"These are the types of movies I am much more likely to buy, rather than more mainstream, bigger budget and more recent fare. I'm sure I am not alone." - Daniel Sample, Midnite Movies fan
"This makes me very sad, I have bought every one of the Midnite Movie DVDs I could find to date. And I absolutely worship anything Vincent Price is in." - Danielle Lazenby, Midnite Movies fan
***************************************
Over a year ago,
DVD Drive-In started an online
petition for Sony to continue MGM's Midnite Movies series after the studio
purchased MGM's film library. We also suggested dozens of possible Midnite Movie
candidates, and the petition has gathered over 4,100+ signatures to date. We
are sad to report that none of the titles on the list are on Sony's current
DVD schedule, and it looks like the Midnite Movies are still in serious trouble.
Last fall, MGM had a number of great Midnite Movies double features on their
schedule, including titles such as WITCHFINDER GENERAL (aka THE CONQUEROR WORM),
BURN, WITCH BURN!, THE BLACK SLEEP and several others. But at the time, Sony
took over MGM and removed all these would-be releases from the schedule. Just
recently, DVD Drive-In contacted the original producer of WITCHFINDER GENERAL,
who assured us that MGM spent much time, effort and money restoring the director's
cut of the film for a future DVD release. He was also lead to believe that WITCHFINDER
GENERAL would be on the October '06 DVD schedule, but recently confirmed, much
to his (and our) disappointment, that the title is NOT on the current schedule.
MGM had produced featurettes for BURN, WITCH BURN!, MASTER OF THE WORLD (both
containing video interviews with screenwriter Richard Matheson) and THE QUATERMASS
XPERIMENT (a video interview with director Val Guest). Will these ever make
it to DVD?! MGM had also done a number of new HD masters for Midnite Movies-type
unreleased titles, but again, Sony has shown no interest in issuing them on
DVD.
Sony has just announced two "pirate" related Midnite Movies double
features to "piggyback" the upcoming sequel to PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.
Although the releases are welcomed, they are anything but "Midnite Movies,"
and their classification as such was basically an afterthought. At this time,
Sony has very little Midnite Movies-wise scheduled for this fall, so it seems
that our continuing efforts have so far proven fruitless.
We did get a response from Sony, who received a large amount of e-mails from
the fans over the last few weeks, and asked that we stop writing since they
now have an answer to our questions about the series. Sony has told us that
"(Sony) do have additional releases planned which they cannot mention as
they haven't been announced yet" and that "(they) just wanted to be
sure we're clear that Midnight Movies are alive and well and they appreciate
our enthusiasm and support for the series." Hopefully, this means we will
get more than several releases a year, but only time will tell.
Here is a list of Midnite Movie candidates which Sony has acquired from MGM. At this writing, NONE of them are on the upcoming release schedule:
THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT
MAN
ANGEL, ANGEL, DOWN WE GO (aka CULT OF THE DAMNED)
ANGELS FROM HELL
THE BAT PEOPLE
BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN
BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1962)
BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER
THE BLACK SLEEP
BLOOD AND LACE
BLOOD BATH
BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW
BLOODY MAMA
BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW
THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE
A BULLET FOR PRETTY BOY
BURN, WITCH, BURN!
THE BURNING
CANNIBAL GIRLS
CAULDRON OF BLOOD
CHATTERBOX
THE CONQUEROR WORM (WITCHFINDER GENERAL)
CREATURE OF DESTRUCTION
THE CRIMSON CULT (aka CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR)
CRUCIBLE OF HORROR (aka THE CORPSE)
CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN
CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE
DAGMAR’S HOT PANTS, INC.
DAUGHTERS OF SATAN
THE DEVIL WITHIN HER (aka I DON’T WANT TO BE BORN)
THE DEVIL’S ANGELS
DIARY OF A MADMAN
THE DIRT GANG
DIRTY O’NEIL
DR. BLOOD’S COFFIN
DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS
THE EVICTORS
THE FLIGHT THAT DISAPPEARED
FOOD OF THE GODS
FUTUREWORLD
GOG
GORATH
THE GLORY STOMPERS
GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE
HANDS OF THE RIPPER
THE HARD RIDE
THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR (aka HORROR HOUSE)
HOLOCAUST 2000 (aka THE CHOSEN)
HOUSE OF 1,000 DOLLS
HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS
THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED
THE HUMAN VAPOR
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN
IN THE YEAR 2889
INVASION (1966)
IT’S A BIKINI WORLD
IT’S ALIVE (1968)
JENNIFER
KILLERS THREE
LADYBUG LADYBUG
THE LAST WAR
LITTLE CIGARS
MAGNETIC MONSTER
THE MANSTER
MARYJANE
MASTER OF THE WORLD
MESSAGE FROM SPACE
THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU
THE NEANDERTHAL MAN
NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT
OCTAMAN
OLD DRACULA (aka VAMPIRA)
THE PEACE KILLERS
THE PHANTOM PLANET
PHAROAH’S CURSE
THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (aka THE CREEPING UNKNOWN)
QUEEN OF BLOOD (aka PLANET OF BLOOD)
THE RAPE SQUAD (aka ACT OF VENGEANCE)
RED PLANET MARS
THE RETURN OF DRACULA
RIOT ON SUNSTET STRIP
THE SAVAGE SEVEN
SAVAGE SISTERS
SEARGANT DEADHEAD
SEVEN (1980)
SCHOOL FOR UNCLAIMED GIRLS
SCORCHY
THE SCREAMING SKULL
SNAKE WOMAN
SPACE PROBE TAURUS (aka SPACE MONSTER)
SUGAR HILL (1974)
SUPERBEAST
THE TIME TRAVELERS
THE TOWN THAT DEADED SUNDOWN
TWINS OF EVIL
UNHOLY ROLLERS
THE VAMPIRE (1957)
VAMPIRE CIRCUS
VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA
VOYAGE INTO SPACE
THE YOUNG RACERS
THE X FROM OUTER SPACE
THE WILD RACERS
YONGARY
If
you have not already signed our petition to save the Midnite Movies, please
do so by clicking HERE.
