Want to know what happens when you have a barrel of apples and a dozen or so apples have worms and are spoiled? The entire barrel ends up becoming trash and all that hard work has gone to waste. The same thing happens when you’re asked not to spoil something and decide to completely ignore that and go full killjoy. Paramount has never confirmed that their mystery title being revealed in Paramount Scares Vol. 1 is the reason why Vol. 2 does not have one (I was really hoping there was a secret title that they never even teased and collectors would just be like BLAM! SURPRISE! … but alas). Here we are again, at the precipice of spooky season with a collection of films that — yet again — are odd choices, with three of the four entries making total sense and one befuddling as to how it falls into the genre of horror, but is still a good time.

If you missed the rundown on Paramount Scares Vol.1, make sure to check out EoM Contributor Justin Waldman’s complete recommendation review.

Before we dive into the nitty gritty of it all, let’s break down our collection here. First and foremost, we have a repress of Scream Factory’s 4K of the Brad Pitt-led World War Z (2013), an entertaining and fun zombie flick. The unrated cut in 4K, is something that was speculated that might finally arrive in this set, but, alas, it appears to be a combo of the old Blu-ray with the Scream Factory 4K and that’s about all. Next in the collection of scares we have the Orphan (2009) prequel, Orphan: First Kill (2022), which, honestly, has all of zero right to be nearly as entertaining as it truthfully is. This is the first time this title is offered in 4K in North America. Now, this is where this set gets good and interesting, in my opinion; Friday the 13^th Part Two (1981) — it’s interesting because this is the official North American 4K release of this title. There is a 4K in France and one to come out within October in the UK, as well, but with the cost of importing to North America, buying the entire Scares Vol. 2 would most likely be a less expensive endeavour. Lastly, but certainly not least, is the strangest title in this collection — the 1997 film starring Kurt Russell, Breakdown, a movie that in no sense of the word is “horror.” Suspense, sure, but certainly not horror, and yet somehow it fits the boxset all the same here.

Let’s get into the grit here. If we’ve learned anything from any studio doing boxsets and big sets, eventually the individual titles do see the light of day somewhere or somehow. Granted, they might not all be North American releases, but eventually the titles do trickle out. Looking at Paramount exclusively, their Paramount Presents line has sparked some reissues or format upgrades since its initial launch and, looking solely at Breakdown, this is one of those cases. In September of 2021, they released a remastered Blu-ray of Breakdown, and three years later (and a month), they’ve finally released this title on 4K. While having never seen Breakdown before, I didn’t know what to expect other than Kurt Russell being Kurt Russell and being great — which certainly was delivered. What I didn’t expect was how utterly flawless this transfer looked; for a movie that’s nearly as old as I am, this is one of the cleanest transfers I’ve ever seen. According to the Paramount Presents Blu-ray, which was a director-approved 4K scan on a Blu-ray disk, I’m sure this is the *same* scan but now in 2160 p. Without being able to do a direct reference check, I can safely assure and state that this 4K is crisp, clean, and magnificent. This 4K boasts HDR10 and Dolby Vision, truly giving it the ability to have one of the cleanest and most beautiful presentations of this film. While, again, having never seen Breakdown, before I cannot fathom there is another version of this film that looks as spectacular as this 4K does.

PARAMOUNT SCARES VOL. 2 packshot. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Similar to Breakdown and World War Z (being a Shout! Studios/Scream Factory release), we are getting another 4K of something that had a Blu-ray 4K scan coming to us in the form of KI KI KI, MA MA MA, Part 2. Friday the 13^th Part Two comes to consumers in glorious 4K again with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. While the Scream Factory set of the entire Friday franchise released in 2020 had everything a Jason-lover could ever want, this 4K boasts just a little more quality and cleanliness than the aforementioned Blu-ray set. While it’s certainly not a world of difference, and could use a little more grit in quality considering the context of the movie itself, it’s not an unnecessary upgrade either. If you already own the Shout! boxset and didn’t purchase Part 1 in 4K already, there is no need for this. If you bought Part 1 and want Part 2 and do or do not own the boxset, then you’re going to get this, too. It really is a simple decision. It’s a purchase if you own the first in 4K; it’s not a purchase if you’re not upgrading the franchise. While it looks clean, crisp, and practically perfect, the Scream Factory boxset really is truly something magnificent, as well.

Similarly to the first Paramount Scares box, Paramount Scares Vol. 2 comes with digital codes for all of the four films, another issue of Fangoria that was specifically made for this release as it talks about all four films in new and old articles, four iron-on patches (one for each film), a massive Paramount Scares sticker, and a Paramount Scares enamel pin. One thing that did not come in the first edition that is part of the new set is a poster with a similar design to the box in a different color and further developed as a collaborative alternative movie poster from artist Orlando “Mexifunk” Arocena. With the four releases boasting gorgeous 4K renditions (even if World War Z doesn’t have the unrated cut on 4K), amazing collector items, and digital codes, the Paramount Scares Vol. 2 boxset is a surefire must-have for collectors.

Paramount Scares Vol. 2 4K UHD Special Features:

• Exclusive Fangoria magazine
• 4 exclusive slipcovers for World War Z, Orphan First Kill, Friday the 13^th Part 2, Breakdown
• Exclusive Paramount Scares pin
• Exclusive Paramount Scares Sticker
• Exclusive Paramount Scares poster
• Exclusive Paramount Scares patches

Friday the 13^th Part 2 Special Features

• “Inside Crystal Lake Memories”
• “Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions”
• “Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part II”
• “Jason Forever”
• Original Theatrical Trailer

World War Z Special Features

• Behind-the-scenes featurettes

Breakdown Special Features

• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown
• Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell
• “Victory is Hers: Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown”
• “A Brilliant Partnership: Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown”

Available on 4K UHD from Paramount Pictures October 1^st, 2024.

For more information, head to the official Paramount Pictures Paramount Scares webpage.

Categories: Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, Breakdown, Friday the 13th Part 2, home release, home video, horror, Orphan: First Kill, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Scares, Paramount Scares Vol. 2, streaming, World War Z