I’ve been a fan of horror since I was a kid. I remember
spending many Sunday and Saturday afternoons catching monster flicks like
Frankenstein, Godzilla and King Kong on television. They have been a part of me
since Kindergarten. The home video boom hit me in the 1980’s. We had one VCR in
the household and that was sufficient until my brother bought one. For what
reasons I can’t really remember but that purchase started my movie collection.
I would rent movies from the local mom and pop video store and make a copy for
my personal collection. As my obsession grew so did my knowledge of all sorts
of different horror films, especially those from Europe. Films from directors such as Dario Argento,
Lucio Fulci and Mario Bava were hard to come by and when I did find them, they
were normally edited versions. I remember seeing Unsane (1982 aka Tenebrae) for
the first time. I had a heck of a time tracking this Argento film down. I
adored it upon the first viewing! I loved all the stylized violence and
cinematography. I then discovered it was missing footage and there were no
uncut version available through retail vendors. I wondered if I would ever see
the film in the form that Argento meant it to be seen.
Then one day I saw an ad in the back of Fangoria magazine
for a mail order VHS company called Midnight Video. The ad said they
specialized in UNCUT horror so I sent off for a catalogue. This started my
journey into a whole new realm of horror film discovery. Within the pages of
that Midnight Video catalogue were listings for films that were already on my
shelf but in truncated form. There were film titles I had never heard of and
many that I had only read about. After much perusing of the pages I finally
decided that I would shell out my hard earned cash on Midnight’s Japanese print
of Tenebrae. I was ecstatic when the UPS man delivered it to my doorstep.
Finally I was able to see a Letterboxed version of this film in all its uncut
glory! There was no packaging on the tape itself. It was housed in the Maxwell
Industrial slipcase that it came in from Midnight’s vendor and the tape itself
was adorned with a spine label and front label with the name of the film, its
date and alias. I felt a little disappointed until I popped it in the VCR and
watched it. A beautiful print it was. The quality was near perfect and mind you
this was before DVD or Blu Ray. Many of Midnight's titles were sourced from Japanese laserdisc releases so that right there was a nice improvement over what most mail order companies were offering. No one could beat Midnight's quality!
As my interest in European horror films grew so did my shelf
of VHS titles. Midnight Video introduced me to the films of Paul Naschy, Jess
Franco and Amando de Ossorio, absurd Italian gore films such as
Antropophagus(1980), impossible to find titles such as La Venganza De La Momia(1973)
and Spanish sleaze such as Los Ritos Sexuales Del Diablo (1982). Midnight Video
was also an introduction to genre actors Helga Line, Jack Taylor, Lina Romay
and more. For me, Midnight Video opened the floodgates to a plethora of films
that have become staples to my video diet for many years after I was introduced
to them.
As video technology progressed and gave birth to the DVD
format, Midnight Video was able to follow suit and offer DVDR versions of their
titles. There was nice artwork on these early DVDR releases which included the
artwork from original poster art. It was a nice change of pace compared to the
bare bones VHS releases. As always Midnight Video offered the best print
quality that was out there and truly uncut versions of their titles. This also
ushered in a new digital era where Midnight Video launched their own website
and stopped printing catalogs. If you happen to have one keep a hold of it
because there are none left. The Midnight Video website offered an easy way to
order the obscure titles you were looking for plus offered a section of the site
dedicated to informing collectors of what was available out in the retail
world. Many titles were being released by other DVD companies now that there
was an ever growing interest in European horror and exploitation film. Many
companies were claiming to offer uncut versions of these films but sadly some
of the prints used were not truly uncut. Midnight Video offered a very detailed
comparison of what footage was missing from certain titles and if they were
presented in their correct aspect ratio. Midnight now offered more than just a
place to buy obscure Eurohorror but also a place to learn more about the films
themselves.
Finally in 2010 Midnight Video did something I did not
expect. They ceased to be! Midnight Video became Midnight Legacy. No longer was
there a website offering DVDRs of hard to find titles but a true blue DVD and
Blu Ray retail company. The first title they have made available is the 1980
Italian schlock fest Alien 2: On Earth. Midnight Legacy’s first release is
presented in its correct 1:85:1 aspect ratio and features a gorgeous high
definition transfer from 35mm original footage plus additional extra footage.
The release also features some outtakes and a trailer for the film, a crowning
achievement indeed for Midnight Legacy. You can drop by their website and check
it out! www.midnight-legacy.com
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