Canfield here with a subject near and dear to my heart. MGM has released some dynamite movies through it's Midnite Movies moniker but as this post suggests that may be a thing of the past. If you have any love for older genre films- particularly scifi horror or fantasy you should read the following. It was passed on to me by desperately devoted horror geek Tim Sullivan, director of 2001 Maniacs and the upcoming Driftwood.
Of all the films listed here some of the ones I'd give my left arm to Dr. Frankensteinfor would be Burn Witch Burn
The Conquerer Worm (aka Witchfinder General), Food of the Gods, Little Cigars, Master of the World, Old Dracula, The Quatermass Xperiment, The Time Travellers and Vampire Circus.
Here's what Tim sent me-
"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.
Sony must be informed that a niche for these kinds of films does indeed exist. I urge everyone who reads this who wants the Midnite Movies series to continue as it should, write to Chris Franchino, who manages MGM catalog marketing, at
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and David Bishop at
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, who heads the MGM DVD department at Sony. There's no doubt that when writing e-mails to them, you should be stern about how you feel about the series and what needs to be released, but we advise you keep it well-written, polite and professional.
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."