The Pickiness of Fans
 

Mentioned over in the purchase thread that I felt horror fans were becoming pampered and expected all the dvds to now be high-def quality and whined when they weren't.

A good and valid point was brought up that said if its out there than its not unreasonable to expect it. Which I can definitely see.

However when I grew up watching horror and managed to find the old bootlegs and the vhs i'd watched over and over again not once did I think if only I could see the zombies clearer or this film I love would be so much better in high def.

I still don't. I'll pick up blu rays(I have quite a few) when they are cheap or have superior extras but for my horror I'm not looking for pristine.

I like my Mill Creek comps with the VHS quality horror. It takes me back to a simpler time in my horror fandom.

Just wondering if anyone else feels that its gone too far and that the old quality still has a place ?

Oi! Is that a dig at me? Just kidding :)

You do make an interesting point but ultimately I think it's just about wanting the best that technology can offer. If 3rd generation VHS is the only way to see a film then fair enough. However if a company can bring out an HD release and replicate the original film print as accurately as possible then this is obviously a better way to view the film. We're at the stage now where films like Blood Feast, Cannibal Holocaust and Alien 2: Terror on Earth can be found in excellent HD transfers. If I had the chance to watch Cannibal Holocaust on a grimy VHS or the Shameless bluray I'd go with the latter (although I know some people find watching a poor quality representation of a film like that enhances the experience due to the nostalgic quality) As a result, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the same high standards from other releases. If they fall short then so be it, but these days there's no point in lowering expectations. And I say that as someone who has a fair few Mill Creek sets and enjoys them :)

Actually I started the thread because I liked your response so cheers:)

I agree with what you are saying but I also think some films dont need to be complete pristine quality and it often takes away from them. Some of those realistic cannibal/grindhouse /video nasties really dont come off the best when put in HD. It was often the nastiness of the copy that gave it that "ohmygod is this real" feeling.

I've also noticed that we are starting to see some films actually coming in collector VHS format.

I buy a lot of Troma and millcreek knowing its that old style feel to it. That actually has become a selling point when I am buying dvds.

I love the high-def stuff that comes of well and adds to the film, I just don't think that it always does add to the film.

It also depends what you mean by bad quality in a way I guess. There could be a really great 1080p transfer of an old film from a heavily print-damaged source or it could just be a really bad lazy transfer which does the master no justice

I guess what I mean isn't when they just butcher the film and its horrible even compared to the old ep VHS copies but people seem to think VHS quality automatically means bad when in actuality its far from it.

I think nowadays that the best quality print/release is just a mouse click(and a wait for the post) away people become less prepared to to tolerate less than what was expected, but I all too clearly remember slogging around central London on a shopping trip and getting great joy finding a rare, maybe even pre-cert vhs and knowing the p.q. was not going to be great but it didn't matter just great to have a copy of 'Nights of Terror' and sit down and check it out. But having said all that, I do love a good bluray, but just imagine what people will expect in a decade or two.

I expect BD to be better than DVD. That's about it. I'm glad the days of watching poor quality nth generation VHS tapes are long gone. And yes, when watching bad VHS tapes I did wish I could own a better copy.

I think people are a bit misguided,not knowing that you can't release a bd or even a good dvd of many films.
Why?
Because no decent materials exist anymore/can be found.

Here's an interesting podcast which touches on the subject of fan's expectations and reality concerning HK film releases on vhs/ld/dvd/bd.

Discussion starts at about 32:30

Podcast On Fire 125: Tom On Fire AKA Come On, Let’s Make Happy

I'm just glad to be able to watch some of my favourite horror films clearly, whether it's on DVD or BD, without having to squint through a layer of fuzziness and snow.I don't feel any nostalgia for battered old VHS tapes at all.