Media is a tough business. Physical sales have been dropping like an anvil, and even streaming services struggle under the threat of internet piracy. That's why companies like Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix have turned to creating their own content. They are soon to be joined by geek favorite distributor Shout! Factory, which plans to produce one to two films per year in addition to their line of retro and current offerings.
Says Jordan Fields, the company’s head of acquisitions:
Over the last few years we’ve built up credibility with these fans. We know this audience. We know where they live and what they love.
OK, maybe I don't want Jordan Fields to know where I live, but Shout! has had their finger on the tastes of the public for some time, so let's hope they put that asset to the test with a truly awesome set of flicks.
The first film from the Shout! lineup will be FENDER BENDER, a horror-thriller written and directed by Mark Pavia, whose only feature film credit is the eerie and fun 1997 Stephen King adaptation THE NIGHT FLIER.
FENDER BENDER is described as a throwback to the horror films of the 1980s — a time when homicidal maniacs like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees routinely terrorized hapless teens.
Shout! will wait until they see the results from FENDER BENDER before pushing other films into production, but it's encouraging to see Pavia being pulled into the limelight. Shout! Factory has been shedding light on heaps of forgotten properties, so it's only appropriate that they should unearth the director for another shot at the box office.
Of course Scream! Factory, the entity we're most familiar with here at Arrow, is but a small portion of Shout! They've also put out collections like Steve Martin and Mel Brooks retrospectives and the My Little Pony series. That means that most likely not every flick from them in the future will be a horror film, but for our sake we're certainly glad they decided to start with an 80's horror throwback.
FENDER BENDER will go into production in New Mexico later this year.