15 years later ... and giving thanks
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:21 pm
This may be slightly off-topic but I thought it was appropriate given the time of year so here goes:
While updating my viewing log and browsing the archives recently, it suddenly dawned on me that I've been with this group for 15 years now. That is certainly a long time to be with a group online and it is amazing how things have changed during that time. When I first joined the group back in 1997, I was just a young newbie running wild with "piss and vinegar" and really getting into the Euro-horror scene. I was spending what little money I had on VHS bootlegs of those hard-to-find films and supporting such great companies as Blackest Heart and Creature Features. I was even lucky enough to trade a few times with some members of this group (and it was a pretty good group back then). As a result I got turned on to some awesome movies I may never have seen. Little did I know then now much DVD (then in its infancy) would changed the genre as we know it in the next few years. Small companies like Anchor Bay and Synapse began putting out awesome editions of films that were previously unavailable commerically and gave them wider exposure to the public. As a result bootlegging quickly became a thing of the past and virtually all of them closed up shop (although I often wonder what became of the one doofus that was spamming alt.horror selling those copies of SCREAM that flashed "light to dark")
The group itself was also different back then. There were some lively discussions over the best places to get tapes from and what versions of films were actually "uncut". Who can forget the days when we boasted about finding obscure VHS tapes in the bargain bins of video stores? We were also dismayed at how the new trend of "teen horror" was ruining the genre and kept the focus on more obscure stuff. Of course there were also some pretty colorful arguments but after a few years things somewhat friendlier. Along the way some people left for their own reasons or due to personal tragedies (Tim Watson is still dearly missed by me), but the small group of die-hards still stuck together through it all and I'm glad I stayed with the group. I'm hoping someday some of the old-timers like Terry Luster and Griff will find their way back.
Now 15 years later, I have to look back and say that things have greatly improved since then. Whereas in the past we were all excited about the new DVD format, now I'm excited to see my favorite films make the leap to Blu-Ray. It is also great to see the Eurohorror classics of Jean Rollin and Mario Bava available for streaming on Netflix. I'm also relieved that the whole "teen horror" fad finally died away after five years (unless anyone considers the "Twilight" saga to be part of that trend). Even though discussions here aren't as frequent as back in the day, I still like browsing the archives if I ever need info regarding a certain film that was discussed back then.
To wrap it up, I want to say thanks to our wonderful host for keeping this board active all these years (especially now in an age when social networking has dominated the internet). Also thanks to our resident reviewer Remo for keeping up with everything cinematically. Although there may not be as many replies to your reviews as in the past, the viewing counter next to each review should assure you that they are at least being read. I plan to stay with the group as long as its running.
I should also be thankful to Amazon since my Criterion Blu-Ray set of Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life" (which I preordered a few months ago) arrived in the mail today. Can't wait to find time this week to sit down and watch it.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
While updating my viewing log and browsing the archives recently, it suddenly dawned on me that I've been with this group for 15 years now. That is certainly a long time to be with a group online and it is amazing how things have changed during that time. When I first joined the group back in 1997, I was just a young newbie running wild with "piss and vinegar" and really getting into the Euro-horror scene. I was spending what little money I had on VHS bootlegs of those hard-to-find films and supporting such great companies as Blackest Heart and Creature Features. I was even lucky enough to trade a few times with some members of this group (and it was a pretty good group back then). As a result I got turned on to some awesome movies I may never have seen. Little did I know then now much DVD (then in its infancy) would changed the genre as we know it in the next few years. Small companies like Anchor Bay and Synapse began putting out awesome editions of films that were previously unavailable commerically and gave them wider exposure to the public. As a result bootlegging quickly became a thing of the past and virtually all of them closed up shop (although I often wonder what became of the one doofus that was spamming alt.horror selling those copies of SCREAM that flashed "light to dark")
The group itself was also different back then. There were some lively discussions over the best places to get tapes from and what versions of films were actually "uncut". Who can forget the days when we boasted about finding obscure VHS tapes in the bargain bins of video stores? We were also dismayed at how the new trend of "teen horror" was ruining the genre and kept the focus on more obscure stuff. Of course there were also some pretty colorful arguments but after a few years things somewhat friendlier. Along the way some people left for their own reasons or due to personal tragedies (Tim Watson is still dearly missed by me), but the small group of die-hards still stuck together through it all and I'm glad I stayed with the group. I'm hoping someday some of the old-timers like Terry Luster and Griff will find their way back.
Now 15 years later, I have to look back and say that things have greatly improved since then. Whereas in the past we were all excited about the new DVD format, now I'm excited to see my favorite films make the leap to Blu-Ray. It is also great to see the Eurohorror classics of Jean Rollin and Mario Bava available for streaming on Netflix. I'm also relieved that the whole "teen horror" fad finally died away after five years (unless anyone considers the "Twilight" saga to be part of that trend). Even though discussions here aren't as frequent as back in the day, I still like browsing the archives if I ever need info regarding a certain film that was discussed back then.
To wrap it up, I want to say thanks to our wonderful host for keeping this board active all these years (especially now in an age when social networking has dominated the internet). Also thanks to our resident reviewer Remo for keeping up with everything cinematically. Although there may not be as many replies to your reviews as in the past, the viewing counter next to each review should assure you that they are at least being read. I plan to stay with the group as long as its running.
I should also be thankful to Amazon since my Criterion Blu-Ray set of Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life" (which I preordered a few months ago) arrived in the mail today. Can't wait to find time this week to sit down and watch it.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.