Something Weird Video is an American

film distributor A film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same with, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film. The distributor may set the ...

company based in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of

Harry Novak Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

Doris Wishman Doris Wishman (June 1, 1912 August 10, 2002) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She is credited with having directed and produced at least 30 feature films during a career spanning over four decades, most notably in the ...

, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Inspiration

The company is named after Lewis' 1967 film '' Something Weird'', and the logo is taken from that film's original poster art.

History

Something Weird Video was founded in 1990 by Mike Vraney in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

. He was inspired by his teenage job as a theater projectionist. His love for the obscure films that never made it to video prompted him to transfer hundreds of ancient reels of film to VHS videotape and DVD. On the company website, Vraney explains the label's genesis:

In my mind, the last great genre to be scavenged were the exploitation / sexploitation films of the 1920s through the 1970s. After looking into this further, I realized that there were nearly 2,000 movies out there yet to be discovered. So with this for inspiration, my quest began and wouldn't you know, just out of the blue I fell into a large collection of 16 mm girlie arcade loops (which became the first compilation videos we put together). Around the same time I received an unexpected phone call that suddenly made all this real: my future and hands-down the king of sexploitation Dave Friedman was on the other end of the line. This would be the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship for both of us. Dave's films became the building blocks for our film collection and he has taught and guided me through the wonderful world of sexploitation, introducing me to his colleagues (Dan Sonney, Harry Novak, H. G. Lewis, Bob Cresse and all the other colorful characters who were involved during his heyday) and they've been eager to dive into the business again.

On January 2, 2014, the company's founder Mike Vraney died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. The company continues under the leadership of Vraney's widow, Lisa Petrucci.

Content

The content offered by Something Weird runs the gamut of exploitation cinema. Subgenres offered include films centering on

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

and striptease shows,

nudist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

exposes and features, drug and

driver's education Driver's education, driver education, driving education, driver's ed, driving tuition or driving lessons is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may als ...

shorts, stag and

peepshow A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the c ...

loops, softcore and hardcore shorts and features, horror, particularly splatter films,

sword-and-sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget ...

spectaculars, spaghetti westerns, trailer compilations such as the ''Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-O-Rama Show'', TV rarities, jungle films and films featuring all-black casts. Something Weird initially offered their product on VHS with colorful covers using the original film artwork. In 1999 they made the transition to DVD, partnering with Image Entertainment to release their titles. Something Weird's videos are available

on demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

subscribers. Among the series of titles within their library are ''Kid's Commercials from the Golden Age of Television'', ''Hey Folks It's Intermission Time'' and ''Campy Classroom Classics''. There are also several titles available for streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

. Something Weird also offers a line called ''Sexy Shockers''. These films are selected by cult film director

Frank Henenlotter Frank Henenlotter (born August 29, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter and film historian. He is known primarily for directing horror comedies, especially '' Basket Case'' (1982), ''Brain Damage'' (1988), and '' Frankenhooker'' (199 ...

. Distributors of Something Weird titles include Odeon Entertainment in the U.K. and Siren Visual Entertainment in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Notable films distributed by Something Weird

*'' Basket Case'' *'' Blood Feast'' *''

The Wizard of Gore ''The Wizard of Gore'' is a 1970 American fantasy splatter film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis and starring Ray Sager, Judy Cler, and Wayne Ratay. The screenplay was written by Allen Kahn. Plot Magician Montag the Magnificent delivers he ...

'' *'' Jail Bait'' *''

Teaserama ''Teaserama'' is a 1955 American low-budget sexploitation film directed by Irving Klaw. It follows the performance of a burlesque show. Plot ''Teaserama'' is presented as a documentary film, with all actors and actresses playing themselves. It op ...

'' *''

Murder a la Mod ''Murder a la Mod'' is a 1968 American film directed by Brian De Palma in his first feature film as a director and writer. An experimental, low-budget murder-mystery, it was shot on black-and-white 16mm film. Following its limited theatrical relea ...

'' *''

Wild Guitar Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 Am ...

'' *'' The Violent Years'' *''

The Wild Women of Wongo ''The Wild Women of Wongo'' is a 1958 American adventure film directed by James L. Wolcott and starring Jean Hawkshaw, Mary Ann Webb, Cande Gerrard, and Adrienne Bourbeau. It features low budget, stereotypical portrayals of fictional tropical is ...

'' *'' Teen-Age Strangler'' *'' The Horrors of Spider Island'' *''

The Atomic Brain ''Monstrosity'' is a 1963 science fiction/horror film produced by Jack Pollexfen and Dean Dillman Jr. and directed by Joseph V. Mascelli. It is perhaps better known under its TV release title, ''The Atomic Brain''. The film stars Marjorie Eaton, ...

'' *''

The Magic Christmas Tree ''The Magic Christmas Tree'' is a 1964 American Christmas-themed fantasy-adventure film about a boy who uses a magic ring to bring a Christmas tree to life. The tree then grants the boy three wishes. Plot Three boys are walking home from school ...

'' Something Weird Video's Catalog is Worth Digging Through, Riot Fest
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References

External links

*
''Billboard'' article on Something Weird Video
{{Authority control Entertainment companies established in 1990 Film distributors of the United States Home video companies of the United States Home video distributors 1990 establishments in Washington (state)

Inspiration

History

Content

Notable films distributed by Something Weird

See also

References

External links