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Paramount Scares: Volume 2
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 5 FILMS, THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CONTAINED BELOW IN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW
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Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 5 FILMS, THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CONTAINED BELOW IN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW
AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
Paramount is back again with their swanky “Paramount Scares” series, and this time with a wider variety, albeit more disjointed, set of films. Like the last set, Paramount goes all out with the presentation, holding all 4 films (sadly no surprise film such as the case with Sweeney Todd’s inclusion in the last box set) in a large flat chipboard case, and includes a whole host of physical swag, such as pins, a fangoria magazine, a poster, and several other little doo-dads.
Interestingly enough this set feels more diverse, but as I said, more disjointed than the last set. The first boxset was a nice sampling of great horror films from across the Paramount timeline, but this one feels just a tad weirder. That’s mostly due to the case that two of the films are harder to classify as “horror” and the 3rd is a sequel to another franchise. Breakdown is a GREAT film (and recently released on the “Paramount Presents” lineup in Blu-ray fashion) but I would hardly classify it as true horror. Rather it’s more like a dark thriller. World War Z kind of falls in the same field. I more classify it as action thriller rather than horror, but being about zombies I can sort of see why it’s put in here (everything zombies is basically horror in most people’s eyes. And of course there’s Friday the 13th Part II, definitely horror, but it’s always weird to put a sequel to an ongoing franchise into an ensemble collection of various films. Maybe it’s just me, but I personally would prefer it being in the complete Friday the 13th collection (or at least the first 8 films, as Paramount and Warner own the rights to various films in the franchise.
That being said, those 3 weird quirks are simply 1st world problems. Paramount’s boxset once again features unique slipcovers for each film (with original artwork underneath on the Blu-ray case cover), and each film has been given a brand new 4K remaster for this set. The film lineup for this one isn’t PERFECT, but still a great looking set with some good films in there. And if you’re really retentive, then you can easily take out all 4 films and put them on the shelf individually if that’s your deal. Plus this is at a VERY attractive price of $47.xx as of the time of posting this review, which means that even if you’re not wild about all 4 films, it’s a no brainer.
Breakdown
Orphan: First Kill
Friday The 13th: Part II
World War Z
Rating:
Rated R by the MPAA (Friday the 13th: Part II, Breakdown, Orphan: FIrst Kill) / Rated PG-13 by the MPAA (World War Z)
Video:
Breakdown
Orphan: First Kill
Friday The 13th: Part II
World War Z
Audio:
Breakdown
Orphan: First Kill
Friday The 13th: Part II
World War Z
Extras:
• Commentary by director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell—NEW!
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown—NEW!
• Victory Is Hers - Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown—NEW!
• A Brilliant Partnership - Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown—NEW!
• Alternate Opening—NEW!
• Alternate Opening with commentary by director Jonathan Mostow—NEW!
• Isolated Score—NEW!
• Theatrical Trailers
-- Breakdown
-- Kiss the Girls
-- Hard Rain
Orphan: First Kill
•
Friday the 13th: Part II
• Inside Crystal Lake Memories
• Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions
• Jason Forever
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood Short: Part 2
World War Z
• Origins
• Looking to Science
• WWZ Production
Final Score:
I’m actually really glad that Paramount is continuing these “Scares” box sets. They’ve continued using top tier packaging and swag for the sets, and despite going down the route of not making their re-releases into combo packs, they ARE combo packs for this set (all 4 films have the Blu-ray included), which makes my OCD collector nature VERY happy. The new 4K masters look really nice for all of the films (a few have some filming aesthetics that make it hard to really shock and awe the viewer) all things considered, and I look forward to many more of these sets in the future. Solid single thumbs up from this guy.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Mia Farrow, Sosie Bacon, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by: Varoious
Written by: Various
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1/1.85:1 HEVC
Audio:
Breakdown- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French DD 2.0, English DVS
Orphan: First Kill - English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS
Friday the 13th: Part II - English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, German, French, Italian DD Mono, English DVS
World War Z- English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 5.1
Subtitles:
Breakdown- English, French
Orphan: First Kill - English SDH, Spanish, English
Friday the 13th: Part II- English SDH, English, German, Spaish, French, Italian, Dutch
World War Z -English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: PG-13 (World War Z) R (everything else)
Runtime: 395 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Recommendation: Great Horror Classics Set
