Grindhouse Releasing
Encyclopedia
Grindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based cult film
distribution company owned by director/actor Sage Stallone
and headed up by film editor Bob Murawski
(who most often works with film director Sam Raimi
). The Grindhouse Releasing team digitally re-masters, restores, and puts together bonus materials and video documentaries for their cult film
DVDs which they distribute on the Ryko label.
Grindhouse Releasing focuses on the distribution of rare and little-seen independent cult and "exploitation films." "Exploitation film" is a sub-genre of films that typically sacrifice traditional notions of artistic merit for more sensationalist uses of violence, sex or gore, and where the emphasis is on the style and independent filmmakers' point-of-view.
Grindhouse Releasing was the first company to digitally remaster and restore cult classic horror
films such as: Make Them Die Slowly (aka Cannibal Ferox
and Lucio Fulci's spaghetti-horror masterpiece, E tu vivrai nel terrore (aka The Beyond) as well as the notorious cult classic, Cannibal Holocaust
. The company is also doing a small theatrical re-release of the Sam Raimi
cult classic, The Evil Dead
.
Grindhouse Releasing has been called the "Criterion" of horror film distribution, employing the highest standards for quality and deluxe bonus materials on their DVD releases. Grindhouse releases on the Ryko/Warner Electra Assylum label. WEA is an industry acclaimed, culturally based, award-winning independent distributor of DVD theatrical works representing a roster of studios including the works of filmmaker David Lynch
, Troma, and Rhino Home Video.
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
distribution company owned by director/actor Sage Stallone
Sage Stallone
Sage Moonblood Stallone is an American actor, director, producer and writer.-Early life:Stallone is the son of Sasha Czack and actor Sylvester Stallone. He is the brother of Seargeoh Stallone, and half-brother of Sistine, Sophia and Scarlet Stallone. His uncle is actor/singer Frank Stallone and...
and headed up by film editor Bob Murawski
Bob Murawski
Bob Murawski is an American film editor as well as a film distributor of cult horror and independent films under the "Box Office Spectaculars" and "Grindhouse Releasing" labels. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award, BAFTA, and A.C.E. awards for "Best Film Editing" on the feature film, The Hurt...
(who most often works with film director Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
). The Grindhouse Releasing team digitally re-masters, restores, and puts together bonus materials and video documentaries for their cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
DVDs which they distribute on the Ryko label.
Grindhouse Releasing focuses on the distribution of rare and little-seen independent cult and "exploitation films." "Exploitation film" is a sub-genre of films that typically sacrifice traditional notions of artistic merit for more sensationalist uses of violence, sex or gore, and where the emphasis is on the style and independent filmmakers' point-of-view.
Grindhouse Releasing was the first company to digitally remaster and restore cult classic horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
films such as: Make Them Die Slowly (aka Cannibal Ferox
Cannibal Ferox
Cannibal Ferox, also known as Make Them Die Slowly, is a 1981 Italian exploitation film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi. Upon its release, the film made claims to being "The most violent film ever made"...
and Lucio Fulci's spaghetti-horror masterpiece, E tu vivrai nel terrore (aka The Beyond) as well as the notorious cult classic, Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
. The company is also doing a small theatrical re-release of the Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
cult classic, The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
.
Grindhouse Releasing has been called the "Criterion" of horror film distribution, employing the highest standards for quality and deluxe bonus materials on their DVD releases. Grindhouse releases on the Ryko/Warner Electra Assylum label. WEA is an industry acclaimed, culturally based, award-winning independent distributor of DVD theatrical works representing a roster of studios including the works of filmmaker David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, Troma, and Rhino Home Video.
Grindhouse Releasing distributions
| Film Title | Director | Original Release Date | Grindhouse Re-release Date(s) | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An American Hippie in Israel (aka Ha-Trempist) |
Amos Sefer | 1972 | (Screening Theatrically / DVD TBA) | |
| Gone with the Pope Gone with the Pope Gone with the Pope is a 1976 independent film written, directed and produced by Italian-American crooner-actor Duke Mitchell that was first released in 2010 by Grindhouse Releasing.-Plot:... (aka Kiss the Ring) |
Duke Mitchell Duke Mitchell Duke Mitchell was an American film actor, slapstick comedian, crooner and independent film director. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around Palm Springs, California and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs."-Early life and career:Mitchell was born Dominic Miceli in Farrell,... |
1975 | (Screening Theatrically) | Never-before-released film from director of Massacre Mafia Style *Official Selection - 2010 Stockholm Film Festival, *Official Selection - 2010 George Eastman George Eastman George Eastman was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream... /Eastman House George Eastman House The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and... /Kodak-Eastmanhouse Rochester 360/365 Film Festival (Rochester, NY) |
| Cannibal Holocaust Cannibal Holocaust Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution... |
Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato is an Italian film director and screen writer, best known for directing violent and gory horror films. Deodato is infamous for his 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust.- Biography :... |
1979 | October 2005 (Limited edition, only 11,111 copies available) 2nd re-release on DVD: 2008 |
On Ryko label |
| Cannibal Ferox Cannibal Ferox Cannibal Ferox, also known as Make Them Die Slowly, is a 1981 Italian exploitation film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi. Upon its release, the film made claims to being "The most violent film ever made"... (aka Make them Die Slowly) |
Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi , is an Italian film director who was very active in low budget crime films, peplums, spaghetti westerns, war movies, cannibal films and giallo murder mysteries .... |
1980 | LD: 1997; VHS: 1999: DVD: July 2000 (on Ryko label) |
|
| The Beyond (aka E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà) |
Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his directorial work on gore films, including Zombie and The Beyond , although he made films in genres as diverse as giallo, western, and comedy... |
1981 | October 2000 (Limited edition tin, only 20,000 copies available) |
In association with Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Pictures Rolling Thunder Pictures was a short-lived film distribution company, set up under Miramax Films by Quentin Tarantino, that was headed by Jerry Martinez and Tarantino. It specialized on releasing independent, cult, or foreign films to theaters.... /Miramax on Anchor Bay Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,... label |
Box Office Spectaculars Distributions (in Association with Grindhouse)
| Film Title | Director | Original Release Date | B.O.S. Re-release Date(s) | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Drink Your Blood I Drink Your Blood I Drink Your Blood is a cult horror film originally released in 1970. The film was written and directed by David E. Durston, produced by Jerry Gross, and starred Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury and Lynn Lowry .... (aka Hydro-Phobia) |
David E. Durston David E. Durston David E. Durston is an American screenwriter and film director best known for directing the Charles Manson-inspired cult classic drive-in horror exploitation film, I Drink Your Blood, which was released in 1970.... |
1970 | 1st release on DVD: 2000; 2nd release on DVD: 2006 |
1st DVD release in association with Fangoria Fangoria Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band... ; 2nd DVD release on Ryko label |
| Pieces (aka Mil gritos tiene la noche) |
Juan Piquer Simón Juan Piquer Simón Juan Piquer Simón was a Spanish film director most well known for directing the cult classic horror exploitation films, Pieces and Slugs: The Movie .... |
1982 | 1st release on DVD: October 2008 | On Ryko label |
| Cat in the Brain A Cat in the Brain Cat in the Brain is a 1990 Italian horror-slasher film written and directed by Italian horror filmmaker Lucio Fulci.... |
Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his directorial work on gore films, including Zombie and The Beyond , although he made films in genres as diverse as giallo, western, and comedy... |
1990 | LD: 1998; DVD (Deluxe Edition): March 2009 | On Ryko label |