometimes.  I really don’t.  It feels like they really hold back on some things that really doesn’t make sense or they flat our will release something without a care in the world given to it instead of letting an independent distributor actually make a release worth purchasing that will bring about praise and better sales.  Universal Studios Home Entertainment had the chance this week to put a GIANT GIANT cherry on top of this incredible vintage horror fans’ September box set release cake and they instead smashed a giant pie in our faces.  I am so disappointed about their two home video announcements in the last 24 hours that I’ve taken to my Why So Blu soapbox to sit and whine about it.  So, click on or scroll down and let me give you the rundown and then we’ll discuss.

The box set pictured above is what started me putting up a stink.  If you’ll remember, I was disappointed last year when Universal did not follow up their outstanding Classic Monsters Blu-ray box set from 2012.  Instead they released them individually.  Okay, I get that.  So then this year we’ll pop up some more right?  WRONG!

Yesterday they announced that they’re releasing the ENTIRE oeuvre of the classic monsters series.  All 30 films!  I’ll rebuy them for that!  Oh wait.  They’re doing it on FRICKING DVD!  What a damn waste.  They’ve already released these on DVD before.  Yes, those Legacy sets are all out of print, but its 2014, release them on Blu-ray.  This makes no sense.  Who is going to want this?

So maybe this is a “feeler” release to see if there’s interest in further Blu-ray sets.  Well, that’s pretty dumb as nobody in the right mind that is planning on purchasing these down the road on Blu-ray are going to shell out $139.99 for this set to turn around and upgrade next year.  And most likely, the collector and person who wants to buy it on Blu-ray already owns these on DVD.  This is just like that asinine  Friday The 13th box set in 2011 when we were waiting on sequels past Part 3 to hit Blu-ray.  We already had the perfectly suitable Crystal Lake Memories box set, so OF COURSE sales are going to underwhelm.

They also can’t be too against Blu-ray as they are repackaging the movies from the first Blu-ray set to sell individually for the SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR.  And if you count the box set, this will be the third straight year the two Draculas, Frankenstein, Bride Of Frankenstein, Phantom Of The Opera, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Creature From The Black Lagoon will be repackaged and resold on Blu-ray.  If you’re going by the DVD set, there are 21 films still yet to transferred to Blu-ray.  Yet, we’re hanging on the 3rd straight year of getting the same 9 films again. Its a shame because Universal did an absolutely marvelous job with that first set.  It was my favorite release of 2012.

To kick us in the balls after they slapped us in the face, they announced a complete Psycho box set today.  Once again, ONLY ON DVD.  We already have Psycho I-III with great Blu-ray editions, but we were lacking on Psycho IV and the really bad Bates Motel pilot from 1987.  Once again though, all of these have been readily available on DVD for quite some time.  Who in the heck is picking these up now?  I mean, there can’t be a massive interest in a repackage release.

Its just kind of upsetting as September could have been more huge than it already is.  First we got the insane announcement of the Halloween box set, then Leprechaun this week followed by the news of an Exorcist box set.  Then here comes Universal with their lame ass DVD announcements.  Now, if they give us more on Blu-ray next year (FINALLY), it will be awesome, but I ask “What took so damn long?”  All I’d like is a second volume of the Universal Classic Monsters on Blu-ray.  You know, the superior home video format!