Film historian Phil Hopkins has launched Film Masters, a new vintage film restoration and distribution company.
Each month, one Blu-ray/DVD title will be released, beginning on Sept. 26 with a two-disc collection featuring cult favorite The Giant Gila Monster with bonus film The Killer Shrews, which were both originally released as a double-feature bill in 1959. Following the pilot slate, the 1959 horror Beast From Haunted Cove will release on Oct. 24 followed by the 1934 drama The Scarlett Letter on Nov. 21.
Upon each release, films will be restored with new 4k scans of 35mm with original film elements, offered in original aspect ratios while being presented on region-free discs with DTS-HD sound and Dolby AC3s sound.
Preserving these films in an increasingly homogenized media world is more important than ever, said Hopkins. As a consortium of historians and avid enthusiasts, Film Masters was launched to celebrate the preservation and restoration of vintage movies, many of them cult films, that otherwise might not be seen or experienced by a new generation of film lovers. Each release will feature original bonus materials that contextualize and enhance the enjoyment and understanding of the film.
Author Larry Blamire; producer/director Daniel Griffith; author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner; professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney; film historian Sam Sherman; and film historian Tom Weaver join Hopkins in developing original content for bonus features.
A portfolio of editorial content will be accessible via Film Masters website provided by Susan King, Don Stradley, Karen Burroughs Hannsberry, Anders Runestad and Kami and Chris Spagenberg.
Film Masters also streams vintage films via its YouTube channel, including Jail Bait and My Pal Trigger.