Media Home Entertainment, Inc.

Logo descriptions by Matt Williams, Nicholas Aczel, and Cameron McCaffrey Logo captures by Eric S., snelfu, and V of Doom Video captures courtesy of AussieRoadshow, rvideoprod, DudeThatLogo, and Eric S.

Background: Established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band, Media Home Entertainment, Inc. was an independent video distributor. In 1984, the company was purchased by Heron Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Gerald Ronson's Heron International. Finally, in 1993, the company ceased operations and its last titles went through Fox Video (sometimes CBS/Fox Video). During this time, most of its assets were absorbed into 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment while its library was sold to Video Treasures.

1st Logo (1979-1981)

Media Home Entertainment (1979, B&W)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (1979)

Nickname: "MEDA in Space"

Logo: On a twinkling space background, the navy blue stylized word "MEDA" lights up ala a shocking pink outline. The logo sparkles three times in sync with the fanfare. Then, a four-pointed star appears below the logo and flies across the screen from left to right, wiping in the words "Media Home Entertainment Inc." in similar font and coloring. The logo sparkles some more and briefly glows light yellow.

Trivia: "MEDA" is not a misspelling. Meda was the name of founder Charles Band's then-wife, and it also serves as a play on words, since "MEDA" can also be phonetically interpreted as "ME-D-A" (i.e., "Media").

FX/SFX: The lighting/glittering effects, the star writing.

Cheesy Factor: Off the charts! The space background looks like something out of a hand-drawn animated cartoon, the pink-on-blue lettering is gaudy, and the glitter.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic orchestral fanfare.

Availability: Extremely rare, apart from the occasional old prints circulating in used video stores. This was used on the very first Media Home Entertainment tapes, including Animal Farm, Night of the Living Dead, and Halloween, but quickly replaced with the 2nd logo.

Scare Factor: Medium. The dramatic fanfare and bad animation may be unsettling and even scary to younger kids, but this is a favorite of many.

2nd Logo (1980-1988)

Media Home Entertainment (1980)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (1982)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (B&W)Media Home Entertainment (Heron)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (1986)

Nicknames: "The Space Logo", "Cheesy Media", "Cheesy Lasers"

Logo: We begin with a space background, followed by an animated cluster of yellow laser beams. While this is happening, 2 light blue outlines of the word "MEDIA" begin to move towards each other from opposite sides of the screen (one on top and one on bottom), in a very odd futuristic font, which is styled so that it looks somewhat like this...

_MEDIA_

...with the first line connecting to the "M", and the second connecting to the "A". The two words continue their move towards each other, and when they meet, a stream of orange laser beams pass through the outline(s) which rotate backwards, so that we see a little of the logo's bottom. Then a stream of pink laser beams cause the outline(s) to flash, resulting into the complete logo which is a silver chrome with a light blue glow. The bottom text "MEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT, INC." (in black but also glowing light blue) zooms in from the center of the screen.

Bylines: In 1984, when Heron Communications bought Media, these would appear, inside a blue rectangle: •1984-1986: "A HERON COMMUNICATIONS CO." •1986-1988: "A HERON COMMUNICATIONS INC. CO."

Variants: •A B/W variant has been spotted. •There is a still variant. •On VCL releases distributed by the company, the stacked  yellow words "EXCLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED BY" fly down and reside at the center on the same space background, just before this logo begins.

FX/SFX: The lasers, outlines, and space background (which actually looks quite realistic for its time).

Cheesy Factor: The animation is primitive and the laser effects are extremely cheesy, but definitely not as bad as some logos of the time.

Music/Sounds: The same fanfare from above. Sometimes silent.

Availability: Common. Tapes that have used this logo include Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II, the first three Nightmare on Elm Street films, and Halloween. Outside of the United States and Canada, the logo can be found (PAL-tweaked) on VPD releases in the United Kingdom and Video Classics releases in Australia. The last video to use this logo was The Hidden, although it did make one appearance on the original VHS of Troma's War. On the Full Moon/Cult Video VHS release of Laserblast from the late 1990s, this makes a surprise appearance along with the original FBI Warning screen as well.

Scare Factor: Low. The lasers and flash may startle some, but this is tame, and at least another favorite of many.

3rd Logo (1988-1993)

Media Home Entertainment (1988)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (1990)Media Home Entertainment, Inc. (1992)

Nicknames: "CGI Bars", "Media Bars"

Logo: On a black background, several sets of bar segments move up from the bottom of the screen at an angle. As we rotate towards the front, we see that the bars are forming the Media logo, similar to the one in the previous logo. After the logo is fully formed, the chrome fades in.

Bylines: •1988-1990: "DISTRIBUTED BY MEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT INC. A Heron Communications, Inc. Company" •1990-1991: "DISTRIBUTED BY MEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT INC." •1991-1992: "A Heron Communications, Inc. Company" (with "DISTRIBUTED BY MEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT INC." blacked out)

FX/SFX: The CGI forming of the word "MEDIA".

Music/Sounds: A low-key synth theme with some "ticking" sounds. Slightly shortened on a few releases.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants: •A few 1988 releases have the same music from above. •Their very last releases went through (CBS) Fox Video. The above logo would play as normal, but there would be an announcer saying "(Available on video) From Media Home Entertainment." When the music ended, the announcer said, "Distributed by (CBS) Fox Video". When the announcer got to the (CBS) Fox Video part of that, Fox Video logo 1 (or CBS/FOX Video logo 3) played.

Availability: Seen on all Media tapes from the era. Some of which include Payoff, Down Twisted, Beverly Hills Brats, High Spirits, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master, and the uncut version of The Dream Child, Teen Witch, Ambition, Scanners II: The New Order, Speed Zone, Full Moon in Blue Water, Haunted Summer, Rabid Grannies, Ministry of Vengeance, Think Big!, Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters, American Boyfriends, Class of Nuke 'em High Part 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown, The Invisible Kid, World Gone Wild, Alien from L.A., I Come in Peace, Wild at Heart, The Applegates, The Pope Must Diet, Closet Land, Prospero's Books, Black Rainbow, Scorchers, Taking the Heat, Scam, I, Madman,Lurkers, Nails, Dead Ringers, Sonny Boy, Spontaneous Combustion, Primary Motive, Deadlock, and Keeper of the City, among others.

Scare Factor: Low.