A Frightening DVD
Dear Gary: I’ve been trying to get the answer to this question and I’m thinking if anybody should have the answer, it should be you and your staff. Just recently (in the past couple months), the DVD of Fright Night Part 2 was released. I ordered it and when it came in, it was in fullscreen. The way it’s worded on the back of the box, I’m not sure if it’s even available in a widescreen format—but I can’t find anybody who knows for sure! Can you answer this question for me once and for all? I’d really appreciate it.
David Carpenter
mailto:drcarpenter9764@aol.com
Staff Writer & Research Editor Michael Coate Comments:
It appears that Fright Night Part 2 is available on DVD only in a 1.33:1 reframed pan-and-scan version. Which is unfortunate for consumers who prefer watching original aspect ratio (OAR) presentations because the market certainly supports OAR programming. And to add insult to injury, the jacket erroneously claims the film is presented “in the original 1.33:1 format in which the film was shot.” A bogus claim for sure considering Fright Night Part 2 was filmed in anamorphic Panavision with the intended projection ratio of 2.39:1, as was the first Fright Night film. So it looks as though you're out of luck. However, given the industry’s penchant for double-dipping and re-releasing product, there’s hope that an OAR version may appear sometime in the future. Artisan Home Entertainment, the company that released the Fright Night Part 2 DVD, is among the worst offenders of late in releasing modified and re-framed versions of their movies on DVD. To make matters worse, they are also among the worst offenders of jacket errors. This is not to single Artisan out; every studio has been guilty of these offenses at one time or another. Another point worth mentioning (somewhat in Artisan's defense) is that Artisan did not produce Fright Night Part 2. In fact, they produce very few of the films they release on DVD. Instead, they acquire distribution rights for most of their products. And in many cases, they are not performing new transfers. They are often at the mercy of whatever elements that are supplied to them, which may explain many of the poor-quality DVDs that have been released.
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