Paramount Home Media Distruibtion/Warning Screens

1978-June 1980
Warning : We see the warning text on the same blue background as the late 1970s/early 1980s Paramount Home Video logo, which fades to this.

 FX/SFX : The fading from the logo to the warning.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Extremely rare. It can be seen on Betamax releases, as well as a few other VHS releases that have the first Paramount Home Video logo.

Scare Factor : None. In no way is it scary, but it is rather boring.

July 1980-May 10, 1989; 1998
Nicknames : "Acid Trip", "Taste the Rainbow"

 Warning : On a background of changing colors (green, yellow, red, pink, purple, blue, and then green again) [ala 1989-2005 MGM/UA Home Video logo and 1997-2006 Sony Wonder Stay Tuned ID] appears the warning text in white, with large lettering in an ITC Serif Gothic font.

 Variants :
 * An early variant exists where the text is smaller, is in Bauhaus 93, has some punctuation, and is yellow instead of white.
 * A Japanese version also exists. Here, the text has black outlines.
 * On B&W releases such as the 1981 VHS of The Elephant Man, the 1986 VHS of Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back, the 1988 VHS of Hamlet, and the 1989 VHS releases of Wings and A Night to Remember (retained on a 1998 reprint of the latter), the warning is in black and white.

 Cheesy Factor : For the second variant, there is punctuation missing. The first period, the hyphen, and the comma are gone.

 FX/SFX : The changing colors.

 Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : It can be seen on all releases from the era, including Tucker: The Man and His Dream, U2: Rattle and Hum, Top Gun, Children of a Lesser God, The Blue Iguana, and Beverly Hills Cop II. The early variant can be seen on 1980-85 tapes with this warning, such as One-Eyed Jacks, Downhill Racer, Meatballs, Gallagher: The Maddest, some pre-1989 releases of Grease, and 1980s Star Trek releases (with "Paramount HOME VIDEO" on the side, with the Gulf+Westen print mountain logo on the other).

 Scare Factor : Low.

May 17, 1989-present
Warning : Being jarringly cut to from the era's Feature Presentation ID, we see the warning text (in an ITC Korinna font) over a mauve/white gradient wallpaper of Paramount logos (four on the top and bottom, three in the middle).

 Bylines :
 * May 17-late 1989: A Gulf+Western Company
 * Late 1989-1995: A Paramount Communications Company (either in sans serif or the different font used after 1992)
 * 1995-2006: A Viacom Company (in the Viacom \/\/|GG/\-\/\/|GG/\ font)

Trivia :
 * When the DVD variant was introduced, it always made an appearance at the start of Paramount titles. Starting in 2005-06, it was moved to the end, although it still appeared at the front on Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation titles. Besides those, the only title since then that has it at the front is the bonus-features DVD on the 2009 Blu-Ray of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. During the 1999-2002 version's run, it only appeared at the end on four titles: Mission: Impossible II, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Apocalypse Now Redux, and the 2001 Godfather DVD Collection box set (although the latter two used a variation of this particular version; see "Variants" for more on it). Prior to 2005, only one title (the 2003 Indiana Jones box set) had the later version at the end.
 * On the 2006 DVD of Mission: Impossible II, the 1999 DVD version appears on the first disc due to it being a reprint of the original 2001 DVD, while disc 2 uses the 2002 DVD version.

Variants :
 * Later in 1989, the wallpaper's color was changed to a dark blue gradient, and the Paramountains are smaller (with five mountains in the middle row rather than three). At the same time, a shadow effect was applied to the text, while still keeping the ITC Korinna font.
 * An extremely rare variant exists in which the warning text is mostly in lowercase letters and in the Foundation Sans Light font. Its only known appearance is on the 1990 Super VHS of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which on its own is a really tough find.
 * The font of the text was changed to BTC Benguiat Medium in 1995.
 * On DVD releases, the wallpaper would be in a light/dark gray gradient, and would have more warning text as well. A French-language screen usually follows it. This was mainly used from 1999 through 2002 (as well as reprints), though it makes a surprise appearance on all of the 2005 John Wayne Collection DVDs, which are most likely reprints.
 * A special variant of this exists on the 2001 releases of Apocalypse Now Redux and The Godfather DVD Collection (coincidentally, both are Francis Ford Coppola productions) in which the warning fades in and out. The former just has the English-language screen, while on the latter, it crossfades to the French translation before fading out. This variant appears on the same files as the actual movies, but rewinding and fast-forwarding are disabled there as opposed to on the features.
 * A rare variant exists on promotional tapes that asks the viewer to call a certain telephone number and to help prevent video piracy, while also telling them that the VHS is not for resale. The text also scrolls upward. On 1993-95 promotional issues such as the demo tapes of Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, Hostage and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the screener VHS editions of Dragonworld and Arcade, the text is in a different font and the top text says "This videocassette is a promotional copy and shall forever remain the property of Paramount Pictures Corporation", and on the screeners, it comes in a bit late and fades in on the first line. The easiest way to spot a tape with this is to find a Paramount VHS cover with a blue sticker (or red if it's from Canada) telling them that it is a promotional copy, and that the tape has a simple looking label that also says it. Strangely, the 1991 demo VHS of Funny About Love uses the standard warning instead.
 * An incredibly rare variant exists mainly on awards consideration tapes that tells the viewer that the tape is loaned for personal review. This was seen on the screener tape of Alfie (2004). An earlier version of this warning exists that is cut to from the Feature Presentation ID instead of fading in and has differently-arranged warning text. This version was spotted on the screener tape of Rules of Engagement. There may exist a 90th Anniversary variant of this warning, and, if it does, may appear on the awards screener tapes of Paramount films released in 2002, such as Narc.
 * A Canadian version exists, with the word "WARNING " in red, underlined in white, along with modified warning text. Tapes from 1989-1995 use a sans-serif font.
 * There is a version of this warning screen where the text is on a black background. This can be found on a few PBS releases such as the Paramount versions of Teletubbies: Oooh! Springtime Surprises and Magical Moments, Boohbah: Big Windows, Cyberchase: The Snelfu Snafu and Teletubbies: Go! Exercise with the Teletubbies.
 * There is a rare version of this warning where the warning is in a different font and the background is purple. This version can be seen on a few PBS releases from Paramount such as Teletubbies: Again-Again! and Caillou: Caillou at Play.
 * A rare variant exists where the warning screen just fades or cuts in from black. This appears on the VHS of Titanic (Cassette #1), the 1991 VHS of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the 1989 VHS of The Shootist, some Star Trek: The Animated Series tapes, the 1991 Laserdisc of Apocalypse Now, the 1989 Laserdisc of The Naked Gun, some PBS Kids VHS releases distributed by Paramount such as Boohbah: Comfy Armchair (though the promotional version includes includes the "Feature Presentation" ID) and Snowman, Cyberchase: Totally Rad!, an alternate VHS print of The Truman Show, the 1997 releases of The Godfather trilogy, the French Canadian release of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and cassettes of Cheers and Star Trek: The Next Generation (and presumably other Paramount Television shows) released through Columbia House.
 * A variant from 2002 has the wallpaper removed, therefore making the background a plain blue color, while, of course, leaving the warning text in place. This can be seen on the VHS releases that have the 90th Anniversary version of the era's Feature Presentation ID and the 2017 DVD of Despicable Me 3 (which was the first film to use the 2017 Paramount Home Media Distribution logo).
 * An even rarer version that combines the scrolling demo tape text with the 2002 variant background has been spotted on the demo tapes of Hey Arnold!: The Movie, SpongeBob SquarePants: Sea Stories and SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bash!.
 * Starting in 2002, the DVD version background has been changed to solid purple, resembling its 90th Anniversary VHS counterpart more. On TV releases, the logo is in fullscreen and the background is in an eggplant color.
 * A very rare variant can be found on French Canadian tapes from 1995 until about 2001. However, unlike other variants, the warning screen's background is a still image of the beginning of the Feature Presentation ID.
 * Sometimes, the text is spaced. This can be found on wide-screen DVDs.
 * Black-and-white versions of the first two warnings exist on 1989 reprints of Sunset Boulevard, The Desperate Hours, The Delicate Delinquent (all on VHS) and The Courageous Dr. Christian (on Laserdisc), and the 1990 VHS reprint of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
 * On CBS DVD and Blu-Ray releases, a variant exists where the warning text is upon a black background, though the text is either in Arial (on releases such as Mannix: The First Season) or ITC Korinna (on the Blu-Rays of all three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series).

FX/SFX : The jarring cut from the Feature Presentation ID to the warning. For the demo and French Canadian variants, the text scrolls up.

Cheesy Factor : The first version of this warning and the S-VHS variant have the same text layout as the later variant of the previous warning, which lacked some punctuation. When the second variant debuted, only the first period returned. The purple background variant is very ugly, as it looks homemade. Also, there are two grammatical errors in the DVD/Blu-Ray warning; "CONTENTS" shouldn't be plural, and there should be a comma and "and" between the first two sentences, therefore rendering the text as "This video device is licensed for private home viewing only, and any distribution outside, etc.".

 Music/Sounds : None, unless you count the fade out of the Paramount fanfare.

 Music/Sounds Variant : On Descriptive Video Service VHS's, a DVS narrator says the on-screen warning text. Usually, it starts with "Words appear", but on the 1990 and 1993 DVS VHS releases of Top Gun, Wendie Sakakeeny goes right into the warning text.

 Availability : Like the Feature Presentation bumper that preceded it (except when the warning faded in from black), this appeared on all VHS releases from the era. The original variant is the toughest find, but can be found on releases with the Gulf+Western version of the era's FP ID, such as ​Coming to America (on which it and the Coming Attractions and FP IDs first appeared) and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. The later variants are easier to find, and can be found on releases such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, Congo, The Real Macaw, Jade, Blue Chips, Wayne's World, Ghost, all Rugrats VHS releases (excluding Christmas, which has the 90th Anniversary variant), Forrest Gump, Faeries, Dragonworld, Without a Paddle, The First Wives Club, D.A.R.Y.L., and Braveheart. The DVD version was retained on a 2008 Lionsgate reprint of Nobody's Fool, on a double-feature flipper disc with Fat Man and Little Boy.

Scare Factor : None, unless you wish to count the jarring cut from the Feature Presentation ID to the warning. The font of the text on the Gulf+Western and Paramount Communications variants can also creep some out.

1989 (Alternate)
 Nicknames : "Another Acid Trip", "Taste the Rainbow Again"

Warning : On a gradient color-changing background, we see slightly different warning text in white, and in a Times New Roman font.

 FX/SFX : Same as the second warning screen.

 Cheesy Factor : What's so wrong with another reusing of the exact text from all the previous bumpers?

Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : Extremely rare. Spotted on a 1989 VHS release of Star Trek: The Animated Series - Volume Five.

Scare Factor : Low.

1990-1992 (Prism era)
 Warning : Same as the 1984 Prism Entertainment FBI warning.

 FX/SFX : None.

 Cheesy Factor : Everything is badly grainy.

 Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : This appears on Paramount releases co-distributed by Prism Entertainment, such as Aftershock, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, and Red Blooded American Girl.

Scare Factor : Like most warnings in this format, low to medium. The cheap graininess can also unnerve some.

2013-present
 Warning : Same as the 2011 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment FBI Anti-Piracy warning.

 FX/SFX : None.

 Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : Current. Seen on newer Paramount DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs.

 Scare Factor : None.

June 26, 2018-present (Paramount Television Enterprises)
Warning : We see the warning text (in a BTC Benguiat Medium font) over a wallpaper of nine Paramount logos (the logos from Wings, Holiday Inn, The African Queen, Road to Bali, Red Garters, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Shanks, Funny About Love and Young Adult).

Variant : Several blank variations exist and are used as bumpers on CBS.

FX/SFX : None.

 Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : Only seen on programs made by Paramount Television Enterprises such as the Mr. Whiskers and Road Runner Show and The Mr. Whiskers and Tweety Show from CBS and The Loud House: Party Downs (which was the last appearance of the 2016 Paramount Home Media Distribution logo).

Scare Factor : None.

1980-2000
See the CIC Video Warning Screens page for the description.

2000-2001
See the CIC Video Warning Screens page for the description.

2000-present
 Warning : Over a blue wallpaper of Paramount logos appears the standard warning text, which varies depending on the format.
 * VHS: The same warning text from the CIC Video warning in Futura. At the end of VHS releases, there is an expanded warning, which scrolls upward.
 * DVD: The same warning text from the DVD version of the warning screen used in Anglo-America in Helvetica, but with "DVD" replacing "video device".

Variants :
 * Early DVD releases (including the UK DVD release of The Rugrats Movie) have the text in an Arial Narrow font without a border.
 * Of course, the text varies depending on the language.
 * There's also a version with the Paramount 90th Anniversary logos, appearing exclusively on 2002 releases in the UK and Australia.

Trivia : The background is similar to that of the Viacom version of the warning screen used in Anglo-America.

FX/SFX : None, except for the text scrolling in the end-of-tape variant.

 Cheesy Factor : The end-of-release warning has "oil rigs" spelled as "oilrigs," as well as the word "editing" like on the CIC Video, Aries Video and HBO Home Video warnings.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Seen on some Paramount Home Entertainment releases in the UK and other countries. From 2001 to 2003, it was seen on UK VHS releases like Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, Tomb Raider, Save the Last Dance and Blue's Clues videos.

Scare Factor : None.

2003-2006
Warning : The 1986-2003 Paramount Pictures logo animates from the point where the stars are halfway encircling the mountain, and after the byline fades in, it backs away, revealing itself inside a film operating projector. Some filmstrip appears with the word "WARNING" scrolling on it and it moves very much similar to a videotape in a VCR. We see several shots, in sync with the music. We then see one more shot close up to the filmstrip that lasts for the rest of the warning. The same warning text from the previous warning then appears at the bottom in an ITC Coundit font.

 Variant : An end-of-release variant shows the zoomed out filmstrip from a different angle, and has more detailed warning text scrolling upward.

FX/SFX : The filmstrips moving in a possible mix of CGI and live-action.

 Cheesy Factor : Like above, the end-of-release warning says "editing."

Music/Sounds : An excerpt of "Smoko Loco" by Dust Devil plays in the background with the sounds of the projector as background noise. The end-of-release variant only has the projector's sounds.

Music/Sounds Variant : On rental tapes with the hologram label, the music is extended, linking to the Piracy Warning. At the start of the warning screen, a 35mm projector is heard starting up.

Availability : Common in the UK and Ireland.

Scare Factor : Low, as it may startle you the first time that you see it, but it is harmless.

198?-19??
 Warning : On a teal background, we see yellow French-Canadian warning text, after which it cuts to the name of the movie.

 FX/SFX : None, unless you count the cutting.

 Music/Sounds : None.

 Availability : Seen on a 1986 French-Canadian release of Beverly Hills Cop.

 Scare Factor : None to minimal.