As of late, I’ve started buying some of the less mainstream/more collectible packagings of movies, and even mentioned a few of the new and upcoming Steelbooks from the UK (Jaws, E.T., and others) in an earlier post. Although several of these are formatted Region B, thus requiring a multi-region player, they’re still must-haves for any movie collector. As I continue to search for great releases worldwide, I stumbled upon some more Blu-Ray Steelbooks that will be releasing in November, these will be region-free mind you.
With Ghostbusters 3 somewhat getting the green light recently, but at this point minus Bill Murray, we get a Ghostbusters Steelbook. (Sorry for all the white in the photos, but these are the best I could find and I don't have Photoshop to edit them)
And, with two remakes coming out (although one has now been legally stopped), and already having been released on many, many formats, many, many different times (where most of us have double, triple, or even quadruple dipped), Evil Dead will get "The Steel" treatment too.
Horror or not, it’s also worth noting that Hellboy will get an individual Steelbook release, having been already released in the UK in a Steelbook boxset with HB 2.
So, what’s the difference between Digibooks, Mediabooks, and Steelbooks, and why all the rave?
This website Blu-Ray Digibooks.com probably explains it best, but in short, the major difference in a Digibook and Mediabook (other than just regional terminology) is that a Mediabook is usually larger and contains multiple discs, whereas a Digibooks may only have one or two discs. Digibooks typically have a book-style binding, but Mediabooks may use an array of fold out trays. I’m sure there are examples where this is not the case, but from my experience, there’s clearly a visual difference between the two. As for a Steelbook, well, it’s just that, it has a metal casing around the contents and the artwork is usually printed directly on the metal. (See my last post showing the Basketcase Trilogy.)
So, which one is better? Most of the preference really lies in the eyes/hearts of the collector, but any of these are better than just a standard Amaray case release. I have some of them all, and the more collectible and obscure something is, the greater value it holds, not only to the owner, but for resale as well. If it’s numbered or limited, that’s even more enticing, and trying to get the first, last, or at least lowest number printed is the goal. Sure, they all have the same content no matter what number it is, but one feels far more superior having number 1354 than 4531 in a limited printing of 5000. I know it's laughable, and I’m not usually concerned what number I get, as long as I get a copy, but if it just so happens to be the first or last one printed, then bragging rights are inevitable.
Here are some pics of the Mediabooks I picked up from Germany (Again, sorry, the lighting sucked and I'm too lazy to re-take them):
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (not numbered)
Last House on the Left (40th Anniversary Edition) (417 of 5000)
and Mark of the Devil (1699 of 5000)
Most of these were available at Diabolik DVD at one time, but I either piddle-dicked around or second-guessed the purchase, so I missed out, and as my obsession grew to own these, I had to find another source. Even though I already have the U.S. releases of TCM and LHOTL, these are far superior, if nothing else in look alone, as I have yet to watch either. I was very disappointed that Fox/MGM used the new giallo-style artwork for the LHOTL Blu-Ray (rather than the original DVD artwork),
and I hoped another version would be released that did it more justice, which the German edition does by leaps and bounds. And, as of right now, Blue Underground has no plans on releasing Mark of the Devil in high def, so this version was a great find. Plus, you can never have too many versions of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Anyway, I'll keep on the look out for international finds, and if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm still searching for a reasonably priced copy of the Dellamorte Dellamore Mediabook from ‘84 Entertainment, so if you know someone that has one, please let me know and we can play Let's Make a Deal. Thanks for stopping by!
