Elite Entertainment


Elite Entertainment was an American home media distribution company, founded by Vincent Bancalari and Don May, Jr. in 1993. The company specialized in LaserDisc and later, DVD releases of horror, science fiction, and cult films, many of which were public domain titles. Their first release was George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, 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 Night of the Living Dead. 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 horror films on LaserDisc throughout the 1990s, including The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street, , God Told Me To, Invaders from Mars, Maniac, and I Spit on Your Grave, among others. Several unrealized releases included Eaten Alive, 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.
In the late-1990s, the company transitioned to releasing titles on DVD, 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 public domain titles.

Select releases

TitleFormatReleasedLetterboxedNo.
discs		Notes
Night of the Living DeadLaserDisc325th anniversary collector's edition
Night of the Living DeadLaserDisc1Standard edition
Night of the Living DeadDVD1Collector's edition
Night of the Living DeadDVD1Millennium Edition
Horror HotelLaserDisc1
ManiacLaserDisc1Director's cut
ManiacDVD1Director's cut
A Nightmare on Elm StreetLaserDisc2Collector's edition
A Nightmare on Elm StreetLaserDisc1Standard edition
'LaserDisc1
Lisa and the DevilLaserDisc2Double feature
Baron BloodLaserDisc2Double feature
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2LaserDisc1
'LaserDisc1
Dawn of the DeadLaserDisc2Director's cut
Dawn of the DeadLaserDisc3Collector's edition / director's cut
The Texas Chain Saw MassacreLaserDisc2Collector's edition
The Stepford WivesLaserDisc1
Lady in WhiteLaserDisc2Director's cut
Lady in WhiteDVD1Director's cut
Prom NightLaserDisc1
Evil Dead 2LaserDisc1Special edition
I Spit on Your GraveLaserDisc1
I Spit on Your GraveDVD1
The Evil DeadLaserDisc1
The Evil DeadDVD1Collector's edition
The Evil DeadLaserDisc2Collector's edition
Tower of EvilDVD1
The House on Sorority RowDVD1
PopcornDVD1
The IncubusDVD1
A Night to DismemberDVD1
HorrorDVD1