LUNCHMEAT Unearths the Lost SOV Flick FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER’S EYES) THE TRUE STORY Starring Gary Cohen (VIDEO VIOLENCE, CAPTIVES) and Brings it to Limited Edition VHS for an Incredible Halloween VHSurprise Release!
The hoots and howls of Halloween excitement are nearly in full swing as our favorite holiday fast approaches, Tapeheads, and in order to ring in the radical rewind VHSpirit right this Halloween, Lunchmeat has been keeping busy in the kitchen cooking up a super-sweet VHS treat for all the voracious Videovores out there. So, without any further analog ado, we proudly present some of the most exciting fresh VHS news of the season: Lunchmeat is absolutely elated to announce the unprecedented home video release of the ultra-obscure, shot-on-video, made-for-cable production FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER’S EYES) THE TRUE STORY on Limited Edition VHS!
An exclusive sneak peek still from the lost SOV film FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER'S EYES) THE TRUE STORY coming soon on VHS from Lunchmeat! DIG IT.
We’ve teamed up with the great Gary Cohen, director of cult SOV classics Video Violence 1 and 2 and Captives to unearth this long lost slice of shot-on-video horror comedy insanity. Gary co-writes and stars in this utterly unknown film that debuted on Cablevision on Halloween night in 1983, and after a single airing, has since fell into complete obscurity. And now, over 30 years later, Lunchmeat is bringing this never-before-seen low-budget trashterpiece take on the classic tale of Frankenstein back from the grave on almighty VHS in a strictly Limited Edition of 50 copies, housed in large black clamshells with two-sided, reversible artwork, committed to groovy green videocassettes peppered with extremely limited purple videocassette inserts.
A look at one of the covers that will be a part of the reversible artwork for the Limited Edition VHS of FRANKENSTEIN. Illustration by the too groovy underground illustrator Pang!
The print used for the release comes directly from Gary’s archives (the only known surviving print!), keeping intact all of the grit and grain of the original analog-shot broadcast. The release will also include a video intro from Josh Schafer (yours truly!) talking about the inception of the release, and an exclusive intro from star and co-writer Gary Cohen, explaining how the production came to be, and why it’s been obscured for all these years. Here’s an excerpt from that intro with Gary Cohen, just to give you a little taste of history on this flick: “I must admit, this whole project is shrouded in secrecy… at the time, what is now Comcast, I believe it was Cablevision back then… had a studio in New Jersey, and they were advertising, I think, for people who wanted to do some kind of cable access shows... my friend Richard Dominick (of Jerry Springer fame) decided he would pitch a project for Halloween, and write this version of Frankenstein. We got together, he wrote a script about Frankenstein, and we used a lot of the actors who you’ll recognize from Video Violence, who were all a part of Celebration Playhouse, this theater group in New Jersey. I believe we had about a day to film this thing, filmed on video, on three and a quarter inch video… and if memory serves, we were high or drunk or something when we we’re doing it… Once it aired, everybody disavowed any knowledge of the project. It is truly unique; it’s an oddity. I can’t believe here in 2015, it’s resurfaced, but so be it! I hope you get a kick out of it.” - Gary Cohen Here at Lunchmeat, we’re certain you will. We wanted to re-animate this movie because we believe it's just such an amazing piece of ultra-obscure shot-on-video history, and for fans of Gary Cohen’s work, not only gives you a vision of pre-Video Violence times, but is also guaranteed to make you laugh your analog ass off with its profusion of dark comedy, groovy low-budget gore and absolutely unbridled, over-the-top performances.
A look at the alternate cover on the reversible artwork for FRANKENSTEIN! Photography and make-up FX by Johnny Dickie, dude!
Remember, Tapeheads: in order to harken back and celebrate the movie’s origin to full effect, Lunchmeat will be releasing FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER’S EYES) THE TRUE STORY on Halloween night, October 31st, 2015 which will be available HERE on the Official Lunchmeat Meat Market.
The poster for CT's Magnetic Fest, which will feature the first ever public screening of FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER'S EYS) THE TRUE STORY! Check out the details by clickity-clicking the hot link below, mang!
Lunchmeat will also be screening FRANKENSTEIN at select independent theaters and festivals this coming weekend and later this month, with many more screenings planned for the near future! The very first two screenings will happen tomorrow October 17th at Magnetic Fest in New Haven, CT as a super-secret surprise (well, there it goes, I guess!) and also at the Horror Flea Market at Finnback Brewery in Queens, NY where I’ll be on hand vending radical slabs of magnetic magic and all the Lunchmeat wares! FRANKENSTEIN will also be screening on Saturday, October 24th as a part of the 5th Annual Spectacle Theater Shriek Show, which is apt to kick major ass, man. Check out the trailer below for details on the fest, and get a couple exclusive glimpses of FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER’S EYES) THE TRUE STORY… The 5th Annual Spectacle Shriek Show (October 24th, 2015) from Spectacle Theater on Vimeo. Stay tuned to this here slab of analog-obsessed internet along with all of the Lunchmeat VHSocial media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) to stay updated on this release! On October 31st, 2015, for the first time, FRANKENSTEIN (I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER’S EYES) THE TRUE STORY will be ANALOG ALIVE!!!Groove and Groove and Party Down on Cable Access.
Josh Schafer