If you are buying The Frighteners for the sound, you have to pick your cut before you pick your track, because Arrow has split them in a way that will annoy somebody.
Going by the disc listing, the original lossless theatrical mix in DTS-HD MA 5.1 sits on the theatrical cut only. The optional Atmos remix sits on the director's cut only. Both cuts get the original lossless 2.0 stereo and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 home video mix. So there is no way to watch the shorter version in Atmos, and no way to hear the original theatrical 5.1 over the longer one. Peter Jackson's commentary follows the same rule and is director's cut only.
The other thing buried in the spec is disc 2. The open matte versions of both cuts are there, but as 1080p Blu-ray, not 4K. Fine as a curiosity. I would not call it a reason to buy.
Picture-wise it is restored from the original camera negatives, with Dolby Vision and HDR10 on the UHD. That part I have no complaints about on paper. The 225-minute making-of from the 1998 LaserDisc set being carried over is the real bonus for me, because that documentary is more of a film school than an extra, and the booklet reprints Jackson's LaserDisc intro as well.
My plan is simple. Theatrical cut, original 5.1, and leave the Atmos remix for a second watch once the novelty of hearing what they added has a chance to wear off.
Going by the disc listing, the original lossless theatrical mix in DTS-HD MA 5.1 sits on the theatrical cut only. The optional Atmos remix sits on the director's cut only. Both cuts get the original lossless 2.0 stereo and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 home video mix. So there is no way to watch the shorter version in Atmos, and no way to hear the original theatrical 5.1 over the longer one. Peter Jackson's commentary follows the same rule and is director's cut only.
The other thing buried in the spec is disc 2. The open matte versions of both cuts are there, but as 1080p Blu-ray, not 4K. Fine as a curiosity. I would not call it a reason to buy.
Picture-wise it is restored from the original camera negatives, with Dolby Vision and HDR10 on the UHD. That part I have no complaints about on paper. The 225-minute making-of from the 1998 LaserDisc set being carried over is the real bonus for me, because that documentary is more of a film school than an extra, and the booklet reprints Jackson's LaserDisc intro as well.
My plan is simple. Theatrical cut, original 5.1, and leave the Atmos remix for a second watch once the novelty of hearing what they added has a chance to wear off.
