Elite Entertainment was an American home media distribution company, founded by Vincent Bancalari and Don May, Jr. in 1993. The company specialized in

LaserDisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

and later,

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

releases of horror, science fiction, and cult films, many of which were

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

titles. Their first release was George A. Romero's ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...

'' (1968), which they distributed on LaserDisc in 1994.

History

Elite Entertainment formed between Vincent Bancalari and Don May, Jr. in April 1993. Both were working in the video distribution industry, and in conversation lamented the poor transfer of a recent home video release of ''

'' (1968). In January 1994, they managed to secure a distribution rights deal with the filmmakers, and subsequently crafted a series of special features for the release, including audio commentaries recorded in the ensuing months. Elite Entertainment released ''Night of the Living Dead'' on LaserDisc in November 1994 in a 2-disc set. The company continued to release a series of

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

s on LaserDisc throughout the 1990s, including ''

The Evil Dead ''The Evil Dead'' is a 1981 American independent film, independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker ...

'', ''

Evil Dead 2 ''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the ''Evil Dead'' film series, it ...

'', ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

'', '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'', '' God Told Me To'', '' Invaders from Mars'', '' Maniac'', and '' I Spit on Your Grave'', among others. Several unrealized releases included '' Eaten Alive'' (originally due for a September 1998 LaserDisc release), as well as a LaserDisc double feature of '' The Boogeyman'' and '' The Devonsville Terror'', originally due for a December 1998 release; the latter two films were subsequently released as a double-feature DVD by

Anchor Bay Entertainment The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre ...

. In the late-1990s, the company transitioned to releasing titles on

, including re-releases of several titles they previously released on LaserDisc, including ''I Spit on Your Grave'' in 2002. In 2000, the company released '' The House on Sorority Row'' for the first time on DVD. By 2000, the company had a total of 15 DVD releases in their catalogue, approximately one-third of which were

titles.

Select releases

References

Sources

* {{cite magazine, magazine= Video Watchdog, page=24, issue=38, date=1997, publisher=Tim & Donna Lucas, location=Cincinnati, Ohio, issn=1070-9991, title=Night of the Living Disc, last=May, first=Don Home video companies of the United States Film distributors of the United States Mass media companies established in 1993 1993 establishments in New Jersey Companies based in Morris County, New Jersey Rockaway, New Jersey