Another bumper, but bittersweet year for cinephiles with a vested interested in owning films on physical media.
More boutique labels were eager to cut out the customer convenience of purchasing off Amazon and pushing folk into ordering directly from their sites. Cutting out the middleman is understandable, but a right pain in the arse if something was available for pre-order off Amazon, months in advance, only to be withdrawn and already sold out elsewhere. My pre-order of The Stone Tape is the latest example. Hence, FOMO became an even bigger issue in 2024 and leading to more scalpers cashing-in on folk with money to burn.
2024 was also the year where quality issues were more prevalent with various major boutique releases having dodgy sound mixing or picture freezing. This would lead to the headache of having to get in touch with customer service and provide proof of purchase for a replacement disc, rather than automatically like some other labels.
Anyhow, without further ado, here are the physical media highlights for me this year:
The Flesh and Blood Show - The Horror Films of Pete Walker | Blu-Ray | 88 Films
The Hitcher | 4K | Second Sight
Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe | Blu-Ray | Arrow Films*
Looking for Mr. Goodbar | 4K | Vinegar Syndrome
Blake's 7: The Collection - Series 1 | Blu-Ray | BBC
The Blair Witch Project | Blu-Ray |Second Sight
Columbia Horror | Blu-Ray | Indicator
Häxan | Blu-Ray | Radiance Films
Dawn of the Mummy | Blu-Ray | Treasured Films
Forgotten Gialli Vol. 7 | Blu-Ray | Vinegar Syndrome
J-Horror Rising | Blu-Ray | Arrow Films
The Sadness | 4K | Shudder
* Technically released last year, but the absence of subtitles on one of the discs meant the corrected set didn't come out until earlier this year.
Also, managed to score most of Michel Soavi's oeuvre on 4K, which was released by Severin last year, during the Black Friday sales. Currently lumbered in some depot in Stanstead over Christmas. Anna Falchi in Dellamorte Dellamore (1994) on 4K ❤❤❤.
4 comments:
I got that Hitcher 4k for Christmas and just realised I can't play it on my regular DVD player 🤦🤬
Not sure how you could not realise that until now, but it’s worth copping a 4K player, regardless. The picture definition is insanely better, plus it’s backwards compatible; meaning you can play your old Blu-rays on it.
The Hitcher looks amazing in 4K. Looking forward to seeing newer films like The Zone of Interest and The Substance in ultra high definition, too.
Gonna have to bite the bullet and cop one.
And not to mention you can finally watch the film you bought with it.
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