Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 17, 2023

Paramount jumps into the themed box sets marketplace with Paramount Scares: Volume One, supposedly the first in a collection that focus on the frightening end of film. The set immediately brings to mind Sony's prestigious Columbia Classics Collection. This is not as regal, but for the Horror genre it's pretty special. It includes five films, four of which have previously been released to the UHD format and one that is new. See below for a list of included films and for links to full film and UHD video, audio, and supplemental reviews, as well as a description of the package and the extra content that comes with it.

For full film reviews, please click through the following links; note that links may point to either the 4K review or to a Blu-ray review of a previously released version.

• Crawl
• Pet Sematary
• Rosemary's Baby
• Smile
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For full UHD video reviews, please click through the following links:

• Crawl
• Pet Sematary
• Rosemary's Baby
• Smile
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For full UHD audio reviews, please click through the following links:

• Crawl
• Pet Sematary
• Rosemary's Baby
• Smile
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Paramount Scares: Volume One ships in a sturdy box that measures approximately 11.25" wide, 8.25" high, and 1.75" deep. The box is black with dark red accents: swirling blood on the front and a selection of characters from the included films around the periphery. The new "Paramount Scares" logo appears center. It's the basic look of the Paramount logo but with blood dripping off the mountain and blood splatter coming off from the stars surrounding the mountain. The sides of the box contain the same logo. The top and bottom offer more character images from the film. The rear is black and blank, but a sheet with film listings, photos of the content, and tech specs for each film are included on it.

The box lid lifts off and reveals, first, a special edition of Fangoria magazine that has been assembled through both new content and curated articles from the magazine's past that highlight the five films in the collection. It's 30 pages, including back cover, glossy, full color, and the same dimensions as the box. There is also a sticker sheet with seven stickers that are themed to the films or the Horror landscape. The set also includes a lapel pin with the new Paramount Scares logo. The highlights, of course, are the UHD discs. The packaging is familiar, but Paramount has included brand-new, high-class matte slipcovers, which are not embossed. I won't go into detail about what each one looks like, but they are very artistically designed, not simply opting to repeat familiar artwork. They are all personalized for the film, primarily presented in black and white, but offer some little touches in color, like the cat's eyes from Pet Sematary being a golden color or red blood running along the blade for Sweeney Todd. The one for Crawl is my favorite. Have a look at the photos accompanying this review for a closer look.

For full coverage of the on-disc supplemental content, please click through the following links:

• Crawl
• Pet Sematary
• Rosemary's Baby
• Smile
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Paramount Scares: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paramount has come out of the gate with its first volume of the Paramount Scares collection and released a package that will hopefully be duplicated across other genres in the studio's catalogue. While maybe not quite as classy and elegant as Sony's Columbia Classics sets, this is a high end presentation that Horror fans are going to love. It's currently the only way to own Sweeney Todd on the UHD format, but between that, the magazine, the awesome slipcovers, the pin, the stickers, and the box...it's hard to say "no." Highly recommended! What films do you want to see in volume two?