Should I request Shout Factory to consider releasing Fright Night 2?

I know it will be a long shot but I read that Shout Factory is open to suggestions on future releases so should I email them to request that they consider acquiring the rights from Lionsgate to release Fright Night 2 ?

 

I asked Cliff over at blu-ray.com, and he said the current rights holder is unknown. How the fuck does that happen?

 

Doesn't hurt to ask - be awesome of someone would release it

 

Yeah that is pretty weird. But I'll send a request and maybe Shout Factory will be able to find the current rights holder for the film.

 

Sent the following to Shout Factory:

Hi,
Fright Night 2 has been out of print on DVD for almost 10 years and there is high demand among fans for a re-release. Please consider getting the rights to release this movie. The original Fright Night on Blu-Ray is also out of print as well ( released in only 3000 copies by Screen Archives late last year). Please consider releasing this on BluRay if getting the rights for the sequel is not possible. Thanks.

 

I have emailed Anchor Bay about releasing the Ultimate Edition of "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) on blu-ray just to be told "It's not on our schedule." I've also emailed Warner Bros. about "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4/5" and was told the same. I've even emailed Criterion to suggest "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and was told "Thanks for the suggestion." I also asked about " The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou", however again, "It's not on our schedule." I'd love to hear "Hopefully, in the near future" or even a straight "No" instead of vague answers. Good luck with Shout!"

 

I guess I should've mentioned, Cliff is "the man" at Shout Factory. Also, regarding the original Fright Night--Twilight Time has the rights for 3 years, even though they already sold their limited run. So, barring some kind of miracle, don't expect to see that one for the next couple of years.

 

I would say no because Fright Night 2 is fucking awful. But if you really love it then go for it.

 

Surprisingly easily, with corporate mergers and libraries being bought and sold on a regular basis. Based on this one's distribution history, I would guess that Paramount or Lionsgate would be the logical place to start the search. But that's only a guess.

 

If it's Paramount...you're fucked.

 

And what do you expect? A "Yes, sir. Right away" answer?

Just the process of granting the rights for a release can take months.

 

Since its Paramount... I would suggest Olive Films.

 

Um, no. As I said, " Hopefully, in the near future" or even a straight "No." Cliff from Shout! makes himself accessable and is frank when addressed with questions. The representatives that replied to me from other companies left me with generic responses.

 

It sounds like the same thing that happened with William Friedkin's Sorcerer--where basically everybody says they don't own it, and they're too lazy to figure out what the fuck is actually up. I wish somebody would rescue it (FN II and Sorcerer, to be honest)...

 

The only title that I suggested was "Night of the Living Dead" to Criterion. Shouldn't be too difficult to obtain the rights there, it's in the public domain. All of the other titles I was inquiring about are owned by the studio I was contacting. Is that okay with you?

 

Oh God, not ANOTHER Dawn of the Dead release. Haha. Almost as bad as the amount of Halloween or Evil Dead versions.

Not on our schedule means don't get your hopes up for it, but there's always a shot somewhere. Better than No imo.

 

Wanna know who really own the rights to Fright Night 2? Release your own DVD/Blu-ray and see who sues.

Yeah and I'm sure Criterion was all like, "What is this Night of the Living Dead of which you speak of?" Frankly you got a polite reply to something most companies would have entirely ignored.

As you yourself said it's public domain. Criterion started off with some public domain stuff but has ceased releasing any new ones for over ten years. I'm sure they looked at the $1 bin competition and said it's just not worth it. NotLD is also owned by Image Ten which is made up of different people who over the years have grown to disagree more and more. There have been attempts by companies we know and love to obtain rights but they just couldn't work it out. Why I don't know but I only know they tried.

Unfortunately the internet onslaught has taught many companies the best thing to say is near nothing at all.

 

Shout was asked about the original NOTLD either on Blu-ray.com or AV Maniacs - his response was: If we do it, someone will probably try to rip off our transfer and release their own version". Those weren't the exact words he used but something to that effect. It would make sense since the film is still in the public domain.

Regarding Fright Night Part II, all you have to do is go to wikipedia and type the title in. Everything you could possibly want to know about the film is up there. Someone mentioned spotting a Paramount logo at the end of the film on a recent airing on cable. Could be they own the TV rights. But I'm confident Lionsgate still has the video rights. I don't buy any claims that copyright holders/owners are unknown or are difficult to track down - a simple internet search will tell you.

 

I would love to see this added to the Shout library but I'm not holding my breath

 

i'm of the firm belief that nobody in any position of power gives a flying fuck what i want or think. whether that's politicians, employers, or providers of shiny silver discs. i tried emailing anchor bay a few times to ask if there were any plans for releasing Herzog's Nosferatu on BD. Each time I received no response. Ergo: nobody cares what I think.