Here’s the official press release:
Shout! Factory has announced the August 16 release of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba. Customers who purchase both titles from Shout! Factory will receive a MST3K Stress Ball. Both DVDs will be priced at $14.99 each, as are all the previously released MST3K single-disc DVDs from Shout! Factory.
In Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba, Director Coleman Francis cements his status as unofficial MST3K muse with this 1966 film about escaped convicts who volunteer to fight in the Bay of Pigs. Needless to say, the movie was about as successful as the invasion. On the bright side, the riffs do destroy their target — although, as Crow T. Robot says, “I want to hurt this movie but I can never hurt it the way it hurt me.” Includes the 1949 short film “Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance.”
In Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly, MSTie favorite actor Tor Johnson costars as MSTie favorite character Lobo in this 1957 horror flick about a mad scientist (John Carradine) whose experiments with immortality accidentally produce mutants. As Dr. Forrester says: “It’s hard to keep down.” But Joel, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot prove once again that laughter is the best anti-nausea medicine. Includes the shorts “Posture Pals” and “Appreciating Our Parents.”
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It’s great to see as many episodes as possible in print. Keep them coming, Shout! Factory and thanks. Time for go to bed, Tor? Nah, time for more MST3K!
Can I hitch a ride on the night train to Mundo Fine?
Why is everyone so happy to see re-releases, I’m pretty sure if your on this site then you have most or all of the commercially released sets. Lets se a few more releases and less re-releases, then I will say “Keep them coming, Shout! Factory and thanks”
I love the idea how Shout Factory is trying to revive these episodes back to DVD. Only thing I don’t really like is, I feel like they’re sort of…. “rushing” on these episodes. I’m not only saying this due to lack of extras, but I also feel like the shout select titles seem to be just digitized to DVD quallity and not taken the time to clean up some possible tape hits here and there. I’m not trying to bash Shout, by the way. I know they put hard work into making these, which I respect. I’m just giving my personal opinion.
But anyway, like I said, it’s cool Shout’s reviving these episodes. And speaking of Red Zone Cuba, does anyone know if there’s a DVD release of the film uncut? I wanna see if I have the guts to watch it on its own.
At least these two pass the eBay check. Only some VHS copies available or recently completed.
@3 @4 Well said.
The guy who wrote Time of the Apes has died. There should be a release on that one instead of these do overs. Please please ;) I’ll bet the writer loved what MST3K did to the movie. He was also a writer of stand up comedy… in his honor, Time of the apes should be next. 2 disc set with the unmistied movie would be perfect!
I think shout! is doing good to re-release these titles. Believe it or not some people do not own every release [I do but is that besides the point] and it’s good that they get a chance to share in the fun/pain. I think Shout! is saving previously unreleased episodes for the 4 dvd packs. I want to see the amazing colossal man, war of the colossal beast, revenge of the creature and the mole people on the next release. But I’ll take whatever they give me.
Yay, I don’t have Red Zone Cuba. I saw it on YoutTube, and it’s a pretty funny episode.
I don’t mind these re-releases, but two things bother me.
1. No additional features.
2. Not sold in stores (this one’s a biggie for me)
About these RE-COPIES, I’m not going to RE-BUY the RE-RELEASE and have it RE-SHIPPED to my house so I can RE-SHELVE them by the same DVDs I already have. At least put a few extras on these to tempt me. Shout!, you’ve done a great job, but I feel your starting to slip a just a bit.
Rhino DVD’s- they went all the way to hell- with a penny, and a broken cigarette.
But Jeff, Shout! Factory isn’t making these for people like you or me that already own the original DVD sets. If you already own the movies, simply don’t buy them. I’m happy they’re not putting any new extras on these so I don’t feel compelled to buy these as well (although I don’t see anything wrong with including the same extras that were on the original DVD if they can). I’d like to see them re-release more of the individual DVD titles that went out of print or that were only released on VHS, because I am missing a few of those.
Think of it as reprinting out-of-print materials. If you already own the originals, you don’t need to buy the re-releases. If you don’t, then these single issues are pretty good deals.
If they slipped these in with other box sets, or re-released them with new extras, everyone would be complaining that Shout! was tricking people into re-purchasing episodes they already have. I know this because that’s what happens every time a new DVD release of a cult favorite comes out with new extras. Just repeat to yourself: it’s just a show, I should really just relax.
I guess since both of these are currently available to watch instantly on Netflix I would be much more excited about something that has either never been released or something I can’t watch easily on my PS3/computer/iPhone.
That being said, I DO appreciate Shout and everything they are doing to keep bringing this show to a new generation of fans :) (SO excited for my Gamera set to arrive next week!)
I’m sure most of you already realize that a nice selection of MST3K titles are available on iTunes. What you may not have noticed though is the fact that, there are exactly 31 episodes, previously released by Rhino, now owned by Shout!, in the digital domain. 20 of the 31 also appear in the Amazon Digital store, which is also something to note. Here is the full list of 31 episodes, now owned by Shout! (previously released and now OOP by Rhino), available on iTunes:
Ring of Terror
Cave Dwellers
Pod People
The Unearthly
The Giant Gila Monster
Teenagers From Outer Space
Attack of the Giant Leeches
The Killer Shrews
Hercules Unchained
Indestructible Man
Hercules Against The Moon Men
Tormented
The Rebel Set
Monster a Go-Go
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Swamp Diamonds
Secret Agent Super Dragon
Eegah
I Accuse My Parents
Gunslinger
Wild World of Batwoman
Beginning of the End
The Atomic Brain
The Starfighters
Red Zone Cuba
The Incredibly Strange Creatures…
The Phantom Planet
Touch of Satan
Girl In Gold Boots
Hamlet
Horrors of Spider Island
Thus far, all of the Shout! Select MST3K titles have come from this group of titles. It would seem this is the bundle of Rhino episodes we’ll be getting. And it does seem like a very nice assortment of episodes.
The Shout! Select releases are very welcome, at least by me, because I parted ways with most of the Rhino releases. I’m more than happy to purchase each and every one of the Shout! Selects. Every couple of months, 2 new titles, that would be terrific.
Keep ’em coming Shout!
I think we are very fortunate to have MST3K in Shout!s hands. And though I may never buy any of the singles but I think they make perfect sense and they will help to proliferate the show. I would rather buy my favorite unreleased episodes as singles but I can certainly understand how it might be hard to produce extras for an episode at fifteen bucks a shot. Particularly if they have to pay a lot for rights on some of the eps. I’d rather they turned a profit and kept the sets coming until the whole series is on disc.
Though, I admit frustration when a desired episode is released with three episodes I could care less about. For example, a lot of people want (yawn) Time of the Apes in a set, wheras I would likely never watch it. Not much can be done about that.
I like Shout! Factory a lot, but they shouldn’t advertise the short, which is part of the whole episode, as a bonus feature on the disc.
Okay, now this is getting silly! Stop toying with us and announce volume XXII already!!!
I won’t be buying these single releases either, as I already got ’em. I’m surprised they didn’t save RED ZONE CUBA for a Coleman Francis-specific box set (kind of like their Manos special edition) with Skydivers and Beast of Yucca Flats as well. That’s probably the only way I’d buy the coleman francis trilogy again.
A thought tust occured to me. Is the Unearthly dvd going to have the Additional footage that was a part of the Volume 3 release?
I’m going to say I’m glad there was no special features. I was so afraid that Manos was going to be the new norm, but here we return to the bare bones re-releases. I do have all the Rhino discs so I don’t want to buy these again and I won’t. Special features (like the Manos special edition) are a cheap ploy to make us double dip and with one exception I’m glad Shout! is too classy to go down that road.
Red Zone Cuba is one of my favorite Mike episodes. I just converted my VHS to DVD when the Rhino went OOP, so I’m glad they’re re-releasing it. I’ll still hold on to my original too though, I liked those kitschy Rhino intros in the desert lol
On the value of re-releases, keep in mind that not everyone has been collecting the DVD releases from the beginning. Personally I only got back into the show and started buying the sets about 3 years ago, so I missed out on a lot of stuff that’s now hard to find. So I’m pleased to see stuff like this come out.
Happy to see the re-issue of “Red Zone Cuba”. “The Unearthly”, not so much. Apart from the memorable callback riff of Tor Johnson’s “Time for go to bed”, that’s a dreary little butt of a film.
I am glad to see these reissues. My copy of Eegah has a scratch from lending it to a careless friend and I look forward to having a clean copy again at some point.
I have been very happy with Shout! Factory and the re-release of the Rhino episodes. Offering individual titles is a great way for fans to purchase episode that they may have missed. I also appreciate the availability of many of these episode on Netflix.
The only thing that Shout! Factory could do that would make me very upset, as I’ve probably mentioned before, is release sets of episodes that mix new releases with previously released titles. I love “Girl In Gold Boots” but I don’t want to buy it again in Volume XXV, packaged with 3 “new to DVD” episodes.
@18 – They already announced the DATE for XXII as poss. December 6, but no titles!
C’mon, we’ve had our theme-box Gamera fling, now how about getting back to the anal-retentive in-order Season 1 Commando Cody episodes? Should be getting up to Slime People and Robot Holocaust by now! :)
(Well, we can wish.)
Good on Shout Factory for re releasing Red Zone Cuba. The only problem is, I can get a used copy on Amazon or Ebay for $8-$10. Still, I’ll be happy to pay for a crisp, brand new dvd copy of Red Zone Cuba from Shout Factory. I hope they release episodes from volumes 7 and 9 that are out of print, and would cost hundreds of dollars to buy from Amazon, instead of $8-$10.
I can’t believe people are still complaining about these rereleases either not having new “extras” or even that they exist at all. How hard is it to grasp the concept that not everyone who would want them already have them, or that releasing them this way (individually and sans new “extras”) is the only way to make them available to those people, and also keep people who do have those older releases from feeling like Shout is trying to rip them off by getting them to re-purchase episodes they already have. Manos is an exception I’m willing to give them because it’s such a big episode, and the extras seem like they will be pretty worthwhile. I can see them doing that for the really big episodes, but did anyone actually expect or want a Manos style two disc set for something like The Unearthly or Red Zone Cuba? Bare bones and just getting them back in print is all that’s needed for most of the OOP Rhino episodes, and that’s what Shout is doing.
I’m glad to see these coming out for those that weren’t able to pick up copies in the past. I do hope that if they release I Accuse My Parents that it has the MST Hour wraps. Those are the only ones I’ve never seen. I understand the bare bones idea with these, but I would love to see those last few Jack Perkins bits.
I understand the bare bones concept, but the bonus footage from UNEARTHLY was the best thing about the original disc. It’s a shame to see the Out Of Print extras stay that way.
Re-release: don’t need and won’t buy
But if you need them it’s nice that you can get a nice copy for a much cheaper price than some of the out of print Rhino releases.
As long as Shout! keeps pumping out new episodes until I own them all I will be HIGHLY pleased.
Any episode, any season…..Joel, Mike….. Happiness will fill my brain.
Kick my heels up and Shout!
I didn’t get back into the show and start going after the DVD collections until about two years ago. By that point, it was increasingly difficult to find Rhino collections 6-9 (eventually I got 6-8 off Jim Mallon’s web site) and borderline impossible to find any of the single release episodes. These rereleases are a godsend for people like me who haven’t seen Red Zone Cuba or Beginning of the End and both lack the time to scour eBay every day and the money to buy the most expensive OOP stuff. Please, PLEASE keep them coming!
Can’t believe no one has pointed out that John Carridine is in both of these movies.
False advertising!
Unless I’m reading it wrong it says ALL single discs are $14.99, but I just checked and the older ones are still $19.99. $14.99 is a lot more reasonable, so I hope they just haven’t updated yet so I can get the first two. $20 a piece is too high, especially since the ones in boxes average about $10 a piece.
I totally agree with td’s comment, shelling out $20 apiece for an episode with no extras is asking alot, especially in this economy. While I do have most of the eps on the original Rhino releases, I am missing Volume 9, which has “Incredibly Strange Creatures…”. Of course, this was re-released, but I still have yet to get it because I consider it too expensive. Brandon also made a good point about these not being available in stores; when I buy the box sets, I like getting them directly from a store. Buying directly from Shout! simply costs too much, imho.
I totally agree with td’s comment, shelling out $20 apiece for an episode with no extras is asking alot, especially in this economy. While I do have most of the eps on the original Rhino releases, I am missing Volume 9, which has “Incredibly Strange Creatures…”. Of course, this was re-released, but I still have yet to get it because I consider it too expensive. Brandon also made a good point about these not being available in stores; when I buy the box sets, I like getting them directly from a store. Buying directly from Shout! simply costs too much, imho.
Just got my shipping notice from Shout! Can’t wait to get these and I’m already anticipating the next Shout! Selects.