Final month, an fascinating dialogue started on Movie Twitter. One person, “carouselshotgun,” posted a picture of the menu for the bodily launch of the 2025 horror movie Sinners. Within the submit, the person notes that menu screens are boring right now. The submit had quite a few views and reactions, with many customers agreeing with this and providing their very own examples of a lot, a lot better menu screens.
They’ve an awesome level. Menu screens, particularly on DVDs, was once a type of artwork — fastidiously designed person interfaces that usually contained footage, intelligent nods, and Easter eggs. As outdated as bodily media sounds right now, DVDs had been as soon as thought of cool. Field units had been expensive, however they had been additionally fantastically designed for followers. There was an artwork to bodily media past the film it contained.
Very similar to the theater expertise, DVDs had been the final word type of leisure for film lovers. Whereas cinephiles right now proceed to take pleasure in movies passionately, proudly owning a film used to supply a uniquely participating expertise. Even when it was due to a foolish menu that enhanced the expertise, it’s a type of issues that, sadly, makes us say, “You simply needed to be there.”
These Had been the Days: DVDs Used To Be Very Completely different
DVD or Blu-ray releases did not should be field units to be fascinating. Typically, even the lamest bodily releases included bonus options. Not solely had been the menus extra interactive than they’re right now, however they had been often based mostly on the themes of the film. To not point out that almost each launch got here with particular options and commentaries usually recorded by administrators, solid members, or anybody concerned with the manufacturing. These made you need to purchase the disc, and the worth wasn’t at all times an impediment. The X posts you’ll find under have some examples of what these menus used to incorporate.
The quilt art work was nearly at all times nice, and generally firms made the packaging particularly memorable. The discs launched underneath the New Line Platinum Collection had been some examples of those particular releases. These collectors’ editions got here with particular additions, just like the crime scene polaroids for 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath, or 3D glasses for the gathering of A Nightmare on Elm Road, and a field that resembled a serial killer’s pocket book for Se7en. At this time, we frequently should accept disappointing art work if we’re even lucky sufficient to have a canopy that pertains to the film.
Among the Greatest Examples of Artistic Menu Screens and Easter Eggs
Sometimes, these menu screens went additional than the artwork itself. For instance, the menu display for Shrek 2‘s DVD had a format in the identical fashion because the presentation of the long-lasting collection The Brady Bunch. Not solely was it an awesome tribute, however you can see the characters interacting inside the packing containers with sufficient angle to make you smirk.
Then there’s the DVD for David Fincher’s Battle Membership. The menu misled viewers into pondering they’d acquired the mistaken disc when choices for the rom-com By no means Been Kissed popped up. Nonetheless, if you happen to gave it a number of seconds, the display glitched and the actual menu for Battle Membership appeared.
Maybe the good of the cool was the DVD menu for the 2002 horror movie The Ring. As you most likely know, the movie relies on the premise {that a} VHS tape has a video that may kill those that watch it. It is an unsettling assortment of pictures that grew to become cemented in horror tradition when the movie was initially launched.
When it was launched on DVD, there was a secret button mixture you can enter with the distant management to unlock an unimaginable Easter egg. After navigating to a particular a part of the menu, it disappeared, and the well-known analog video appeared on the TV display. For those who tried to show it off, you could not. The distant was rendered ineffective till the video was accomplished. The one method you can cease it was by unplugging the DVD participant. Hopefully, sometime, the misplaced artwork of distinctive DVD menu screens will make a comeback.