Ok, I watched my old Texas Chainsaw DVD this weekend...and I didn't realize how awful the quality is. I'm referring to the old Pioneer (?) DVD release, which I think I bought when it first came out. Is the more recent Dark Sky DVD better? Does the transfer look better?

I felt that the Pioneer DVD looked...I can't describe it. Too digital? The colors weren't right and it seemed especially dark. I felt that it looked better on VHS! This is in no way a slam or rant against the Pioneer DVD people, I realize that the DVD is pretty old now and that DVD technology is a lot better than it used to be.

I'm assuming this will come out on Blu-ray at some point...I wonder if I should wait?

The UK disc (which I've got) is a bit better, but the "steelbook" or whatever edition (which I've actually just ordered from the DDD sale) is supposed to be lightyears better.

Except for the botched audio tracks, but we don't really want to go back into all of that again, do we? :P

I think Dark Sky announced an upcoming blu-ray release so let's see if they do it right this time.

They have - and Don May says they're in it to win it on the audio this time.

Don also said that Dark Sky quietly fixed the audio problems, so maybe the DVD copies in stores now are correct?

Vincent

Oh, right - that too!

There's the recent-ish Japanese DVD which used Dark Sky's transfer; if they were aware of and "fixed" the audio then it will be the best.

I missed this news about botched audio... what was the problem with it?

Gee, I hope so. Mine's already shipped. :P

Missing screams and thuds

Do they have anything set up to exchange an old disc for a corrected one yet? If the audio drop outs have been fixed then this is actually a stellar release and the one to buy.

Isn't "Missing Screams and Thuds" the name of tonight's episode of FEAR ITSELF?

Dammit - I knew I shoulda ™-ed my post!

I love Dark Sky's competitive spirit! Just sends shivers down my spine. :rolleyes:

I think I'm happy to report that the sound glitches have been quietly fixed... I directly compared the screams in the scene where Franklin is killed... and on all three audio mixes, there is no instance where she screams only once and it fades out. She screams throughout on all three tracks.

If anyone has anything they specifically want me to check against (exact times, which track, is there such and such a sound, etc), fire away. But I think my copy (ordered in the DDD sale, btw) is alright. B)

Thanks for the update, John. It's great that Dark Sky has finally "quietly" fixed the defects after completely ignoring the issue for two years. It's very respectable for such a company to stand by their product this way and to also offer such a great recall/exchange program. Way to go, Dark Sky!

And now they want me to give them even more money for a blu-ray? Forget it.

Well, at least they actually did fix it, which is more than can be said for the likes of Anchor Bay (TENEBRAE) or Blue Underground (SUSPIRIA and DEEP RED).

Vincent

Both those companies have fixed glitched discs in the past (OPERA, SADOMANIA, one of the BLIND DEAD titles) but just obviously not with the titles that Vincent mentioned. TENEBRAE in particular must have accrued some bad karma in a previous life or something, or there was an internal tug-of-war between folks who knew what had to be fixed, and higher-ups who felt that a snazzy tin and doco would supercede any real efforts to go back to the neg and right what was wrong. Vincent, I don't blame you one bit for mentioning those titles. How many years have we been enduring cut versions of TENEBRAE now....?

I feel like sitting in front of a roaring open fire, grabbing a long shiny razor, and slipping on my black gloves. "The impulse had become irresistable..."

I've written Dark Sky twice asking about an exchange program and received no reply whatsoever -- not even a "Sorry for the inconvenience". On a whim I took my copy back to Best Buy to see if I could exchange it for a corrected version only to find out that it had been pulled off the shelves of our two stores here in Wichita. I'm sure I saw it there only a couple weeks back. Went to Circuit City next door and they didn't have it either. Checking online it appears to have been pulled out of all the Best Buy stores, though it is still available for online ordering. You can find it's page here.

I noticed they did have a page for the Blu-Ray version coming out on 9/30/08. Perhaps they're going to restock the corrected SD version in stores in conjunction with the new HD disc?

Does anyone know if there is anything different about the packaging of the new corrected versions to distinguish it from the old? Maybe a new UPC number?

BeAst WisheS -- L

Well, if you want to post packaging details of your old version, I'll gladly check them against my copy.

Thanks, but I no longer have the packaging of the defective disc as I convinced the folks at Best Buy to take back the disc so I could order it online.

In retrospect I really doubt Dark Sky has gone to the expense of changing the art or text on the tin. I guess I'm hoping there might be a decal on the shrinkwrap to distinguish the new pressing. I'm thinking I'll wait for the HD version to come out and see what shakes loose.

And there's this new TCM disc announced today on Fangoria.com:
http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=6951

BeAst WisheS -- L

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE: BOZMAN HEADCHEESE EDITION

I'd be curious to hear what Bozman has to say, but Terri McMinn who played Pam in the film is finally (again) talking about her experiences on the production -- at least she did in one recent interview on deadpit.com.

From their site: Teri McMinn! (3.14.08) She's finally off the hook and here for your listening pleasure. The Uber reclusive Teri McMinn star of the ORIGINAL Texas Chainsaw Massacre is our special guest this week. CK & UB ask all the questions YOU want answered and then some.

You can go directly to the audio interview here: http://www.deadpit.com/shows/31408final.m3u

I had YouTubed a very brief on-camera interview with Pam from the old HORROR HALL OF FAME awards show, but after 112,005 views it was pulled "due to a copyright claim by MPI Media Group". Perhaps that's why they never answered my emails asking about a disc exchange program.

Who will get Pam in their TCM dvd documentary first and what will be left of her?

BeAst WisheS -- L

Hmmmm, well, what do you know? From the Dark Sky Films site page for their new Blu-ray Disc release of TCM:

Special Features:
• Brand new featurette with actress Terri McMinn, created exclusively for this release.

https://catalog.darkskyfilms.com/Display.asp?ID=86

BeAst WisheS -- L

Hey John,

Did your copy include a 2006 catalogue of Dark Sky titles inside? As I suspected, the SD version was just recently put back on the shelves of Best Buy to coincide with the Blu-Ray release. Sadly, if Dark Sky did "quietly fix the audio problems" on the SD release, it appears they've decided to dump all the defective versions first as the one I bought from BB yesterday was NOT a corrected disc. I feared as much when it contained the previously mentioned 2006-dated pamphlet.

I know friends of Mobius Don May and Michael Felsher worked on this release, but the problems were not at all their fault. Why is this company being allowed to slide on this issue? Isn't Dark Sky the same group that printed up a run of EATEN ALIVE, but then dumped them when they found better source material for the feature? They bite the bullet and go the distance and do the right thing with EATEN ALIVE but NOT offer up an exchange program for defective discs on what is probably their flagship title THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE? Have they even publicly acknowledged the audio screw-up yet? Is the point man on this project just afraid to let the higher ups know that SOME of his team was asleep at the wheel? I know it's embarrassing to release an "ULTIMATE EDITION" DVD only to have screwed up the audio so badly that it’s missing effects that the original 20+ year old Wizard Video and Media Home Video VHS releases both fully included, but they should swallow their pride, spend a couple extra bucks and fix this situation with the fans who bought the defective version.

I’ll scan the tin art of the recently acquired defective version and post it in the next couple of days.

BeAst WisheS -- Leif

I agree wth Leif. Dark Sky has handled this situation EXTREMELY POORLY.

They first screw the fans who bought the supposed "Ultimate Edition" DVD originally at full price and then they ignore all the complaints of fans who knew that they got an extremely crappy audio transfer, missing sound efx and audio. What does Dark Sky do to remedy the problem? Absolutely nothing. They ignore fan inquiries about the problem and take no stand whatsoever except complete avoidance - and they continued to sell their crappy defective product as a so-called "Ultimate Edition" from there on. Now, they expect us devoted fans to try to buy it all over again in the slight hopes we may get the "corrected version" this time around. Corrupt organization is just one concept that comes to my mind. Otherwise, its's jusrt complete incompetency with no regards to their customer base. Either way, Dark Sky sucks.

Hey John,

The reflective quality of the metal/tin collector's case made it difficult to achieve a bright scan, so I had to boost the contrast etc. in the pics below. When you get a chance, if you could please compare the details of my defective release cover art with your new corrected version and let us know if there are any differences, it'd be greatly appreciated. And if you could also check to see if your copy had the 2006 catalogue (also seen below) inside, that'd be great as well.

Thanks in advance -- Leif

Hmm... Checking against my copy now, and I don't see any differences. It's the same UPC and catalog number. As far as I can tell, there's no difference in the tin casing at all.
And, yeah, my copy came with that catalog as well.

I was afraid there'd be no way to distinguish the new corrected versions from the original defective ones until you get them home. John, could you please, whenever is convenient, double check your disc to be sure it is fully corrected.

Some of the easier spots are after Franklin gets sawed up and Leatherface is chasing Sally -- she runs blindly into a treebranch and is knocked back and down. Check all three audio tracks to make sure the sound of her impact on the tree branch is included.

Or, during the same chase, when Sally jumps out the upstairs/attic window of the house (the first time) and falls to the ground, check all three tracks to see if they sound alike, with a weird yell as she falls and the sound of her hitting the ground.

Thanks again -- Leif

I know I've b*tched a lot about this release, but I can now happily say I have a corrected version of the DVD. Against my better judgment, I decided to order another one from Amazon as they are doing a big Halloween sale and the 2-disc tin was only $7.99. Worth a chance. I received it today and have checked it out personally and it has indeed been corrected on all three audio tracks and in all the spots Leif mentioned to check. Finally, I have a good copy of this film that won't bug me just thinking about it. There is really no way to tell the old printing and new printing apart as the cover and disc art is identical. The corrected version still has the 2006 catalog as John mentioned. Thanks, John, for letting us all know a corrected version even existed.

I am definitely happy Dark Sky corrected it, although I still think they need to work on their customer service skills which are basically nonexistant at this point. But for $7.99 extra and 2 years later, a quality version of this film on DVD finally exists, and that's all good.