We’re not the first, and we won’t be the last, as countless websites and fans have been trying to get “Monster Squad” released on DVD for years. Unfortunately it still hasn’t happened.
So I’m not going to waste any time describing the movie to you (that’s an insult). I’m not going to talk about why it’s great. I’m going to get right to it and try to figure out two things:
1. Why it’s not on DVD
2. What we can do to get it on DVD
and not necessarily in that order…
So why hasn’t anyone released it on DVD yet? Anchor Bay, who Film Threat called “Our only hope”, has tried and failed.
Have all called for campaigns, fans have begged, and even director Fred Dekker has talked about it.
“I’ve had many overtures from DVD producers, but the people who control the rights to those movies [Sony and Spelling Entertainment, respectively] don’t have a clue that anybody cares,” Dekker says. ”It’s too bad, because I’d love to do a director’s cut of CREEPS that incorporates the original, real ending [which has turned up on some cable-TV airings]. And it’d be nice to see SQUAD in widescreen again, as it was meant to be.”
posted on Coldfusionvideo.com
So what can YOU do?
According to Fred you should write an old-fashioned (snail mail) letter to:
Mr. Sumner M. Redstone
Viacom
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
He seems to think E-mails and online petitions are a waste of time because they can easily be deleted or ignored. The idea is that if you fill up the Viacom offices with letters they will listen. If you want to make it even harder for them to ignore you, you can go the Veronica Mars fan’s route and fly a plane with a banner over the office (now they’re fucking serious).
The other problem with DVD releases is that companies split up, buy each other out, and all other kinds of crazy “business world” crap I don’t understand, and things tend to get lost in the shuffle. Who owns the rights, who do you have to pay, WHAT COMPANY OR PERSON’S ASS DO YOU HAVE TO KISS TO GET A COPY OF “MONSTER SQUAD” ON DVD?
This is where one would hope a company like Anchor Bay could come into play because it’s what they do. The company has pulled a lot of obscure films out of the VHS graveyard, but it seems, as mentioned earlier, even they have failed to get the job done. This makes you wonder if WE the FANS even have a chance in hell to do anything about it.
I tried to be smart and look up the history of Viacom to see if we are all barking up the wrong tree. What I learned is I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to company mergers and anything that doesn’t have to do with horror movies.
You can try to decipher this article at Wikipedia on the history of Viacom and maybe you can figure it out. Because there is a good chance there may be somebody else we should be bitching at also.
Again director Fred Dekker agrees, saying “The short answer is the rights to the movie has been packaged and traded around so many times it was difficult to track down exactly where they are.”
But once again he says Viacom is the company with the rights, and as of right now I’m going to have to just trust (which I have no reason not to) him.
So what did I uncover?
Not much. I’ve poured over online chats with Michael Felsher of Anchor Bay.
I got quotes from him I don’t know what to do with.
“MONSTER SQUAD is with a major studio and we just don’t have the opportunity to do it at this time.”
I’ve read plenty of artciles, blurbs and fans bitching on message boards but unfourtantly came up with nothing new. It seems right now the only things we can do is write a letter to:
Mr. Sumner M. Redstone
Viacom
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
and tell him you want it!
I also promise Horror Yearbook won’t give up. We will continue our campaign for as long as it takes. We’ve contacted Anchor Bay for more info, we will send a letter to Mr. Sumner M. Redstone, and I will continue to search for new info and updates.
You can help by posting us comments or E-mail us at Horroryearbook@yahoo.com with any other info you may know or have. Until then keep watching your beat up VHS copies while being ignored.
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