Warner Home Video Warning Screen
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USA/CANADA WARNINGS
1st Warning
(1978-1981)
Warning: On a black background, we see a black square on the left, with the FBI logo in white with "FBI" in a somewhat different font, kind of skinny. On the right, we see a white box (with a rounded right side) with "WARNING" in red and the generic text (differed script from the next one below) below "WARNING".
FX/SFX: None, except on 1980-1981 releases when this cuts right to the WCI/WHV logo.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: On all WCI/Warner Home Video releases from 1978-1981, such as Dirty Harry.
Scare Factor: Low to medium, like most warnings in this format. The font for "FBI" wasn't usual to see either.
2nd Warning
(1981-2004)
Warning: On a black background, we see a black square on the left with the standard FBI logo in white, and the generic text in a white box on the right with the red word "WARNING" on the top.
Variants:
FX/SFX: None, but this cut right to the WHV logo on 1981-1985 releases.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: On all Warner Home Video releases from 1981-2004. Also seen on some tapes released by Strand/VCI and the Video Collection, as well as certain Orion Home Video, Diamond Entertainment and later Magnum Entertainment releases. The "shadow" version was exclusive to Rhino Home Video releases. The version with the white background can be found on Mean Streets, Superman II, The Enforcer and Death Wish II, as well as other VHS and BETA releases from Warner Home Video from 1981-1986, a few Embassy Home Entertainment releases from 1986-1987 and RKO Home Video releases. The white background variation can also be seen on some VHS re-releases such as the 1986 release of The Road Warrior. The rounded right side version was intact on certain Orion Home Video releases and several Warner Reprise Video/Warner Music Vision releases, as well as Shapiro Glickenhaus Home Video releases by Southgate Entertainment. The smoother version that faded in and out was sighted on Cartoon Network and Looney Tunes DVDs, as well as Hemdale Home Video releases. The blue background version can be found on MTM Home Video releases and a few Random House Home Video releases. The Shout! Factory Version with a colored FBI Seal was on some Shout! Factory DVDs such as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series DVD and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3: The Complete Series DVD.
Scare Factor: Like most warnings in this format, low to medium.
3rd Warning
(1980s-)
Warning: On a blue background, white text scrolls upward. The text is in English and then French.
FX/SFX: The scrolling.
Cheesy Factor: It's poorly filmed.
Availability: On all DVD releases from Warner Home Video. Initially, this was on Canadian VHS releases from Warner Home Video.
Scare Factor: Minimum.
4th Warning
(1981)
Warning: On a blue background, we see the white word "WARNING". White rental warning text scrolls upward.
FX/SFX: The scrolling of the warning text.
Availability: Pretty tough to come across. This was only used for a year on "For-Rental-Only" prints, such as Superman II, The Enforcer, Excalibur and Dirty Harry.
Scare Factor: Low.
5th Warning
(2004-2005)
Warning: On a blue background, we see the FBI warning logo with "FBI WARNING" right next to it. Below that is the generic text.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. It's been spotted on the home video release of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Scare Factor: Minimal. It's tamer than earlier efforts.
6th Warning
(2005- )
Warning: On a light blue/dark blue gradient background, we see the now-current FBI warning logo, in color with a white box in front of it, reading "FBI ANTI-PIRACY WARNING". Under it, a one-paragraph generic text is seen.
Variant: A variant has the text aligned to the left. Seen on Appleseed Ex Machina.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Current. Seen on all WHV releases since 2005.
Scare Factor: None. Much better than the previous ones.
7th Warning
(2009- )
Warning: On a black background is a blue/black gradient box with rounded edges, which has whitish-blue lines inside it. In the box is the following: on top is the no symbol (a red circle with a diagonal line) which has "SUPPORT ANTI-PIRACY" in very small white letters on the circle. Inside it is "PIRACY" in white. Below that is "5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON", in gold with a line below, and at the bottom, also in gold, is "FINES OF $250,000" with a line above it. Each is sandwiching a big red "WARNING". On the "WARNING" is the text in white.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Appears on recent releases from Warner Home Video, such as The Hangover (R-Rated Edition only; the Unrated Edition used the previous warning) and The Blind Side. Though Saints: Road to XLIV used the 5th Warning.
Scare Factor: Low to medium.
INTERNATIONAL WARNINGS (NON-USA/CANADA)
United Kingdom
1st Warning
(1980s-2004)
Warning: On a blue background, white Warning text scrolls up in smaller print.
Variant: On early tapes, the text is shorter and scrolls at a faster rate. Also, a duplication screen appears before it.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on British tapes and DVDs.
Scare Factor: None.
Australia
1st Warning
(1980-1986)
Warning: We see the Warning screen scrolling up. On a white background, there is the blue underlined word "WARNING" in a large futuristic font. Below it is blue Warning text in a Kabel font.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on the company's Australian releases of the era.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Warning
(1986-2004)
Warning: On a white background, blue Warning text scrolls up in a Courier font and in capitals.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Appears on Australian VHS and DVD releases by the company, as well as MGM's Australian releases from 1990 to 2000.
Scare Factor: None.
USA/CANADA WARNINGS
1st Warning
(1978-1981)
FX/SFX: None, except on 1980-1981 releases when this cuts right to the WCI/WHV logo.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: On all WCI/Warner Home Video releases from 1978-1981, such as Dirty Harry.
Scare Factor: Low to medium, like most warnings in this format. The font for "FBI" wasn't usual to see either.
2nd Warning
(1981-2004)
Variants:
- On some tapes, a "shadow" effect on the "WARNING" text has been spotted.
- On some tapes from 1981-1986, the whole thing was on a white background.
- There is another version in which the FBI seal was slightly larger and the right side of the white box was rounded.
- There is a smoother version that faded in and out intact on some tapes.
- There is also a version where the whole thing is on a blue background.
- On the 1983 laserdisc of Risky Business, "WARNING" is in a wider font, and everything is in black, but "FBI", the seal, "WARNING" and the warning text is in white.
- Shout! Factory DVD Releases also used this, except the FBI seal is colored.
FX/SFX: None, but this cut right to the WHV logo on 1981-1985 releases.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: On all Warner Home Video releases from 1981-2004. Also seen on some tapes released by Strand/VCI and the Video Collection, as well as certain Orion Home Video, Diamond Entertainment and later Magnum Entertainment releases. The "shadow" version was exclusive to Rhino Home Video releases. The version with the white background can be found on Mean Streets, Superman II, The Enforcer and Death Wish II, as well as other VHS and BETA releases from Warner Home Video from 1981-1986, a few Embassy Home Entertainment releases from 1986-1987 and RKO Home Video releases. The white background variation can also be seen on some VHS re-releases such as the 1986 release of The Road Warrior. The rounded right side version was intact on certain Orion Home Video releases and several Warner Reprise Video/Warner Music Vision releases, as well as Shapiro Glickenhaus Home Video releases by Southgate Entertainment. The smoother version that faded in and out was sighted on Cartoon Network and Looney Tunes DVDs, as well as Hemdale Home Video releases. The blue background version can be found on MTM Home Video releases and a few Random House Home Video releases. The Shout! Factory Version with a colored FBI Seal was on some Shout! Factory DVDs such as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series DVD and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3: The Complete Series DVD.
Scare Factor: Like most warnings in this format, low to medium.
3rd Warning
(1980s-)
Warning: On a blue background, white text scrolls upward. The text is in English and then French.
FX/SFX: The scrolling.
Cheesy Factor: It's poorly filmed.
Availability: On all DVD releases from Warner Home Video. Initially, this was on Canadian VHS releases from Warner Home Video.
Scare Factor: Minimum.
4th Warning
(1981)
Warning: On a blue background, we see the white word "WARNING". White rental warning text scrolls upward.
FX/SFX: The scrolling of the warning text.
Availability: Pretty tough to come across. This was only used for a year on "For-Rental-Only" prints, such as Superman II, The Enforcer, Excalibur and Dirty Harry.
Scare Factor: Low.
5th Warning
(2004-2005)
Warning: On a blue background, we see the FBI warning logo with "FBI WARNING" right next to it. Below that is the generic text.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. It's been spotted on the home video release of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Scare Factor: Minimal. It's tamer than earlier efforts.
6th Warning
(2005- )
Variant: A variant has the text aligned to the left. Seen on Appleseed Ex Machina.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Current. Seen on all WHV releases since 2005.
Scare Factor: None. Much better than the previous ones.
7th Warning
(2009- )
Warning: On a black background is a blue/black gradient box with rounded edges, which has whitish-blue lines inside it. In the box is the following: on top is the no symbol (a red circle with a diagonal line) which has "SUPPORT ANTI-PIRACY" in very small white letters on the circle. Inside it is "PIRACY" in white. Below that is "5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON", in gold with a line below, and at the bottom, also in gold, is "FINES OF $250,000" with a line above it. Each is sandwiching a big red "WARNING". On the "WARNING" is the text in white.FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Appears on recent releases from Warner Home Video, such as The Hangover (R-Rated Edition only; the Unrated Edition used the previous warning) and The Blind Side. Though Saints: Road to XLIV used the 5th Warning.
Scare Factor: Low to medium.
INTERNATIONAL WARNINGS (NON-USA/CANADA)
United Kingdom
1st Warning
(1980s-2004)
Warning: On a blue background, white Warning text scrolls up in smaller print.
Variant: On early tapes, the text is shorter and scrolls at a faster rate. Also, a duplication screen appears before it.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on British tapes and DVDs.
Scare Factor: None.
Australia
1st Warning
(1980-1986)
Warning: We see the Warning screen scrolling up. On a white background, there is the blue underlined word "WARNING" in a large futuristic font. Below it is blue Warning text in a Kabel font.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on the company's Australian releases of the era.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Warning
(1986-2004)
Warning: On a white background, blue Warning text scrolls up in a Courier font and in capitals.
FX/SFX: The text scrolling.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Appears on Australian VHS and DVD releases by the company, as well as MGM's Australian releases from 1990 to 2000.
Scare Factor: None.