With Freddy Vs Jason's imminent release on August 15, now is the time for horror fans to unite. Tell Paramount Home Video that you want to see a Friday the 13th Box Set on DVD!
E-mail will not work.
A year or so back, Fangoria Online interviewed Paramount Home Video publicist Martin Blythe about the criminal DVD mistreatment of the two-hundred million-plus grossing series. He stated, in no uncertain terms, that e-mailing is a waste of energy. It takes standard mail (or "snail mail", if you prefer) to get the corporation's attention.
It's time to get Paramount's attention.
To steal a current phrase from pop culture, a "shock & awe" strategy is in order. This mail campaign, in combination with a hopeful strong box office take for Freddy Vs. Jason, is necessary for Paramount to give the popular series better treatment (whether it is in the new proposed Box Set or in individual Special Editions that hardcore fans can now only dream about).
We must be vigilant.
I urge you take part in the Friday the 13th Box Set Campaign. The horror community is relatively small but incredibly dedicated. Every letter counts!
The Rules
Letters are to be respectful and as professional as possible. Paramount will almost certainly ignore illiterate, whiny, or hostile mail.
While this campaign is designed mainly to request a DVD Box Set, letters requesting Special Editions are also welcome. What kind of treatment the series gets in the future rests not only on this campaign but also the box office take of Freddy Vs. Jason. So mail your letter...see the movie. Paramount will hear us.
Tell everyone you can about this campaign! Hit your favorite message boards and e-mail your friends!
If you have mailed Paramount about Friday the 13th Special Editions or Box Sets in the past, please mail them again. It only further proves your dedication as a fan!
Letters are to be mailed during the week of Monday, May 12 thru Saturday, May 17. Prepare them ahead of time, if possible.
On the week of May 12-17, letters are to be sent to:
Paramount Pictures
ATTN: Home Entertainment Dept.
5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
Here is my personal letter to Paramount (currently printed out and sitting on the desk in front of me). Feel free to read it for a basic idea of what to write. But please, don't print it out and mail it as your own. When your letter is in the mail, please sign the guestbook. Or if you're too lazy to sign it, go ahead and read it.
(Added: 6/11, 9:00 PM) And they said it would never work.
DVD File reports: "In other Paramount news, fans of that big guy in a hockey mask have been clamoring for special edition reissues of the Friday the 13th series for some time now, so we talked with Paramount Home Entertainment's head of publicity Martin Blythe, who had some good news for fans of the sultan of summer camp slaughter.
Holding distribution rights to the first eight films in the never-ending series, Paramount is currently in the beginning stages of planning new reissues of the Friday flicks, although due to the very limited availability of archival materials, just what form such a release would take, such as a box set, remains formative. There is also no word on whether uncut versions of the films, which have always been the most sought after by fans of the series, will be possible to include. As for a release date, a late 2004 arrival is hoped for."
Who's laughing now?
(Added: 5/12, 11:30 AM) Woke up to an awesome e-mail today. Dave from Savini.com spoke with Tom on Sunday night. He's interested in assisting us in our efforts! Dave is going to update the page later tonight with a blurb and a link in the news section, but my real hope is that Tom Savini himself will make a couple of phone calls for us. We'll see...
Letters start going out today! Make sure you get yours out by Friday!
(Added: 5/10, 12:15 PM) Chiller Theatre Online is now including a survey on their main page asking their readers if they would purchase a Box Set. When the survey is over they will be forwarding the results along with a letter to Paramount. Also, a major thanks goes out to our foreign supporters who have joined us in our little battle. This fanbase is rabid all over the world!
Several people have inquired about directing the letters to a particular person. One supporter has informed me that the President of Paramount Home Entertainment is named Meagan Burrows. I'm not completely convinced that your letter won't end up in the same place in the long run, but if you would rather try to get her attention specifically then feel free to give it a shot! Just alter the mailing address slightly if this is the approach you would rather take.
Paramount Pictures
ATTN: Meagan Burrows
5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
(Added: 5/08, 12:00 PM) It doesn't get much bigger than this! Fangoria Online has lent their support to the campaign!
E-mails have been flowing at a steady stream, and many fans have already signed the guestbook. The response so far has been overwhelming, thank you all!
(Added: 5/08, 1:00 AM) The response just keeps on coming! Cinescape, Lights Out Entertainment, and Badass Universe have all pledged their support!
(Added: 5/07) Mucho appreciation to Johnny at Creature Corner, who has let his loyal readers know about the Box Set Campaign!
I'd like to take just a second to respond to those who have reacted negatively to this idea. I fully realize that many of you are far more interested in receiving Special Editions than Box Sets, so I encourage you to include that in your letters. I initially came up with the Box Set idea because I had seen so many failed Special Edition petitions in the past and didn't want to be strictly associated with them. I'd love to see Special Editions too, but they are a longer shot than a nice Box Set, quite honestly.
I'd also like to respond to those who have said, "Paramount doesn't care, you're wasting your time." It's no big secret that somewhat similar campaigns have failed in the past, but the main difference with this one is that all of the letters will be mailed next week. Someone, somewhere in those offices will notice if dozens of letters pour in all at once. Granted, this alone will most likely not be enough to change anyone's minds, but it will keep the idea fresh in the back of people's heads. As I stated before, unless Freddy Vs. Jason turns into a theatrical hit these Special Editions or Box Sets will probably never happen. I'm not completely unrealistic, but am optimistic. I grew up with these movies, and I'd love to see them get better DVD treatment. That's why my letter (along with a lot of others) will go out next week. Other than with your wallet, it's the only way to speak out. It only costs a few minutes and thirty-seven cents, so it's not like we've got much to lose.
Only five more days till May 12!
(Added: 5/06) A million thanks to Brad over at Bloody Disgusting for mentioning the Campaign in his latest update!
If you've got any comments or questions, feel free to e-mail me at fridaythe13thboxset@hotmail.com.
