Our long awaited and most troubled title, NIGHTMARE, will finally be released on DVD in late 2010. This over budgeted project has been plagued with problems from the beginning: the damaged negative was unusable, four 35mm prints that had been claimed to be "pristine" were covered in white dots and emulsion scratches, and there were 3 botched telecine jobs on the transfer. Then there was the overpriced money pit extra of the Romano Scavolini interview that was supposed to have been shot in English, but was conducted in Italian. Anyway, it is not just translating the interview from Italian to English - that is fairly easy. The main issue is that every line of the translation needs to be timed to when Scavolini is talking so that it can be matched to when he's speaking. It's not as easy as using a dialog list for a feature film where you have various characters conversing and it's easy to put the subtitles where/when they belong. This Scavolini interview is basically a 95-minute one man talking feature-length film and requires much more than a translator just writing down what he's saying on a piece of paper. In case you are not aware, a 95-minute interview is much more dialog driven than an average feature film - and that is why the subtitling houses wanted more money for this project than subtitling an actual movie. The budget of this release is already way beyond the estimated sales and I simply do not have the money to put anything more into it. DVD sales have been extremely poor for the last 14 months and breaking even in this business is becoming a pipe dream.
To fix the best out of the 3 telecines we did, it is costing $42,000 to do it right (or more like passable). CODE RED does not recoup $42,000 in sales on any title. Overseas sales could be one way of recouping, but the film is already being bootleged in most countries even though it has a valid copyright. There is no way of stopping these thieves and no way of us getting some overseas funds to fix the film. Currently, a German DVD sleazeball label is bootlegging 4 of our titles, the same 4 we still haven’t recouped on. They saw profit before we even got to it.
Another problem was that many fans wanted the NIGHTMARE IN A DAMAGED BRAIN version, which is very strange as that is the UK title and it’s the cut version. It never played anywhere outside of the UK under that title. If any of you want that cut version, I can’t help you.
Goldmine Productions wants NIGHTMARE out and the fans want it out, so the most we can do is put out what we have done and move on. For the extras, we do have the participation of Baird Stafford and also main special effects man (Florida scenes) Cleve Hall. This is all we can deliver as far as extras at this time. There is a remote chance the Scavolini interview may be worked out in time for the release, but at this moment, that is not confirmed or finalized so as it stands now we have to say it won't be included. Also, this may be hard to believe to fans of NIGHTMARE, but most of the people who worked on the film do not like the film, were never fully paid, and have nothing but bad memories working on it. 90% of the people we asked turned us down for an interview. One even said he wished the film would go away and he was happy that the negative was destroyed. Of course, we know the fans absolutely LOVE the film and that's what really counts.
NIGHTMARE received twice the amount of email requests as our recently released SLITHIS, and that movie only sold 489 copies. NIGHTMARE has to sell 4,200 copies just to break even. That amount is practically impossible in today’s market for a niche title as this. Simply put, the funds coming in from my second business and freelance work are currently paying for CODE RED’s losses.
For the horror fans who didn’t support us in our past releases, it will be eBay time soon for stores/dealers because many of our titles will be Out Of Print by the beginning of next year. It’s fun to rent, but pretty soon if you want to own these discs, you better do so soon as several of our catalog titles are no longer going to be repressed. THE FOREST (special edition version), DOOM ASYLUM, FABULOUS JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and DEVIL TIMES FIVE (special edition version) are out of print. Many other title like THE UNSEEN, BOARDINGHOUSE, SOLE SURVIVOR, RUNNING HOT, and PETS will not be repressed and some of them have a very limited quantity left.
In any event, the long wait is finally over. NIGHTMARE is coming to DVD in 2010 in its best possible presentation. We hope you all enjoy the release and appreciate all your patience. Watch this spot for the official announcement of the streetdate. Thanks for the support!
UPDATE: Sorry - there were a couple of people who posted comments that were just now accidentally deleted. Please repost if you can as we want to make sure everybody's voice is heard. Sorry for the tech issue. Thanks for your support!
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44 comments:
I've got THE UNSEEN on my DVD Empire wishlist, it's been there for quite some time, looks like I'm gonna have to find the money soon to get it before it goes out-of-print. This post didn't sound to encouraging about the longevity of your business. This troubles me, to say the least.
Thanks! Is there any chance that Scavolini's original English language DARK GAMES Screenplay, the one Baird Stafford has a copy of, could be included as an extra?? Please!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know Baird spoke about it enthusiastically and it was being considered as an extra a while ago, so........Put it on there!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Arrgghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So finally, here it is! All the bitching can come to an end about this title and Code Red's long awaited update about its release. I can see where all these (anonymous!) angry posts were coming from, although I have to say that it has been a sad experience to read such a load of negative responses! Does your world revolve around the release of Nightmare? So it's been a long time since it's been anounced... go watch something else. You're dissapointed in Code Red... don't buy their titles. Life can be so nice and easy.
You see that it is coming out! Patience will finally pay off. I know it isn't in our hands yet, but it's going to be, this year!
Now the bitching can start about the absence of the Scavolini interview. And I now it will. But I don't care. I'll buy the dvd.
I really feel the need to express that if you go on this board, read this update, burn CR for the missing interview, yet run to the store the day the movies's out to get it, you're quite pathetic.
I know there'll be lots of reasons to find that the lack of the interview is unexaptable considering the amount of time this title has been pushed back in order to fix the interview's subitles (if that's the only real reason for its delay). Yet Code Red brings you the film in the end. If you cannot deal with all that is "missing" you're not worth it.
I have been patient in my life. I have been promised things that I did not get. I do not condemn people for that, it just happens. And in a 100 years we will be all dead, and nobody will remember Scavolini's Nightmare. Let alone any of the insignificant angry postings about the dvd's delay. But if you need to spit it, here's your chance.
So let's enjoy the release! I'm happy about it.Code Red, thank you for the effort and good luck with the upcoming titles.
Rosenquist--> I doubt that the interview has been the sole reason behind the delays. It's my understanding that the whole predicament with the bad telecine jobs and the long and extensive search for better elements have been the main reason this has been pushed back for so long.
No doubt CR kept hoping finding that one print that would make even the most vociferous fans satisfied - to no avail. The transfer on the DVD will apparently be an amalgam of several prints - the best CR could with the available material. I have little doubt, though, that the same people who have spammed this blog for years with their hatred will be voicing their disappointment the very minute it is released.
Personally I am just happy to see it released, interview or not. I will definitely be getting this.
Wow! Even more great news! Thanks again!
Absolutely frickin' fantastic! Best news of the year!!! Code Red is rockin'!
I am sorry to hear of your trouble with this DVD. I wish I had a good suggestion to help. Do you have a legal recourse for those who shot the interview in the wrong language or was it just a bad misunderstanding?
I can promise you that if circumstances allow you to release Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker I will purchase it. Bootlegging is a real issue. Best wishes
God bless you! Saved my day and year!! Great news!!! Collecting VHS of this title from all over the world! This is going to be the first and only DVD in my collection :-) As soon as it appears in your shop, i´ll buy it!
Best regards from Germany- sagger!
thanks so much for this post. This kind of transparency is so refreshing and helpful. I really hope Code Red can keep on going despite the rather scary financial realities of being a niche distributor.
Can't wait to buy Nightmare in whatever form it appears and Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker when the transfer/extras are completed.
Thanks for keeping us fans informed.
Great news, I plan on buying it the day it comes out.
Please try and get Scavolini's interview on the DVD. I know that it may cost a fair bit of $$$ to get it translated but it's bound to increase DVD sales if fans of the film see that there is a 90 MINUTE interview with the guy on the back of the DVD case. The translated interview on the PIECES dvd with spanish director
Juan Piquer Simón was fantastic. It was incredibly informative, maybe the people who translated that interview can do a good deal for CODE RED. Please try an do all that you can to get the Scavolini interview translated, it is a plethora of information that's just begging to be heard and discovered by horror fans, especially ones of the 80's and especially 80's slasher fans. Please please please try and get it on the DVD.
Seems kind of a damn sinful, wasteful shame to just throw the freakin' 90 minute interview away at this point, put the darn thing on there, do it right! Take more time if you need to, get that interview subtitled with a good and accurate translation! Yeah, that other poster mentioned an original script Baird Stafford had. Put that on there, too! Cram this release with as much as you can!!!!! Do it right and you'll be paid back in spades, of not financially at least spiritually! haha
Please, William! Do it!
Thanks!
I say go ahead and release NIGHTMARE without the interview. If it ends up getting finished, I think it would be best to have to available for download (VOD) via your site and/or Amazon for a minimal price ($5 or $10?). Maybe with a coupon/code included in the dvd itself, it can be downloaded and/or discounted? Just some ideas to help CR get this done and find ways to move along with finding new ways to do things (instead of maybe releasing a special edition in a year or two like SOME dvd companies have done in the past).
The interview should be on the DVD, even if it is unsubtitled and not English friendly.
Sorry to hear of the bad sales. I loved Slithis and own a copy already as well as most other Code Red releases.
I will continue to support you and wish you all the best.
Ask and, maybe, you will ultimately receive..!
As a frustrated anonymous I am feeling happier given this long overdue update.
I couldn't give a damn about Scavolini's interview really - the only one that'd interest me is Baird himself. Scavo has an [ahem] reputation for shall we say personal pride, but Mr Stafford - that is compulsory!
ONE THING I notice the post didn't address is the issue of the 1.85:1 ORIGINAL PROJECTION RATIO. I hope we'll be getting the proper format - I have a direct celluloid transfer from Video Kunst on CDV format of this film looking absolutely correct in 1.85:1 with no loss of gore during decapitation. Though the print damage is terrible throughout.
AS TO COST. Well, the answer is simple - put a Paypal DONATE button on your blog. Leave it to a person's discretion BUT guarantee anyone donating $10 to the success of this release - with full extras - a signed Baird Stafford cover or something. I would chip in $10 above the cost price in advance, given how badly I want this fillum.
Then the rest is up to you - market Nightmare correctly and you won't lose a moment's sleep over the French Le Cauchemar de Daytona release OR any other Euro-bootleg version... Fango, Shivers, Gorezone, Bizarre would be sooo glad to get a 'newsflash' on Nightmare that you won't have to take out formal advertising.
Take a leaf out of Iron Sky's book - they have fans bankrolling the whole production for a slice of exclusive collectible payback!.. and it seems to be working.
just release this without the interview
Jeez. Get it translated right and then put the fucking interview on there. If ANY interview belongs on the disc at all, it is the one with the film's author and director!
A bit off of this topic:
WTF!!??
DVD Drive-In just listed THE REDEEMER as a 10/26 CODE RED release?? I thought this release was "not possible"!?
Also, why no information AT ALL on this blog about CODE RED's July 13th issue of Armando Crispino's masterful DEAD ARE ALIVE/ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN??!! Post some info SOMEWHERE on these things! ....LOL.....!!!!!!
NIGHTMARE, put it ALL on there, do it up in grand style, everyone has waited long enough so it should be at least done in high style as it deserves, interviews with Roman, Baird, Ed French (?) etc. Trailers, Scavolini's original script, etc. etc. etc. Please and THANKS! Keep up the good work, Mr. Norton!
It's important for you (and the loyal fans) to remember that even when it seems like there's no hope and that you're situation only seems dire, that it's not wrong to reach out for help and support. I honestly believe people will surprise you by how much they want to help. PLEASE create an option on this site, or provide a link that will make it possible for anyone to be able to make donations to keep your truly unique Code Red alive. Times are tough, but you really need to keep your head up and do your best not to give up. Don't ever be afraid to reach out to your fanbase. The majority of us care!
Get the donation option ASAP! The capability to give away money is obviously hard to do for many, but hopefully there are more fans like myself....and come on, we all have wealthy friends that want to give =) Don't get discouraged and don't give up on our Code Red! =)
It's important for you (and the loyal fans) to remember that even when it seems like there's no hope and that you're situation only seems dire, that it's not wrong to reach out for help and support. I honestly believe people will surprise you by how much they want to help. PLEASE create an option on this site, or provide a link that will make it possible for anyone to be able to make donations to keep your truly unique Code Red alive. Times are tough, but you really need to keep your head up and do your best not to give up. Don't ever be afraid to reach out to your fanbase. The majority of us care!
Get the donation option ASAP! The capability to give away money is obviously hard to do for many, but hopefully there are more fans like myself....and come on, we all have wealthy friends that want to give =) Don't get discouraged and don't give up on our Code Red! =)
Those last two SPAM posts are the most offensive and obnoxious ones to ever grace this entire forum........They should not even have been accepted.....
I personally think that it's fantastic to get this title at all. I'll buy it regardless. THE DEAD PIT, SOLE SURVIVOR, and MESSIAH OF EVIL were all great releases (and personal favorites). MESSIAH, especially...what a classic! I plan to pick up SLITHIS as well!
Keep up the good work and you have my support!
This is mostly fantastic news, other than the likelihood that Code Red won't see a profit from this title.
As I've said before, I'll pre-order 5 of these once they're available to do so. Unfortunately, that just leaves the other 4195 copies to the rest of you. :)
Of course I hoped for more from the extras, but at this point, I'll take what I can get! I'm glad at least Baird Stafford can still be seen and heard from.
I live in UK but will order as soon as its available (I don't care about any of the extras as long as its a decent print) as well as Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker.Hate to see Code Red go under so will support them as much as possible. How about Terror Eyes (Night School) or Bloodbath of Dr Jekyll which seems impossible to get on DVD anywhere.
To anonymous July 13, 2010 10:26 AM,
Warner Brothers still holds the rights to Terror Eyes/Night School. A fellow forum member on Horrordigital.com recently sent an email to them inquiring about the title. To our surprise, they responded, saying that there are definitely plans to release the film in the near future, along with a few other yet-to-be-announced "killer" titles!
Just a thought, you could try to set up some screenings at theaters in big cities in the U.S with the print you have had cleaned. I don't know if Code Red is the current rights holder but that might help offset some of the costs of the DVD production and could possibly turn a profit. I know there are a ton of underground horror fans in the Chicago area that pack screenings of 80s horror films regularly. Just a thought because I would hate to see Code Red not put out any more dvd releases due to losses.
Sorry to hear about your financial woes. I had heard sales for Beyond The Door weren't good,but I'm glad I bought a copy when I did. It seems that a lot of stores will only carry Code Red DVD titles online. I had to buy Beyond The Door from Deep Discount since at the time it was either out of stock on websites for FYE and Best Buy or the stores hadn't gotten any copies instock at the time. I know BestBuy always seems to have at least one copy of 2 disc exclusive which I was never dying to have. All I wanted was the uncut version of movie mainly. So does this mean titles like Sweet Sixteen and The Unseen will go out of print? Sweet Sixteen is another one I can never find in stores along with The Unseen. I see Scorpian Releasing has released Silent Scream.
I don't care about the Scavolini interview -- I just want a good copy of Nightmare on DVD. I am surprised to hear that you are letting a lot of your better known titles go out of print, however.
This is by far and away the most refreshingly honest blog post I've seen from a DVD company, and thank you for all the honesty it contains. The DVD market has been terrible for years, and most companies are reluctant to talk numbers. I don't blame them, but I've always felt that the only way to convince fans to not bootleg is to treat them as equals and level with them squarely. Most seem to think the niche markets like the ones you deal in create thousands of sales, not the mere hundreds that you share. One can only hope that if fans, true fans, knew how bad things were, that they'd go the extra mile buy legitimately. While I'm sorry for your trials, I hope it all pans out in the end!
A question to the good ppl at Code Red. You said the interview will cost a lot and might not be ready for the dvd release. Would it still be possible to include the interview even without the sub-titles?
I cant wait to get my hands on this dvd when it is released!
Keep up the good works guys!
Ps : Any chance of seeing Code Red released New Year Evil?
If the NIGHTMARE dvd is watermarked, I won't buy it. Please find some other way to copy protect it that does not interfere with nor function as a blemish, impediment upon the visual playback for this release. To watermark this dvd would be extremely obnoxious and will and should rightfully adversely affect your sales of it. We've all been waiting long enough for this disc as it is, don't hand it to us while spitting in our faces at the same time, please. Thanks.
I say any diehard fan that really wants this movie should buy 2 copies when it's released. Then CR doubles its profits, and the purchaser can keep the 2nd copy sealed and maybe it'll be worth some money someday (or give it to a friend). Everyone wins. Most everyone familiar with this movie and the efforts to release it in a proper manner would agree that it's an exceptional case.
I'll Buy Four Copies if it is NOT watermarked!!!!!!!!!
If it is Not watermarked and has the full Scavolini subtitled, well-translated interview, plus the original "Dark Games" screenplay and I will buy six copies, I Swear and Promise!
Sounds like nightmare has been a nightmare for you! I can't believe some of the negative feedback you have copped from some thankless people. Keep up the good work and give some serious thought to some of the money making suggestions that have been made, there may be a solution among them. I look forward to Nightmare with or without the Scavolini interview. Cheers
I bet all the people bitching about this Butcher Baker titles won't even bother to buy it. They will claim they cannot afford it. That is the usual pattern I am sorry to say.
I shall be pimping this DVD everywhere I can: it's one of my all time fave slasher films (I even have a chapter on it in a forthcoming book titled BUTCHER KNIVES AND BODY COUNTS, due fall, 2010). Can't wait.
I buy all of the Code Red horror titles and I will continue to do so. Fuck the negative comments in the A-hole...you can't please all of the people all of the time. I've learned that from reactions to my own movies!! You guys rock!!!
In reponse to JPapp25..I have been trying to contact Code Red (Lee) in order to work some sort of cross promotion out by showing NIGHTMARE theatrically around the time they sell the DVD.
Still haven't heard anything.
Oh man... if you could get some theatrical release of Nightmare goin' in conjunction with Code Red, I would be there in a SECOND. In fact, I could gather quite a crowd to come with me too.
On release i would like to screen this at the Cube cinema in Bristol. Any chance?
Paul
CAN'T WAIT TO BUY AND HAVE THIS LOVELY MOVIE IN UNCUT EDITION IN MY HORROR COLLECTION!!!!! I HAVE MANY CODE RED TITLES IN MY COLLECTION AND I DEFINITELY SUPPORT YOUR WORK!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB!!! YOU RULE!! GREETINGS /MARTIN S, SWEDEN
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