'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS' is proud to present the ultra-rare and super-obscure Brit-horror double-bill from forgotten director Michael J Murphy, "INVITATION TO HELL" & "THE LAST NIGHT"!

Made in 1982 and released in 1983, this double-bill has rarely been seen since. Video releases have been few and far between and more often than not unlicensed from the director and thus illegal. Adding insult to injury, the director has never received a penny from any of the handful of video releases over the years and such releases have split up the double-bill, choosing to release only "INVITATION TO HELL" and leaving "THE LAST NIGHT" out of the mix. Awful quality transfers of cut prints have also caused the films to be ignored...

But 'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS' aims to rectify these mistakes. Working alongside the director, 'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS' has tried to ensure that existing materials have been cleaned up as much as possible as well as having the director on board to help create bonus materials that aim to entertain as well as inform.

For the first time since its original 'Scorpio Video' release in the UK back in 1983, Michael J Murphy's original double-bill will be available to the public. Not only that, but it will be available FULLY UNCUT for the very first time EVER, reinstating material previously cut from even that original release!

For more information on 'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS'' first DVD release, please visit us at:

http://www.sarcophilousfilms.com

Read about how 'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS' came to be and where it hopes to go as well as get more info on this first DVD release. A full list of what can be expected on this first DVD release is available on the home-page as well as a trailer for the double-bill (newly created by the director), contact info, etc.

My fellow Cinehounds will hopefully be proud to be the breeding ground for some of the most exciting and adventurous DVD labels of the present and future, what with the likes of ONAR FILMS and SARCOPHILOUS FILMS rubbing shoulders! And rightly so! Here's to the independent spirit of the Cinehounds!

I don't know anything about him or them, Wayne, but I for one will def. check this release out!


Jack

WOW !! Great news my friend! And what a name...'SARCOPHILOUS FILMS' B)

I wish you good luck and Cinehound Forum will be always here to support you :D

In fact I don't know the movies too, but trailers look great and I find IMDb info:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614543/

I'm sure for a great release B)

Thanks guys! We are looking forward to this first release and have a nice slate of future releases to choose from too, including further films from Michael J. Murphy and possibly some Italian treasures too! B)

But we are not looking beyond this initial DVD release at this point. It is important to us to ensure we give this our utmost attention. This release, as well as every release that we (hopefully) work on, should be afforded the utmost respect and is deserving of being treated like an only child!

Expecting a November release for "INVITATION TO HELL" & "THE LAST NIGHT"...

Wayne, what is your input (or position) in this company?


Jack

wow, I have the old 'scorpion' uk double bill for these flix...
I must dig the tape out and watch it again.... although, that could be dangerous as I
clearly remember nearly choking to death from laughing while watching both THE LAST NIGHT and INVITATION TO HELL.
A similar reaction befell me while viewing another clunky uk 'shocker' called THE COMIC the same night....
aww, the beer soaked memories :lol:

Thanks for the questions and responses.

Firstly, my role/input in this company is that of partner. That is the basic position, if you like, i occupy within the company. Me and my good friend Clive (a fellow Cinehound of yours) are partners in this venture. He is the money man and i am the 'chaser' i guess you could say. Not that our roles can be summed up so easily in that way. Clive is not just a guy funding this. He is working his ass off as much as me to ensure we get a great release out. I put together the deal as far as getting Michael J Murphy interested in doing a DVD release for these films, acquiring the worldwide rights, arranging contracts, helping supervise transfers, coming up with ideas for the release and how to market it, putting together bonus materials, etc. Mike has been a real trooper in getting stuck in with this release. He personally created the anamorphic masters, cleaned them up as much as time would allow amidst his other work, created trailers, shot a short 'making-of' documentary, provided stacks of original photos from the productions as well as poster materials and other cool stuff. He even sat and recorded a commentary for both films. I ensured that the masters were up to the standard that our budget and Mike's time would allow, talked Mike into allowing THE LAST NIGHT to be released also as he was not keen and wanted another film to accompany INVITATION TO HELL on the release. I felt we should keep the original double-bill together to preserve it on digital format and much discussion resulted in a mutual and happy agreement to do so. The image gallery has turned out very nice also with hours and hours of non-stop scanning of original stills proving to be worth the time and effort. Mike's reluctance to do a commentary track (because of a slight nervousness about sitting and chatting about these old films) was also turned around to where he was happy to sit and chat about them and the featurette plays well also with some really relaxed chat and hilarious anecdotes!
My work at this point is almost done. I am awaiting on just 2 more items from Mike to add to the image gallery and then the commentary tracks, image gallery and featurette will be in Clive's hands. Other than handling the funding of the release, Clive will be authoring the disc. Menus and sub-menus will be created, sleeve design and just about everything else to put everything together will be on Clive's part. He will take the goods and put them together into a whole, creating the actual DVD of what Mike and myself have been working to pull together on.
We are hoping for and expecting a release sometime in November...

And, yes...the double-bill is a pure beer-drinking, after-the-pub-has-shut type of affair, something sorely missing in today's market! But you need to see the fully UNCUT version we are putting out so you can appreciate them as originally intended, yet never before seen. The full heart-ripping scene is here in ALL its gory glory!

Hey Wayne,
That all sounds just brilliant. I hope it all goes well for you, from what you're telling us you sure have put in a great deal of work on this release. I seem to remember not long after I had joined here you were talking about how you had no money, were only buying dvd-r's, stayed at home with your kid, and seemed slightly unhappy with the lack of being able to do stuff (maybe I'm completely in the wrong here). But anyway, it seems like things are going the right way. I for one will surely buy your release (not just to support but simply cos it looks rad!). Where abouts in the UK are you (no, I'm not gonna pop round, too far away anyway, I'm just curious)?


Jack

I'm based in Gloucestershire...

To be honest, i was always a little down about never having enough money to do stuff with my family and always havign money problems. Also, having alot of my so-called friends not bother with me when i became a dad or just turn into assholes really bothered me at first too. But that 5 years was awesome, nonetheless. Raising my son at home from the age of 3 months until he went to school was THE greatest time of my life, hands-down. I wouldn't change that time for all the money, success and fun times in the world!

But, yeah, it's nice to finally realise one of one's dreams and even better if it means a friend gets to realise their dream also. That is what happened with SARCOPHILOUS FILMS. I thought i would run the idea of releasing some of Mike Murphy's films on DVD past my good mate Clive as i knew he had always wanted to set up his own DVD label and Mike seemed very happy to help us out with a good deal that could get us started. Clive jumped at the chance to pump some money and energy into the venture and i was more than happy to pump some energy and time into the release myself. Mike also helped, doing a great deal of work on improving the source materials' quality and digging out various stuff for us to use. Also, recording commentaries, making a featurette and putting together trailers. So, it worked out really well and we only hope now that this first release will be well received...

I have had some nice feedback and words of support concerning SARCOPHILOUS FILMS and the 'in-progress' first DVD release and i just wanted to say thankyou to those who have expressed such interest and kind words.

Also, i have been asked about whether it is possible to pre-order and how to go about ensuring purchase of one of the 50 signed editions. All i can say at this time is that pre-orders are not possible but that pre-ordering will no doubt be factored in over the coming weeks. The 50 signed editions will be sold exclusively through the SARCOPHILOUS FILMS website, so keep yourselves acquainted with the site regularly for any updates on progress and pre-orders, etc.

:)

A few specially adjusted, crimson-tinted images culled from the INVITATION TO HELL/THE LAST NIGHT dvd slideshow...

"INVITATION TO HELL"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008

"INVITATION TO HELL"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008

"THE LAST NIGHT"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008

"THE LAST NIGHT"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008

"THE LAST NIGHT"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008


"THE LAST NIGHT"



Copyright: SARCOPHILOUS FILMS RELEASING, 2008


(All images are copyrighted and may not be used without the permission of the rights owner. For any further information on SARCOPHILOUS FILMS and this release, please visit www.sarcophilousfilms.com )

Check the 'Future Releases' section of our website (www.sarcophilousfilms.com) for info on the next titles we will be working on. Truncated versions of reviews are available for each (reviews that will appear in full in Massimo Lavagnini's book) as well as potential specs and trailers for your perusal!

Wayne, New member to Cinehound and I was pointed in the direction of this double bill and wondered if they will be UK releases ?

Worked with Mike on a few films and good to see someone picking up on his years of effort and resilience. I would imagine the rights issues to his films are a minefield ! Hope it pays off for you and you can make a stand for other "ripped off by the man" film makers.

cant wait! B)

Hi Steve!

Good to hear from you...and nice to have your support behind us!

Unfortunately, the DVDs won't be having a UK release. Not at this point anyway. The fees for submitting each film, trailer, featurette, commentary tracks, etc. to the BBFC for a certificate, while not prohibitive as such, is just too costly at this stage of the game for us. So, we will be releasing it in an ultra-limited edition of just 1,000 numbered copies wordwide, Region Free and NTSC format. But we have the lease on the worldwide rights for a few years to come so hopefully, if the label grows over the next couple of years, maybe we will return to it and give it a release in the UK to capitalise on the pre-cert interest. It deserves to have an official release for its home country...
But for now, the 1,000 piece release is our only plans for it. It will be a 25th Anniversary Special Edition with some nice extras...we just hope people want it enough...

Nice to have you on here Steve. Feel free to contact me via personal message or email anytime. Maybe we can discuss something for future releases as far as you adding your voice to these neglected gems...

Welcome to the forum, stevelongh :)

Wayne, in fact I'm happy you'll avoid the BBFC cuts. This was an extra risk, don't you think? Or they don't do this anymore? :unsure:

Nah...the BBFC are very lenient these days. The double-bill would not suffer cuts. No gamble there at all. Hell, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT has just been re-released here on DVD in a 3-Disc set uncut by the BBFC for the first time ever! AND the set has cut footage not available on the extras of any other version...footage that has not been seen in decades! The BBFC are very lenient these days. Porn gets cut quite a bit as they don't like the choking, slapping, women talking as though they are young girls, etc. But alot of very contentious films get passed uncut these days...

But, by law, you HAVE to submit your release. In the USA you can go the unrated route on DVD and it is 100% legal. Over here, that is not possible. There is no 'unrated' option. If you tried that your DVDs would be confiscated and destroyed, your masters destroyed, and you would be heavily fined to the tune of £25,000+ and face a jail term!
So, even if my film was 'PG' level violence and i thought i would just slap an '18' on it to cover my ass...it would not be legal and they would hunt you down and take you to court over it...so hundreds of £££ in BBFC fees is required for them to accept your film for classification purposes to be viewed by their board. Same goes for every trailer, featurette, etc.

So, seeing as we don't need to pay any classification submission fees in America and Canada, we figured we may as well go with the release from there. People in the UK will pick it up no doubt anyway...

By the way...#666 has another amazing gift that will round out the exclusive package for this Ebay-only auction item! It will be announced on the website very soon...just ironing out the details before making the announcement!

We are almost there! Some authoring issues and sleeve art issues that have been bugging us are finally being laid to rest and the delay should not be much longer.

Updates on the release date will be available via our website in the coming few days, as will the official sleeve art AND the final amazing giveaway that will be the property of the lucky winner of the special #666 numbered copy!

Keep those eyes peeled over the next few days!

www.sarcophilousfilms.com

www.invitation-to-hell.com

It is very near to arrival! Here is the finished sleeve art!





Check out www.sarcophilousfilms.com for updates as well as the news of the amazing giveaway offer to whoever is lucky enough to win #666 when it is auctioned on Ebay in the New Year!

Sorry about the small sleeve image...tried twice to upload it with ImageShack and each time it has uploaded an image that cannot be clicked to apreciate in better quality!

Feel free to check our website though for a better image of the sleeve art.

If i can get a better image uploaded here later, i will...

Hey Wayne

So its you I emailed about this release all those weeks ago? And asked about ordering one of those limited edition signed releases?

And then emailed around a month ago asking for any information on Mike Murphy's involvement with Scorpio Video back in the early 80s so I could pass it on to the members of the Pre Cert website?

Well I never heard anything from the man, but I still hold out hope, as I'm sure he'd have some interesting stuff to tell us about those glory days of video.

Funny thing is, when I was sending you those emails, I never once thought the guy behind Sarcophilous Films was the same bloke who sold me the signed Murder Set Pieces DVD eighteen months ago.

Its a small world. I hope everything goes well with this release. I certainly want a signed one, and I'll be making a bid on the #666 edition on ebay as well.... it'll be very interesting to see how far that one goes.

Good luck mate!
Andy

Thanks Andy.

Mike is a bit of a private person. He is also usually busy with various work, so that is maybe why you have not heard from him as yet. Maybe a little shy about chatting on web forums too possibly, who knows. He hasn't mentioned anything to me about it...

Hoping the release will be end of this month. The signed editions will be a little longer being sent out though as the sleeves will be shipped to Mike for signing and then shipped straight back before being mailed out to those who order them. As for #666, we just have to finish a few things and then we will announce an auction date via the website!

But i am sure that the original demon mask make-up prop is a worthy addition to #666 and has got a few Brit-horror historians and fans salivating, right? B)

Right :D

Please keep us updated!

Did you receive the press-kit i emailed you Miltos?

Also, the website has been updated...

By the way, i just wanted to thank a few people:

Paul Higson: without Paul this DVD label dream may possibly have never happened. Paul was instrumental in getting me some early contacts and also emailed me some photo scans, a few of which we used in the DVD slideshow. So, thankyou to Paul, we got this burst of adrenaline and a bunch of crazy ideas in our heads about this release and rushed blindly into it, not giving a damn whether we had enough money or knowing what the hell we were doing, and just DID it...

Mike Murphy: i'm proud to call Mike a friend and respect the guy immensely. He has been a real trooper for us. He has juggled two day jobs while also working when and where he could on this release for us. Digging through his archives for materials, cleaning up masters to the extent that his spare time would allow, making anamorphic transfers, back-and-forth quality issues, filming a featurette, recording commentary tracks, creating new trailers, etc...the guy has been amazing and we couldn't have done it without him...so, thankyou from your 'Sarcophilous' family Mike!

Steve Longhurst: well, what can we say about Steve...he popped up out of the woodwork at the nth hour and the original demon mask from INVITATION TO HELL was generously and graciously donated to our cause! Unbelievable. We cannot thank Steve enough for parting with this piece of Brit-horror history and he and Mike show considerable selflessness in allowing it to be given away with #666 when it goes on auction...thankyou Steve...

Pete Tombs & Bill Barounis: these two guys need no introduction. Their input was minimal and in the end their help was not needed. But it means alot to know that guys like these are so ready and willing to help their fellow indie-DVD companies out. A simple email to each and the replies were lightning-quick and fully locked and loaded ready to help where they could. There were authoring issues we were having problems with and both were ready to help. In the end, Clive found a new software that FINALLY did what we needed it to do and everything was sorted. But the fact that there are guys in the DVD business like this willing to help if some other smalltime DVD label is stuggling with something, well...that means alot to us. So thankyou Pete and thankyou Bill...

Thankyou also to Sami from BLOOD CEREMONY films for helping us out with a graphic we were after for the sleeve art. I've asked him to join the CINEHOUND family and hopefully he will find time to come on here sometime soon to discuss his magazine, his films and just to chat about film in general with us...

Finally, a thankyou goes out to everyone else who has been supportive and encouraging of what we are aiming to do with SARCOPHILOUS FILMS and what we have been doing with our debut DVD release. It means alot to have such backing!

I hope everyone who buys the DVD enjoys it, appreciates the effort that went into it and i hope there will not be too much disappointment...

Wayne & Clive

Yep, no...!! Please send it again to:
admin@cinehound.com

Just ordered the signed edition Wayne - looking forward to receiving it mate!

Any chance of having a look at the press kit you've emailed Miltos? And any chance of getting #1 of the signed editions? (I dont ask for much do I?) :D

Whatever, cant wait to see it, and already looking forward to the #666 auction!

Thanks
Andy

Hiya mate...thanks for showing your support of our debut release! We truly appreciate each and every order...

As for being able to arrange for you to get #1, i doubt that will be possible i'm afraid as it would be unfair to pick and choose who gets what number. I hope you understand...we wouldn't want to be seen to have favourities now would we! lol

I will email Miltos the press-kit again today and hopefully he will receive it this time and be able to make use of some of the materials to give us some coverage on here...

Wanyon, out of curiosity, what other films have you guys been looking into potentially releasing?

Well, i COULD tell you that...but then i would have to kill you, of course!

:ph43r:

lol

The ones we can speak about at the moment are the next 3, which again are all Mike Murphy films. "SKARE" is his most recent film (2007) and is a remake of a film of the same name that he shot in 2001. The original "SKARE" was shot on 16mm, completed and the cans of film were picked up to be couriered by Parcel Force to the processing lab. Somwhere along the way, the cans of film disppeared, never to be seen again. Mike was not happy, as you'd expect, and yet disputing it with Parcel Force offered no satisfaction or answers.
So, in 2007, Mike armed himself with his new digital format equipment and set about remaking his 'lost' film. The result, a gory cannibalistic effort, will be released in early 2009 so as to allow people to see where Mike is at now in his career and allow appreciation of his more modern work. The DVD will have a similar wealth of extras as our debut release, with trailers, featurette, commentary track, extensive slideshow and the only known surviving footage from the original 2001 version of the film!

"ATLANTIS" is one of my faves. A really delirious film that gives SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS or Luigi Cozzi's HERCULES a run for their money! I love this film and can't wait to begin work on it with Mike and Clive! It has such great charm and captures the feel and heart of the old 1960s Harryhausen-era films at times with it old-school techniques that use split-screen, miniatures, etc. to wonderfully engaging effect. Again...trailers, featurette, extensive slideshow, commentary track and anything else we can add to the package WE WILL!

"THE RITE OF SPRING" is another film that i am very fond of. It has been compared (by those who have seen it!) to Hardy's THE WICKER MAN, and almost in a derogatory way, suggesting it to be a "poor man's WICKER MAN". I personally feel differently. I feel that while admiration for Hardy's film may have provided initial inspiration, the film has its own story and manages to create its own peculiar chracter. The feeling/tone of the film, however, is quite similar to Hardy's film in its eeriness, here very subtle and understated. A good film and one that needs to be out there...

When one considers that Mike makes most of his films on miniscule budgets and yet rarely opts for cheap-thrills like most ultra-low-budget filmmakers out there, throwing shoddy gore around like there is no tomorrow as they have little imagination to stretch to knowing what to do with their limited means, Mike instead grafts to craft intriguing tales. The story ideas are usually solid and the scripts well thought out. For literally just £2,000 - £5,000 (differs from film to film) he comes up with minor miracles and the day he started providing me screeners i was hooked!

We are also looking into releasing alot more of Mike's films and he is keen on us doing so as much as we are to have them. SARCOPHILOUS FILMS is as much Michael J. Murphy's label as it is ours. It is family! The home of the MJM Collection... ;p

There are other releases we are planning towards also, including a couple of VERY tasty European rarities which i am not going to mention until WAY into 2009! lol.
Seriously...you can pull my toenails and fingernails out and i STILL won't spit the news! lol

Also, we just don't want to jinx ourselves... :lol:

wow!!

They all sound like Great films!!!

Count me in on copies of each as they come out! :D

Atlantis sounds like a fun little romp!!!

Pre-orders are now being accepted for the DVD!
The pay-links are now up and running and orders are being taken, so please feel free to buy as many as you like...lol

Our thanks to any of you who have been amongst our customers so far...your support is truly appreciated... :)

Soooooooooooo...who amongst my esteemed Cinepups has ordered one so far then? :P

Standard copy? Signed copy?