Synapse Films
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 | |
| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Romulus, Michigan , |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Website | synapse-films |
Synapse Films is an American DVD and Blu-ray label, founded in 1997 and specializing in cult horror, science fiction and exploitation films.
History
Synapse Films was owned and operated by Don May, Jr. and his business partners Jerry Chandler and Charles Fiedler, the catalyst being May's longstanding interest in and passion for TV and cinema. May explained, “I caught the laserdisc bug while working at a local laserdisc store while I was in college. I was selling laserdisc players and buying product and I pretty much spent every extra dollar I had on laserdiscs. I loved movies and the disc format and knew this was a business I wanted to be in.”[1] May became a part owner of Elite Entertainment after leaving his aforementioned job in laserdisc retail.[1]
The Synapse catalog ranges from European horror touchstones like Vampyros Lesbos, and Castle of Blood, to important genre documentaries including Roy Frumkes' Document of the Dead, from drive-in favorites like The Brain That Wouldn't Die to Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi film Triumph of the Will.
In 2004, Synapse released the controversial Thriller – A Cruel Picture on DVD, followed by a Blu-ray release in 2022. A competing 4k UHD release by Vinegar Syndrome is set for later in 2022, raising questions as to which company has a current and valid license to the title.
Detroit film scholar Nicholas Schlegel released his documentary The Synapse Story in its entirety on YouTube. The documentary details the history and vision of the label and its founders.[citation needed]
More films from Synapse Films:[2]
- 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1
- 42nd Street Forever Vol. 2 [The Deuce]
- 42nd Street Forever Vol. 3: Exploitation Explosion!
- 42nd Street Forever Vol. 4 – 2008
- 42nd Street Forever Vol. 5: Alamo Drafthouse Edition
- 42nd Street Forever: The Blu-ray Edition
- 42nd Street Forever: XXX-Treme Special Edition
- Animalada
- Asian Cult Cinema: Extreme Horror Collection; Organ, Evil Dead Trap, Entrails of a Virgin, Entrails of a Beautiful Virgin.
- Asylum (aka I Want to Be a Gangster)
- At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
- Bacchanales Sexuelles
- Basket Case 2
- Basket Case 3: The Progeny
- Battle Girl: The Living Dead in Tokyo Bay
- Beast from Haunted Cave
- Bizarre
- Black Roses
- The Booby Hatch
- The Brain That Wouldn't Die (Special Edition)
- Brutes And Savages [Uncivilized Version]
- Budo: The Art of Killing
- Castle of Blood [Uncut International Version]
- The Chick's Ability
- Chiller – The Complete Television Series
- Christmas Evil [Special Edition]
- The Coffin Joe Trilogy [3 DVD Set]; At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul, Embodiment of Evil, This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse
- Cold Hearts
- The Complete Hammer House of Horror, [5-Disc DVD Set]
- Countess Dracula
- The Creep Behind the Camera [Special Edition]
- Curtains
- Cyclone
- Dark Forces
- The Deadly Spawn [Special Edition]
- Death of a Snowman
- The Definitive Document of the Dead
- Demons 2
- Demons [Movie-Only Version]
- Django the Bastard [Blu-ray]
- The Dorm That Dripped Blood (Uncensored Directors’ Cut)
- Effects
- Embodiment of Evil [BD/DVD Combo Pack]
- Entrails Of A Beautiful Woman
- Entrails of a Virgin
- Evil Dead Trap
- Executive Koala
- Exposed
- The Exterminator
- Fantasm
- Fantasm Comes Again
- Frankenhooker
- Frat House Massacre [Director's Cut]
- God Has A Rap Sheet
- The Grapes Of Death
- Gurozuka
- Hands of the Ripper
- Home Sick
- Hot Dog…The Movie (Unrated Producer's Cut)
- The Image [Blu-ray]
- Intruder [Blu-ray/DVD Combo]
- Invasion U.S.A. (Atomic Special Edition)
- Just Desserts: The Making of “Creepshow” [Special Edition Blu-ray]
- Karaoke Terror
- Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural
- Let Me Die a Woman [Transgendered Edition]
- The Life and Death of a Porno Gang
- Long Weekend
- Lucker the Necrophagous [Director's Cut]
- Madame O
- Maniac Cop
- Manos: The Hands of Fate [Special Edition Blu-ray]
- Morituris: Legions of the Dead
- Mosquito: 20th Anniversary Edition
- Night of Death
- Night Train
- Olga's Girls
- Organ
- Party 7
- Path of Blood
- Patrick
- Phenomena [Two-Disc Blu-ray Edition]
- Popcorn [Blu-ray] & (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
- Prom Night
- Red Scorpion
- Reel Zombies
- Resonnances
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare
- Rosarigasinos
- The Rug Cop
- Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf
- Singapore Sling
- Six Days In Roswell
- Slaughter of the Innocents
- Small Gauge Trauma Vol. 1 [Fantasia Film Festival]
- Sorceress (Uncensored Director Approved Edition)
- South of Heaven
- Stacy
- Stalingrad [2003 Mini-Series] & [Blu-ray Remaster]
- Star Warp’d
- Stepfather 2
- Stillwater
- Strange Behavior
- Street Trash – Special Meltdown Edition, [Single Disc Version] & [Two-Disc Meltdown Edition]
- Suspiria
- The Sweet Life
- Syngenor
- Tenebrae (Single Disc)
- The Violent Shit Collection – Five Film Special Shitition [3 DVDs]
- Thirst
- This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse
- Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except
- Thundercrack! 40th Anniversary [2-Disc Special Edition] & [Single disc]
- Triumph of the Will [2006 Remaster] & [Blu-ray – 2K Remastered Edition]
- Twins of Evil
- Undertaker
- Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary
- Vampire Circus
- Watch Me When I Kill
- Wild Zero
- The World Sinks Except Japan
- Worm
Accolades
In 2016, film critic and author Maitland McDonagh was nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Commentary for her work on Synapse Films' DVD release of Dario Argento's film Tenebrae.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Synapse Films: About Us".
- ^ "Synapse Films". synapse-films.com/. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Here is the OFFICIAL ballot for the (Gasp!) 15th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards". The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. February 26, 2017. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.