VIPCO (Video Instant Picture Company)
Encyclopedia
VIPCO was a UK
based home video distribution company
that specialized in releasing obscure and cult horror films - in particular, low budget Italian and American films produced during the seventies and eighties. It promoted itself as the leading distributor of video nasties
and previously banned films
in the UK.
The company re-emerged in the early 1990s with edited versions of Zombie Flesh Eaters, Horror Hospital uncut and Night of the Demon. Since then, it has released a large number of films on video and DVD including Zombie Flesh Eaters 2, City of the Living Dead
, Cannibal Holocaust
, The Burning, A Blade in the Dark
, Cannibal Ferox
, Cannibal Ferox II, The Nostril Picker
Uncut Edition, Slime City
, The Beyond Uncut, The House by the Cemetery
, The Toolbox Murders
& The Mountain of the Cannibal God
. Many of the titles had previously been cut or rejected by the BBFC, or had never before received a UK release. These films fell under the banner of the "Vipco's Vault of Horror" DVD Collection.
In response to the extreme censorship many of their titles suffered at the hands of the BBFC, Vipco released several titles in Denmark where censorship was not as strict. These imports featured stickers proudly identifying it as the 'STRONG UNCUT VERSION'. In addition to releasing movies which had been censored in the UK they also released titles such as Cannibal Ferox, Cannibal Holocaust, The Driller Killer, I Spit on Your Grave, The New York Ripper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Toolbox Murders and The Toxic Avenger which (aside from The Toxic Avenger) were banned outright in the UK.
In the early 2000s, Vipco also started a Cult Classic DVD Collection, which featured obscure non-horror films such as Bronx Warriors, The Last Hunter
and Gremloids.
With the success of their titles Zombie Flesh Eaters, Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust, VIPCO released several unrelated films as sequels. Massacre in Dinosaur Valley was renamed Cannibal Ferox II, After Death was renamed Zombie Flesh Eaters 3 and Antonio Climati's The Green Inferno was released as Cannibal Holocaust 2.
The company closed in 2007 after 28 years in business.
Many of their DVD's featured the same dated full frame transfers from their earlier VHS releases and no extras, in blatant contradiction of the "Digitally Remastered" banners appearing on the company's DVD packaging.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based home video distribution company
Film distribution
The distribution of a film is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor...
that specialized in releasing obscure and cult horror films - in particular, low budget Italian and American films produced during the seventies and eighties. It promoted itself as the leading distributor of video nasties
Video nasty
"Video nasty" was a colloquial term coined in the United Kingdom by 1982 which originally applied to a number of films distributed on video cassette that were criticized for their violent content by the press, commentators such as Mary Whitehouse and various religious organizations.While violence...
and previously banned films
Banned films
For nearly the entire history of film production, certain films have been banned by film censorship or review organizations for political or moral reasons...
in the UK.
History
In its first incarnation as an independent company founded by Mike Lee in the late seventies, VIPCO was notable for serving the nascent British home video market with early releases for films such as Driller Killer, The Groove Tube, King Frat, The Legacy, Psychic Killer and The Slayer. The company was originally named VIPC, but customers often misread its trademark - the letters VIPC surrounded by a graphic resembling the spools of a video cassette - as 'Vipco', so the company's name was changed soon after their first titles were released.The company re-emerged in the early 1990s with edited versions of Zombie Flesh Eaters, Horror Hospital uncut and Night of the Demon. Since then, it has released a large number of films on video and DVD including Zombie Flesh Eaters 2, City of the Living Dead
City of the Living Dead
City of the Living Dead is an Italian horror film from director Lucio Fulci. It has numerous alternate titles, such as Gates of Hell. It is the first installment of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which also includes The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery. Fulci makes an uncredited cameo...
, 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 Burning, A Blade in the Dark
A Blade in the Dark
A Blade in the Dark but also known by the title House of the Dark Stairway, is a 1983 horror film.-Plot:Bruno, a composer, becomes involved in a series of murders who lives in a villa. In a horror film Bruno is scoring: a young child, taunted by cruel bullies, descends into a dark cellar after a...
, 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"...
, Cannibal Ferox II, The Nostril Picker
The Nostril Picker
The Nostril Picker is a 1993 horror film of the slasher genre. The film stars Carl Zschering as Joe Bukowski, a homicidal maniac who uses his special ability to get close to his female targets. Despite the name, the film plot does not directly revolve around a man who picks his nose...
Uncut Edition, Slime City
Slime City
Slime City is a 1988 cult comedy-horror film, directed by Greg Lamberson and stars Robert Sabin, Mary Huner and Bunny Levine.-Plot:Alex and his girlfriend are looking for an apartment to move into. They then find this nice apartment. Their neighbor seduces Alex while his girlfriend is away. After...
, The Beyond Uncut, The House by the Cemetery
The House by the Cemetery
The House by the Cemetery is a 1981 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci and is the third instalment of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which also includes City of the Living Dead and The Beyond Its plot revolves around a series of murders taking place in a New England...
, The Toolbox Murders
The Toolbox Murders
The Toolbox Murders is a 1978 slasher film starring Cameron Mitchell, Tim Donnelly, Pamelyn Ferdin, and Wesley Eure. It is notorious for its reputation as a video nasty due to its violent murder scenes in the film's first act...
& The Mountain of the Cannibal God
The Mountain of the Cannibal God
The Mountain of the Cannibal God is an Italian cult movie starring Ursula Andress and Stacy Keach with English dialogue that was filmed in Sri Lanka. The film was also widely released as Slave of the Cannibal God and released in the UK as Prisoner of the Cannibal God...
. Many of the titles had previously been cut or rejected by the BBFC, or had never before received a UK release. These films fell under the banner of the "Vipco's Vault of Horror" DVD Collection.
In response to the extreme censorship many of their titles suffered at the hands of the BBFC, Vipco released several titles in Denmark where censorship was not as strict. These imports featured stickers proudly identifying it as the 'STRONG UNCUT VERSION'. In addition to releasing movies which had been censored in the UK they also released titles such as Cannibal Ferox, Cannibal Holocaust, The Driller Killer, I Spit on Your Grave, The New York Ripper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Toolbox Murders and The Toxic Avenger which (aside from The Toxic Avenger) were banned outright in the UK.
In the early 2000s, Vipco also started a Cult Classic DVD Collection, which featured obscure non-horror films such as Bronx Warriors, The Last Hunter
The Last Hunter
The Last Hunter is a 1980 Italian "macaroni combat" war film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring David Warbeck.-Plot:Following the suicide of his best friend, Captain Harry Morris accepts a final deadly mission to go behind enemy lines to destroy a radio tower that is broadcasting...
and Gremloids.
With the success of their titles Zombie Flesh Eaters, Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust, VIPCO released several unrelated films as sequels. Massacre in Dinosaur Valley was renamed Cannibal Ferox II, After Death was renamed Zombie Flesh Eaters 3 and Antonio Climati's The Green Inferno was released as Cannibal Holocaust 2.
The company closed in 2007 after 28 years in business.
Criticisms Of VIPCO
Many viewers were disappointed with the low quality of the discs in relation to the relatively high price they sold for.Many of their DVD's featured the same dated full frame transfers from their earlier VHS releases and no extras, in blatant contradiction of the "Digitally Remastered" banners appearing on the company's DVD packaging.
External links
- VIPCO home page Link is broken
- An archive of VIPCO releases and a history of the company under construction