Small Successes in the Video Industry aka The Power of One, My Two Cents, and Toot My Own Horn

I try not to toot my own horn when I've done something great, yet I still do (because I have low self-esteem and a short man complex), but I really try not to be arrogant about it or steal anyone's thunder. I’m a firm believer that one person can make a difference for the masses, no matter how slight or grand. While I’d like to think this blog makes a difference in some people’s lives, I can't be sure, as comments are rarely left on how much we rock or suck. But, the site does have over 6200 hits, which good or bad, says it’s at least being viewed, if only once. That being said, let’s get to the point of this post.

There’s only been a few times in my life (both business and personal) where I’ve taken direct credit for a change I felt could have a wide-spread impact for the better. The first being when After Dark's 8 Films to Die For hit DVD back in 2007. At the time, I was working for an entertainment store, and when I noticed that they had been placed on our rental section by movie title alone, I immediately e-mailed our corporate office and told them that they should be merchandised together, in order to maximize exposure and sales. So, within a day, a ADH (After Dark Horrorfest) prefix was added to the title, so they would now be in the same area. This change took place not only in my store, but in 145 others, so I felt pretty proud of myself, plus, as a fan, I could now steer customers to one location for their bloodletting needs. This carried over to subsequent year’s ADH releases as well, and a similar strategy was used with the Ghost House Underground series. So, a big pat on the back for me, as it's possibly my only claim to fame, other than my notorious goatee, in working for the same company for 10 years.

Some of the After Dark Films, courtesy of Canadian Ebayer havstrength16:


Another story of my greatness (yes, the reek of arrogance) happened most recently, when I purchased the re-release of the movie House 2: The Second Story by Image Entertainment (under their Midnight Madness banner). I already had a copy of the first movie, but both Anchor Bay discs went out-of-print several months ago, and were fetching way more than what they retailed at, so I waited on the Image disc, which was priced around a 10 spot. Before opening it, I noticed it said 1.33:1 fullscreen, whereas the Anchor Bay release was widescreen. So, I cross-referenced several websites, with a couple confirming the fullscreen presentation (Family Video and DVD Empire), but most, including Amazon, saying widescreen. Having product in-hand, I knew otherwise, so I e-mailed Amazon, and within a few days, the correction was made. The same thing happened with Image's re-release of the first movie too, and I'm sure some of the others, but why widescreen wasn't the choice is beyond me (who watches fullscreen anymore if given an option?). So, I e-mailed them directly several weeks ago, but have yet to get a response. Knowing Amazon's customer frequency, and me considering them a very reliable source of information, I just really felt the need to point out the correction. Not to mention, as a customer, I'd be pretty pissed off if I bought something that was misrepresented, and had to spend the time and money to return it. While I’ll never know what the actual impact or customer savings is (I’d like to think it’s huge), I still give myself a pat on the back for my tireless efforts and attention to detail.

Needless to say, I returned the fullscreen copy to the store I purchased it from, and spent a little more on Amazon to get the OOP widescreen version, which as I write, is hovering around 10 bucks plus shipping (damn, even less than what I paid). So, if you’re in the market for this title, steer away from Image’s release (pictured on the left), even though it does have the original (better) artwork, and pick up Anchor Bay's while it's still reasonably priced.


I’ve also read that the recent Blu Ray releases Image acquired from Anchor Bay (Hills Have Eyes and Hellraiser 2) are just upscales from A.B.’s previous masters. Shame on you, Image, you’ve had a great run thus far, and we horror fans expect much more from you, but can only hope you use these mistakes for the wiser, and aren’t headed over Echo's Bridge. (If you didn't get that last poke, Echo Bridge Home Ent. has botched several titles they acquired from Miramax's catalog. Lame humor, I know, but maybe at least one person will chuckle as I did in my head when writing it).

Other titles recently re-issued under Image's Midnight Madness Series from Anchor Bay’s catalog are Slugs, The Stuff, Return to Horror High, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Initiation, Vineyard, and Blu Ray versions of Hellraiser and Children of the Corn.