Something Weird Video
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| - | '''Something Weird Video''' is an [[American publisher]] of video tapes and DVDs, based in [[Seattle, Washington]]. They specialize in [[exploitation film]], particularly the works of [[Harry Novak]], [[Doris Wishman]], [[David F. Friedman]], and [[Herschell Gordon Lewis]]. The strange videos are available [[on demand]] exclusively to [[Comcast Corporation|Comcast]] subscribers. | + | {{short description|American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington}} |
| + | {{Infobox company | ||
| + | |name = Something Weird Video | ||
| + | |type = Private | ||
| + | |genre = [[Exploitation film|Exploitation]] | ||
| + | |foundation = 1990 | ||
| + | |founder = Mike Vraney | ||
| + | |location_city = [[Seattle, Washington]] | ||
| + | |location_country = United States | ||
| + | |area_served = Worldwide | ||
| + | |industry = [[Film]] | ||
| + | |products = [[VHS]], [[DVD]], [[Blu-ray Disc]] | ||
| + | |services = [[Film distributor|Film distribution]] | ||
| + | |homepage = [http://www.somethingweird.com/ somethingweird.com] | ||
| + | }} | ||
| - | The owner of the business, Mike Vraney, was inspired by his teenage job as a theater [[projectionist]]. His love for the obscure films that never made it to video fueled him to transfer hundreds of ancient reels of film to video and now onto DVD. He and his wife Lisa have the largest archive of weird films in the world. | + | '''Something Weird Video''' is an American [[film distributor]] company based in [[Seattle, Washington]]. They specialize in [[exploitation film|exploitation]] [[B movie|B]] to [[Z movie|Z]] films, particularly the works of [[Boxoffice International Pictures|Harry Novak]], [[Doris Wishman]], [[David F. Friedman]] and [[Herschell Gordon Lewis]]. |
| + | ==Inspiration== | ||
| + | The company is named after Lewis' 1967 film ''[[Something Weird (film)|Something Weird]]'', and the logo is taken from that film's original poster art. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | Something Weird Video was founded in 1990 by Mike Vraney in [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]. He was inspired by his teenage job as a theater [[projectionist]]. His love for the obscure films that never made it to video prompted him to transfer hundreds of ancient reels of film to VHS videotape and DVD. On the company website, Vraney explains the label's genesis: | ||
| + | |||
| + | <blockquote>In my mind, the last great genre to be scavenged were the exploitation / sexploitation films of the 1920s through the 1970s. After looking into this further, I realized that there were nearly 2,000 movies out there yet to be discovered. So with this for inspiration, my quest began and wouldn't you know, just out of the blue I fell into a large collection of [[16 mm film|16 mm]] girlie arcade loops (which became the first compilation videos we put together). Around the same time I received an unexpected phone call that suddenly made all this real: my future and hands-down the king of sexploitation Dave Friedman was on the other end of the line. This would be the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship for both of us. Dave's films became the building blocks for our film collection and he has taught and guided me through the wonderful world of sexploitation, introducing me to his colleagues (Dan Sonney, Harry Novak, H. G. Lewis, Bob Cresse and all the other colorful characters who were involved during his heyday) and they've been eager to dive into the business again. | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
| + | |||
| + | On January 2, 2014, Vraney died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. The company continues under the leadership of Vraney's widow, Lisa Petrucci. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Content== | ||
| + | The content offered by Something Weird runs the gamut of exploitation cinema. Subgenres offered include films centering on [[burlesque]] and [[striptease]] shows, [[nudist]] exposes and features, drug and [[driver's education]] shorts, [[stag film|stag]] and [[peepshow]] loops, [[Softcore pornography|softcore]] and [[Hardcore pornography|hardcore]] shorts and features, [[horror film|horror]], particularly [[splatter film|splatter]] films, [[sword-and-sandal]] spectaculars, [[spaghetti westerns]], trailer compilations such as the ''Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-O-Rama Show'', TV rarities, jungle films and films featuring all-black casts. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Something Weird initially offered their product on VHS with colorful covers using the original film artwork. In 1999 they made the transition to DVD, partnering with [[Image Entertainment]] to release their titles. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Something Weird's videos are available [[Video on demand|on demand]] to [[Comcast Corporation|Comcast]] subscribers. Among the series of titles within their library are ''Kid's Commercials from the [[Golden Age of Television]]'', ''Hey Folks It's Intermission Time'' and ''[[Camp (style)|Campy]] [[Educational film|Classroom Classics]]''. There are also several titles available for streaming on [[Netflix]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Something Weird also offers a line called ''Sexy Shockers''. These films are selected by cult film director [[Frank Henenlotter]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Distributors of Something Weird titles include Odeon Entertainment in the U.K. and Siren Visual Entertainment in [[Australia]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Select releases== | ||
| + | Something Weird has issued some very notable films, including: | ||
| + | |||
| + | *''[[Basket Case (film)|Basket Case]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Blood Feast]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Wizard of Gore]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Jail Bait (1954 film)|Jail Bait]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Teaserama]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Murder a la Mod]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Wild Guitar]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Violent Years]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Wild Women of Wongo]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Teen-Age Strangler]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Horrors of Spider Island]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Atomic Brain]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Magic Christmas Tree]]'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[The Criterion Collection]] | ||
| + | *[[Shout Factory]] | ||
| + | *''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' | ||
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Revision as of 06:20, 18 May 2024
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Here in your hands is a whole world of film that just a few short years ago was considered lost or worth less. The industry that produced and distributed these films had long since vanished and there was no sign of the men who actually created these bottom of the barrel celluloid wonders. That is until now. Five years ago Something Weird Video was started with the idea of releasing films that had never been on video. In my mind, the last great genre to be scavenged were the exploita- tion/sexploitation films of the 30's through the 70's. After looking into this further, | realized that there were nearly 2,000 movies out there yet to be discovered. So with this for inspiration, my quest began and wouldn't you know, just out of the blue | fell into a large collection of 16mm girlie arcade loops (which became the first compilation videos we put together!) Around the same time | received an unexpected phone call that suddenly made all this real - my future mentor and hands-down the king of sexploitation Dave Friedman was on the other end of the line - this would be the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship for both of us. Dave's films became the building blocks for our film collection and he has taught and guided me through the wonderful world of sexploitation - introducing me to his colleagues (Dan Sonney, Harry Novak, H.G. Lewis, Bob Cresse, and all the other colorful characters who were involved during his heyday) and they've been eager to dive in to the business again. (And initially, most are shocked that anyone is even interested in this stuff to begin with!) The next major accomplishment was figuring out a way to get these films onto video. Jimmy Maslon of QC Video (also owns the H.G. Lewis and Doris Wishman collections) solved this problem when he and his lab took on the responsibility of transferring the thousands of 35mm prints and negatives we've collected, making the highest quality videos of these titles available anywhere (to satisfy our growing and demanding collector base.) Very early on in this business, | decided that full-color packaging was the only way to go. Besides looking really cool all lined up together, it was important to use the original ad art (as abrasive as it can be sometimes) to capture that special sleazy quality of Main Street USA. Every racy and taboo subject known to man can be found in this catalog. Consider it as one-stop shopping for all your exploitation/sexploitation/world of the weird indulgences. The true video nut need not look any further than here! The future looks bright for us with over 1,500 films left to find, cable and television opportunities, CD Roms, and all the other endless possibilities out there. We're well on our way to being in your lives for years to come. So, enjoy this labor of love and start collecting the most amazing and weirdest films of all-time. Perhaps this is the ultimate exploitation/sexploitation reference guide ever! Stay Sick, Mike Vraney |
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Template:Short description Template:Infobox company
Something Weird Video is an American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Contents |
Inspiration
The company is named after Lewis' 1967 film Something Weird, and the logo is taken from that film's original poster art.
History
Something Weird Video was founded in 1990 by Mike Vraney in Seattle. He was inspired by his teenage job as a theater projectionist. His love for the obscure films that never made it to video prompted him to transfer hundreds of ancient reels of film to VHS videotape and DVD. On the company website, Vraney explains the label's genesis:
In my mind, the last great genre to be scavenged were the exploitation / sexploitation films of the 1920s through the 1970s. After looking into this further, I realized that there were nearly 2,000 movies out there yet to be discovered. So with this for inspiration, my quest began and wouldn't you know, just out of the blue I fell into a large collection of 16 mm girlie arcade loops (which became the first compilation videos we put together). Around the same time I received an unexpected phone call that suddenly made all this real: my future and hands-down the king of sexploitation Dave Friedman was on the other end of the line. This would be the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship for both of us. Dave's films became the building blocks for our film collection and he has taught and guided me through the wonderful world of sexploitation, introducing me to his colleagues (Dan Sonney, Harry Novak, H. G. Lewis, Bob Cresse and all the other colorful characters who were involved during his heyday) and they've been eager to dive into the business again.
On January 2, 2014, Vraney died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. The company continues under the leadership of Vraney's widow, Lisa Petrucci.
Content
The content offered by Something Weird runs the gamut of exploitation cinema. Subgenres offered include films centering on burlesque and striptease shows, nudist exposes and features, drug and driver's education shorts, stag and peepshow loops, softcore and hardcore shorts and features, horror, particularly splatter films, sword-and-sandal spectaculars, spaghetti westerns, trailer compilations such as the Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-O-Rama Show, TV rarities, jungle films and films featuring all-black casts.
Something Weird initially offered their product on VHS with colorful covers using the original film artwork. In 1999 they made the transition to DVD, partnering with Image Entertainment to release their titles.
Something Weird's videos are available on demand to Comcast subscribers. Among the series of titles within their library are Kid's Commercials from the Golden Age of Television, Hey Folks It's Intermission Time and Campy Classroom Classics. There are also several titles available for streaming on Netflix.
Something Weird also offers a line called Sexy Shockers. These films are selected by cult film director Frank Henenlotter.
Distributors of Something Weird titles include Odeon Entertainment in the U.K. and Siren Visual Entertainment in Australia.
Select releases
Something Weird has issued some very notable films, including:
- Basket Case
- Blood Feast
- The Wizard of Gore
- Jail Bait
- Teaserama
- Murder a la Mod
- Wild Guitar
- The Violent Years
- The Wild Women of Wongo
- Teen-Age Strangler
- The Horrors of Spider Island
- The Atomic Brain
- The Magic Christmas Tree
See also
