Rest in Peace: Jay Douglas of Anchor Bay Has Passed Away
Some very sad news to report as Jay Douglas, former VP of Acquisitions at Anchor Bay Entertainment, has passed away, according to Don May Jr. of Synapse Films and Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures.
For horror fans, Anchor Bay was one of the best distributors of genre titles. Their VHS and DVD releases used to be sought after and collected religiously. Douglas stressed that Anchor Bay’s mission statement was simply, “To put out really cool movies.” [Source]
He also believed that horror fans deserved to enjoy owning a physical product just as much as they enjoyed the film. “At the end of the day, you have to offer the consumer more than just another movie in another cardboard box. You have to make it fun,” he told the LA Times.
The pride Douglas had for Anchor Bay’s horror library was undeniable. Talking with City Beat, he stated, “All of our movies…I call ambitiously flawed. It’s much more fun to watch movies that went wrong, not in terms of being bad art, but movies that were mishandled on the marketing end, or movies that were maybe ahead of their time.”
As someone who owned many Anchor Bay horror titles, the impact Mr. Douglas had on me growing up is immeasurable. I wouldn’t be where I am without the love and care that those movies received.
We send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Jay Douglas. May he rest in peace knowing that he put a smile the faces of countless horror fans over many years.
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