Well, long-promised and finally delivered, here is the inaugural episode of EVIL AXEL’S DEN OF INIQUITYA place for me to weave my evil webs and ensare you, the good readership, with tidbits of titillation as I detail the insides and outs of the world of “Genre” film.So kick back, grab a frosty bevvie and read on to discover the story behind new kid on the block, REDRUM Entertainment…
- MTI Home Video unleashes REDRUM! ENTERTAINMENT
Axel Howerton – EYECRAVEDVD Often, in today’s entertainment world, we find quality and originality being sacrificed for the sake of an increasingly comatose majority. At the same time, edgy and interesting films are being forsaken in favor of bland “politically correct” projects, which repetitiously cram the same tired and sterile jokes and action sequences down our throats. The major studios that were once the champions of a new wave of “Indie” spirited pictures, have reneged on that ideal and try to force feed us clichéd garbage and retread formulaic pap. On the flipside, independent distributors and production labels have become the new suppliers of Indie films that are both interesting and entertaining. A case in point is our old friends at MTI Home Video. MTI began its life in 1984 as a way for founder Larry Brahms to capitalize on the burgeoning fitness video craze by releasing the FREEDANCE aerobic exercise video program. Brahms, a music industry veteran, soon began to see the potential of the home video industry. In the early 90’s MTI began to distribute films for other independent labels, and the MTI of today was born. MTI distributes their own films, as well as films from ARTIST VIEW ENTERTAINMENT and BEDFORD ENTERTAINMENT. Soon they also began to handle films under the label of popular horror film magazine FANGORIA and “urban” label DELTA ENTERTAINMENT. Each label services it’s own niche. ARTIST VIEW releases drama and comedy in the more mainstream tastes. BEDFORD carries suspense and action. DELTA releases urban fare from Black, Hispanic and Asian perspectives. FANGORIA PRESENTS is a showcase for gory cult-style horror and sci-fi. 
Now, MTI has begun a new partnership with Joe Kelly Jackson, President of DELTA ENTERTAINMENT, to service a selection of films that do not fall into the parameters of the existing labels. Suitably named REDRUM ENTERTAINMENT, the new label has kicked off to a tremendous start with last month’s serial-killers-in-love fable MANIACTS. Picked up at the American Film Market this past February, MANIACTS is a fun, exciting and hilarious little flick that stars Jeff Fahey and Kellie Waymire as “two crazy kids in love”. SEE MY REVIEW OF MANIACTS HERE
Obviously not a film that fits with the established styles of the existing labels, the decision was made to create the REDRUM label. I spoke to Jay Grossman, VP of Sales and Acquisitions at MTI about the new label.“What we were having a problem with, was that there were a lot of films coming towards us that we really couldn’t fit in with our other labels, and they were going by the wayside. We came up with the REDRUM label as something more ‘terror’ based, over-the-top type stuff, mixed with a sense of humor. MANIACTS kind of had every aspect of what we were looking for with that label. Good budget, good story, it has some horror elements to it, some comedy. It also has some real dramatic elements to it. It was really quirky, and that was perfect for us. We were really looking for stuff that was a little too over-the-top for the other labels, but stuff that we love here. We love those kinds of movies and we just felt that there was a whole little niche that we were missing.” The next film from the REDRUM label is the raw and experimental HUNTING HUMANS from writer/director Kevin Kangas and producer/star Rick Ganz. The film won Best Screenplay honors at the 2002 DIY Film Festival in Hollywood, and was nominated for many awards at the annual B-Movie Festival last October, taking home awards for Best Editing and Best Action Sequences. Check out the trailer HERE I asked Jay how MTI became involved with HUNTING HUMANS…“We actually ended up dealing directly with Kevin Kangas. HUNTING HUMANS is this movie where a serial killer is being stalked by another serial killer, how cool is that? And it does fit into that niche. It definitely has a pretty horrific theme, and there’s some pretty eerie stuff in it. It’s just a really well done film. We’re very fortunate that we can be pretty selective. We are going to be very selective and make sure that we have films that fit the certain criteria that we want to set.”My own review of HUNTING HUMANS can be found HERE.
So far, both films under the REDRUM banner are great successes in terms of quality and originality. MTI has an excellent track record for releasing high quality films. From my initial discovery of the underground cult hit LEGEND OF THE PHANTOM RIDER and the Japanese horror/comedy/romance/gorefest/sci-fi masterpiece ANOTHER HEAVEN to more recent MTI hits like PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, ICEBREAKER and MANIACTS, I have yet to see an MTI release without quality or originality. I took advantage of my interview with Jay Grossman to try to pry a little info on upcoming REDRUM releases, and while he was reluctant to name names, he did offer a few tasty morsels to look forward to.“We have 5 titles in the REDRUM lineup so far, including MANIACTS and HUMANS. I can’t really get into names, because we do have to change the titles on some of them. One of the films is sort of a cross between THE HILLS HAVE EYES and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, where these kids, these ravers, are on their way to a party and take a little detour off of the highway in search of a peyote patch. They’re out there looking for these drugs and they end up running into ‘the wrong kind of people’. That’s REDRUM title #3. Another title we have on the calendar has a schoolteacher, worried about the learning curve in his class and the state of education. He kidnaps a busload of kids and takes them to a secluded place and teaches them through a ‘Pavlovian’ style, where he alternately tortures and rewards them to encourage them to learn. Pretty intense. We’re also still looking for more films like that, good budgets and good stories with a little humor, but not out and out ‘slasher’ films. That’s not our goal with this label.” Perhaps, with more and more truly independent labels emerging day to day, and with the freedom and variety that internet shopping has allowed, more studios like MTI can save us from the mundane complacency of Hollywood and provide us with some real thrills, chills and laughs. And I have to thank MTI for doing it now.HUNTING HUMANS will be available on DVD and VHS on July 22.MANIACTS is available now through most retailers and rental outlets.My thanks to MTI, Jay Grossman and Ed Baran Publicity for the interview.Until next time, keep watchin’ those DVD’s…Axel
