Severin Films

[MichaelB]

Which hopefully means that people will stop (or at least ease off) bombarding my Indicator colleagues with requests for Franco titles; we've got more than enough dodgy Italian exploitationers under licence to get through.

[BoltzmannBrain]

Which hopefully means that people will stop (or at least ease off) bombarding my Indicator colleagues with requests for Franco titles; we've got more than enough dodgy Italian exploitationers under licence to get through.

Severin should be the only label allowed to release Franco's films anyway, every time a weaker label like Kino Lorber or Delirium puts out a notable Franco title my heart cries a little. (David Gregory should explain why Lorna the Exorcist and Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun slipped through his fingers.) Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

[Orlac]

Speaking of Franco, it is disapointing that the titles like Jack the Ripper and Love Letters are now getting US blu-rays but without the German audio. The English dubs are especially excruciating.

[MichaelB]

Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

There are two Franco films in the Indicator catalogue already! And I'm as proud of the first four Italian titles (especially The Perfume of the Lady in Black) as I am of anything else that I've worked on—and they fit right into an Indicator tradition that goes back years to things like the Norman J. Warren box set and indeed Happy Birthday to Me, whose release will mark its tenth anniversary this year, so to me they're not jarring at all.

But the problem is, as Indicator co-founders Sam Dunn and John Morrissey said in a recent podcast interview, that major studio licensing opportunities are drying up fast, as they no longer seem interested in physical media (I'm afraid it's a longstanding myth that they just "pull stuff off the shelf"; a lot of legal paperwork has to be carried out at their end before a title can be made commercially licensable). StudioCanal is the exception here, but the challenge there is that they often prefer to keep the UK rights to themselves, hence things with obvious UK appeal like the Cliff Richard box set getting a US-only release (and locked to Region A).

But I can at least confirm that the overwhelming majority of titles scheduled for 2026 fit the "underrated 1960s/70s dramas" category.

[Drucker]

Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

There are two Franco films in the Indicator catalogue already! And I'm as proud of the first four Italian titles (especially The Perfume of the Lady in Black) as I am of anything else that I've worked on—and they fit right into an Indicator tradition that goes back years to things like the Norman J. Warren box set and indeed Happy Birthday to Me, whose release will mark its tenth anniversary this year, so to me they're not jarring at all.

But the problem is, as Indicator co-founders Sam Dunn and John Morrissey said in a recent podcast interview, that major studio licensing opportunities are drying up fast, as they no longer seem interested in physical media (I'm afraid it's a longstanding myth that they just "pull stuff off the shelf"; a lot of legal paperwork has to be carried out at their end before a title can be made commercially licensable). StudioCanal is the exception here, but the challenge there is that they often prefer to keep the UK rights to themselves, hence things with obvious UK appeal like the Cliff Richard box set getting a US-only release (and locked to Region A).

But I can at least confirm that the overwhelming majority of titles scheduled for 2026 fit the "underrated 1960s/70s dramas" category.

How are the economics of these licensing deals structured? Flat fee? Cost per unit? Is this a scenario where physical media sales are declining and it's just not worth it for majors to staff departments handling this kind of work at all?

[MichaelB]

I'm not involved in that side of things, but ten years ago ITV told me directly that it simply wasn't worth their while licensing things out on a per-title basis (I was trying to get hold of the South Bank Show about Paolo & Vittorio Taviani, shot on the set of Kaos) because they had to do a huge amount of licensing work at their end—especially for something like that which had never been conceived as a commercial release—and they knew full well that because it would only be an extra, there was an absolute upper limit that I could realistically pay, which certainly wouldn't cover their costs.

But even when royalties are involved, I suspect the returns are pretty piddling, at least from their perspective. And while ITV would consider massive bulk licensing deals (i.e. with huge upfront licensing fee payments) back then, I gather that they now won't license things even on that basis; as far as UK labels are concerned, they're no longer interested in physical media.

[Orlac]

Which hopefully means that people will stop (or at least ease off) bombarding my Indicator colleagues with requests for Franco titles; we've got more than enough dodgy Italian exploitationers under licence to get through.

Yes yes,...but will they be UNCUT???

[Orlac]

Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

There are two Franco films in the Indicator catalogue already!

It took me 5 mins to figure out which ones, which is embarassing as the box-set in question is right next to me on the shelf! But to be fair, I've got a new baby girl so my mind is all over the place at the moment!

[BoltzmannBrain]

Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

There are two Franco films in the Indicator catalogue already!

Yeah I'm aware of that, those two of course needed to be included in the Fu Manchu box set.

But the problem is, as Indicator co-founders Sam Dunn and John Morrissey said in a recent podcast interview, that major studio licensing opportunities are drying up fast, as they no longer seem interested in physical media (I'm afraid it's a longstanding myth that they just "pull stuff off the shelf"; a lot of legal paperwork has to be carried out at their end before a title can be made commercially licensable).

What Severin and Indicator have in common is that they are probably the only labels around that could have made deals with MGM but have never wanted to make one. Both labels have lost out on a number of titles that would have been good fits for them, apparently due to David Gregory's and Sam Dunn's mutual fear of MGM. Why Indicator's owners think that Italian exploitation is a better choice for their label than MGM's large film library, we might never find out. On the other hand Italian exploitation is an integral part of Severin's identity.

I've never worked with licensing but I have thought that the legal paperwork always follows the same formula and the studios basically just change some names and numbers on each new deal they make.

But I can at least confirm that the overwhelming majority of titles scheduled for 2026 fit the "underrated 1960s/70s dramas" category.

That is good news to me, thank you.

[colinr0380]

Congrats on the baby Orlac! In the grand scheme of things that is much more important to keep at the front of your mind than the two Jess Franco Fu Manchu films!

[Orlac]

Congrats on the baby Orlac! In the grand scheme of things that is much more important to keep at the front of your mind than the two Jess Franco Fu Manchu films!

thank you!

[mhofmann]

Indicator isn't a weak label but Franco's works just don't feel right for them (nor do Italian exploitation films), and I wish that Indicator would keep their focus on underrated 1970s/60s dramas and classic Hollywood stuff.

Hey, I would not mind either Indicator or Severin releasing a "The Complete Works of Jess Franco" box set, thank you very much.

And Indicator, you're good to continue with the Italian exploitation, I wholeheartedly approve! (After finishing the Rollin line-up )

[MichaelB]

What Severin and Indicator have in common is that they are probably the only labels around that could have made deals with MGM but have never wanted to make one. Both labels have lost out on a number of titles that would have been good fits for them, apparently due to David Gregory's and Sam Dunn's mutual fear of MGM.

...at which point I stopped reading.

And Indicator, you're good to continue with the Italian exploitation, I wholeheartedly approve! (After finishing the Rollin line-up )

We're certainly not abandoning Rollin—hand on heart, I couldn't be happier with those releases, and indeed am currently up to my eyeballs in subtitling copious extras for the next two—but they're running in tandem, not sequentially. And I adored working on the first four Italian titles, which are firmly within my own personal wheelhouse—and I particularly relished the opportunity to take a film like Plot of Fear, a far more interesting and nuanced title than it's often given credit for, and really go to town on it.

[Robin Davies]

Severin should be the only label allowed to release Franco's films anyway, every time a weaker label like Kino Lorber or Delirium puts out a notable Franco title my heart cries a little. (David Gregory should explain why Lorna the Exorcist and Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun slipped through his fingers.)

I don't care which label releases them, as long as they get released! And Kino Lorber did Lorna the Exorcist proud with a Tim Lucas commentary, plus interviews with Pamela Stanford, Gerard Kikoine and Stephen Thrower. How could Severin have done any better?

[Robin Davies]

Hey, I would not mind either Indicator or Severin releasing a "The Complete Works of Jess Franco" box set, thank you very much.

Lovely idea but nobody would have a shelf big enough.

[Peacock]

I think it may be time to call for the return of the flipper disc…

[BoltzmannBrain]

What Severin and Indicator have in common is that they are probably the only labels around that could have made deals with MGM but have never wanted to make one. Both labels have lost out on a number of titles that would have been good fits for them, apparently due to David Gregory's and Sam Dunn's mutual fear of MGM.

...at which point I stopped reading.

That was not an entirely serious comment and I thought that everyone would understand it and nobody would feel offended. Anyway, I've never heard a good reason for why the two labels avoid MGM. David Gregory has said that he doesn't like the restrictions and control that major studios have over special features, but Severin has worked successfully with StudioCanal for years, Severin has managed to put out one MGM title (that technically wasn't licensed by Severin) with a new interview, and lots of other labels are able to deal with MGM without problems so it's hard to see why Severin couldn't do the same.

And I'm as proud of the first four Italian titles (especially The Perfume of the Lady in Black) as I am of anything else that I've worked on—and they fit right into an Indicator tradition that goes back years to things like the Norman J. Warren box set and indeed Happy Birthday to Me, whose release will mark its tenth anniversary this year, so to me they're not jarring at all.

I bought the Norman J. Warren films from Vinegar Syndrome because it seemed like they would be more at home on the VS shelf than on the Indicator shelf. Happy Birthday to Me was an outlier in the early Indicator output and I've assumed that it was mainly licensed because Sam Dunn and John Morrissey knew that slasher horror brings profits and the young label needed some money. Nothing wrong with that but if someone asked me what kind of label Indicator is, I certainly wouldn't describe Indicator as a company that releases slashers.

Hey, I would not mind either Indicator or Severin releasing a "The Complete Works of Jess Franco" box set, thank you very much.

Severin has said that they aren't going to do a Jess Franco box set, purely because of the size of his filmography. They joked that a Franco box set would have to be delivered with a truck and it might not fit inside the house.

I don't care which label releases them, as long as they get released! And Kino Lorber did Lorna the Exorcist proud with a Tim Lucas commentary, plus interviews with Pamela Stanford, Gerard Kikoine and Stephen Thrower. How could Severin have done any better?

Kino actually did a good job with Lorna, although I was disappointed when I first saw the news that KL would be releasing the film. I realize that most people don't care which label puts out whichever film, it's a little quirk of mine that I feel certain titles or genres fit one label better than others. Ideally each label would have a unique profile and MO and they wouldn't just release anything and everything.

[MichaelB]

Anyway, I've never heard a good reason for why the two labels avoid MGM. David Gregory has said that he doesn't like the restrictions and control that major studios have over special features, but Severin has worked successfully with StudioCanal for years, Severin has managed to put out one MGM title (that technically wasn't licensed by Severin) with a new interview, and lots of other labels are able to deal with MGM without problems so it's hard to see why Severin couldn't do the same.

As far as I'm concerned, plenty of other labels release MGM films, and so there's no reason for Indicator—or, presumably, Severin—to arrange one for themselves. They're no more "missing out" on MGM titles than they're "missing out" on 99% of the rest of film history's output.

Most labels only have ongoing deals with a relatively small number of major rightsholders, because of the upfront financial commitments (as mentioned above, labels generally prefer multi-title deals, as the combined licensing fee registers more prominently on the balance sheet), and in quite a few cases there are release-date deadlines attached, which have to be serviced by a very small team. For whatever reason—almost certainly a closer personal relationship with the relevant parties—Indicator has historically favoured Columbia, Universal, and StudioCanal, plus assorted deals with independents (Redemption, Minerva, Alameda, Antony Ginnane in Australia).

Nothing wrong with that but if someone asked me what kind of label Indicator is, I certainly wouldn't describe Indicator as a company that releases slashers.

Neither would I, but then very, very little of Indicator's output (including the vast majority of their nine Italian or Italian-language titles to date) accurately fits that description.

In fact, what I greatly appreciate about the label, which is a major reason why they've been my major freelance client for close to nine years now, is the lack of sniffily knee-jerk prejudices about whether or not something's "appropriate". If a film has been historically slapped with a pejorative label like "slasher", "soft porn", or whatever, that's not going to prevent it being disinterred if they think that it's worth disinterring. In fact, I'd argue that the Jean Rollin project is pretty much quintessential Indicator, as indeed were the Michael J. Murphy and Pemini projects from a few years back, and they're certainly the kind of things that I personally find far more stimulating to work on.

[Peacock]

Sorry to encourage this being a “Define Indicator” discussion, but I personally prefer the label when it is eclectic… the Hollywood to Heaven set, Sternberg box, early Mexican horrors etc. A strange mix of less well know films by canon directors, the odd major film, exhaustive dives into specific filmmakers, and forgotten British films.

I actually feel Indicator has lost its way a bit in the last couple of years, as exciting as the occasional release is and despite the amazing work with the Rollin titles.

Hopefully it’s just a lull and the magic will return! But hey as this thread shows you can’t please everyone all the time, that’s the danger of Indicator casting such a wide net, people end up getting disappointed when their favourite genre is set aside for a while.

[yellowhouse]

Yellow Veil Pictures partners with Severin Films on Lucile Hadžihalilović box set.

[domino harvey]

Excellent!

[dadaistnun]

Fantastic news! I've been hoping to see The Ice Tower show up in one of Vinegar Syndrome's partner label announcements since Yellow Veil is one of said partners, but obviously this is a better outcome!

No mention of whether or not this will be a 4K release, but fwiw I read on the other forum that the French Metropolitan release of The Ice Tower has English subs on the 4K disc but not the blu-ray.

[MichaelB]

I wonder if 52 minutes out of the promised four hours of extras will be her 1996 film La Bouche de Jean-Pierre? I only saw it once, when it was close to brand new (certainly the late 1990s rather than later), but I remember being very impressed.

Anyway, regardless of the answer, this is obviously an instant purchase.

[Mr Sausage]

Fantastic. Innocence is one of the best films of the 2000s, and Evolution and The Ice Tower are strong films. Haven’t seen Earwig yet, so this’ll be the perfect chance to catch up with it. I wish her movies got half the attention her partner’s get.

[MichaelB]

The Daily Mail's Chris Tookey dismissed Innocence as "pretentious piffle for paedophiles", the kind of comment that reveals rather more about its author's mindset than anything in the actual film.

A few years earlier, the same critic attempted to describe just how morally appalling David Cronenberg's Crash was by complaining that the film's characters "experiment pleasurably with gay sex, lesbian sex, and sex with cripples"—an even more self-revealing comment that managed to be about ten billion times more offensive than anything in the film.

(My girlfriend at the time was disabled, and she loved Crash precisely because it depicted people like her as having sexual agency, something that most films shy away from.)