Paramount Scares returns with a hit-or-miss sophomore collection.
Paramount returned to its Paramount Scares 4K box set for the second year in a row, kicking off October with a four-film set that includes some first-time remasters and quite a few physical bonuses. Approaching a review for a collection like this, though, is a little different than most other physical media reviews, where I typically focus most of my attention on the quality of the disc itself. This review will obviously touch on how the films in the new Paramount Scares collection look at sound, but it’s also necessary to talk about the collection as a whole, and just how important it may or may not be to add to your collection.
Released on October 1st, Paramount Scares Vol. 2 includes 4K editions of Friday the 13th Part II, Breakdown, World War Z, and Orphan: First Kill. The collection, within its exclusive (and very good-looking box art, also comes with a Paramount Scares glow-in-the-dark pin, some iron-on patches, a domed Paramount Scares sticker, a special issue of Fangoria written exclusively for this collection, and a poster from cover artist Orlando “Mexifunk” Arocena.
You do get a lot of goodies in the box set, and it looks pretty nice on a shelf. At the current $69.99 price point, the whole collection doesn’t feel overly expensive, but certainly not cheap. What it comes down to is the actual film selection, and that’s where Paramount Scares Vol. 2 falls frighteningly short.
Paramount Scares Vol. 2 Complete Box Set
– Paramount Home Entertainment)
The first Paramount Scares collection was an all-star lineup for the studio. It includes 4Ks of classics like Rosemary’s Baby and Pet Sematary, popular new hits like Crawl and Smile, and the “secret” 4K release of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Top to bottom, that’s a fantastic run of horror titles that any fan of the genre would love to have, especially since many of those titles hadn’t been released in 4K before.
By comparison, the lineup for Paramount Scares Vol. 2 feels weak at best. Friday the 13th Part II is an easy choice, especially since it hadn’t received a 4K transfer from Paramount to this point (though the UK is getting a solo release of that transfer this month). Breakdown, an underrated Kurt Russell thriller, has long been due for some love and is a fun addition to a bigger collection. World War Z has a lot of fans but has already received a 4K release via Shout Factory, so its inclusion here as one of just four titles feels frustrating. And then there’s Orphan: First Kill, which is new enough to have received a standard 4K release but didn’t get one upon release. It’s also not a major fan-favorite or growing cult phenomenon. The Orphan prequel is just a movie many seem to have already forgotten about.
There are so many great horror releases from Paramount over the years that this Scares lineup just doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. It doesn’t feel like a set you absolutely have to have in your collection, unless you’re an enormous fan of at least a couple of the titles. And as fun as the extra goodies are, none of them are really enough to push this thing over the edge and compel you to add it to your cart.
The real saving grace here is that the actual discs themselves are fantastic. The movies may not be ones that you’re dying to have in your collection, but Paramount did a great job with all of the transfers and remasters. Personally, Friday the 13th Part II takes the cake; there’s something about that cheap ’80s slasher look that translates so well to 4K when done properly. Orphan: First Kill technically looks and sounds the cleanest, which should come as no surprise, given that it was released just a couple of years ago.
I’m not going to say Paramount Scares Vol. 2 isn’t a solid 4K effort from a studio that has been doing a good job with its releases in 2024. If you love a movie or two in this lineup, you won’t be disappointed. But all in all its a largely lackluster set when it comes to its actual selections, especially after Paramount did such an excellent job with Volume 1.
Paramount Scares Vol. 2 is available now. A copy was provided for the purpose of this review.
