About Us

Severin Films is the foremost independent studio dedicated to rescuing, restoring and releasing the works of Oscar nominees and cult icons for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital platforms, and producers/distributors of award-winning original productions for theatrical, network and streaming. Founded in 2006 by David Gregory, Carl Daft and John Cregan, the Los Angeles-based company features a library of 500+ films and television projects, as well as an international team of the industry’s most skilled genre professionals. 

The Severin distribution catalogue includes work by iconic filmmakers that include Russ Meyer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Jimmy Sangster, Paul Morrissey, Mike Leigh, Peter Medak, Lucio Fulci, Peter Greenaway, Penelope Spheeris, Mario Bava, Just Jaeckin, Roman Polanski, Álex de la Iglesia, Dennis Hopper, Michele Soavi and UK comedy legends The Comic Strip; classics of Blaxploitation, Ozploitation, Sharksploitation, Discosploitation, Nunsploitation and Indiana Jonesploitation; groundbreaking Filipino, Indonesian, Spanish & Soviet horror; American drive-in indies, controversial documentaries and the industry’s most formidable collection of Italian gialli, cannibal, zombie, erotic thrillers and ‘70s/‘80s action hits. Severin has also elevated the oeuvres of such fringe auteurs as Bruno Mattei, Al Adamson, Andy Milligan, Joe D’Amato, Claudio Fragrasso, Umberto Lenzi, Ray Dennis Steckler, Cliff Twemlow and Goya-Award winner – and Severin patron saint – Jess Franco. 

Daft and Gregory met in middle school in their native Nottingham, England and by their mid-twenties had launched the VHS/DVD label Exploited, whose initial releases – including Todd Phillips’ HATED and Alan Ormsby & Jeff Gillen’s DERANGED – quickly became popular titles of the post ‘Video Nasties’ era. In 2001, Exploited’s attempt to release an uncut edition of Wes Craven’s LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT ignited controversy when The British Board Of Film Classification demanded the film be censored. Daft, by then a practicing lawyer, immediately filed a series of landmark appeals. More than a generation later, the case remains a global flashpoint for cinema’s anti-censorship movement. 

As Blue Underground UK, the pair began producing acclaimed featurettes for international DVDs such as DON’T LOOK NOW, BADLANDS, BETTY BLUE, WITHNAIL AND I, CALIGULA, THE NIGHT PORTER, DAWN OF THE DEAD and THE DEER HUNTER. In 2002, the pair lent the company name to the Los Angeles based Blue Underground for whom Gregory produced acclaimed Special Editions that included THE MONDO CANE COLLECTION, THE ALAN CLARKE COLLECTION, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and DJANGO, as well as directing the IFC Original documentary THE SPAGHETTI WEST.  In 2006, Gregory, Daft and Blue Underground U.S. editor John Cregan formed Severin Films, taking their name from the Velvet Underground track based on the protagonist of Sacher-Masoch’s Venus In Furs. 

Severin’s most popular titles have included Peter Medak’s startling ghost story THE CHANGELING starring George C. Scott; Michele Soavi’s existential black comedy gorefest CEMETERY MAN starring Rupert Everett; Dennis Hopper’s overlooked classic OUT OF THE BLUE; Enzo Castellari’s INGLORIOUS BASTARDS with Bonus Materials featuring Quentin Tarantino; Dario Argento’s epic shocker OPERA; Just Jaeckin’s uncut erotic adventure GWENDOLINE; the epic prequel ZULU DAWN starring Peter O’Toole, Burt Lancaster and Bob Hoskins; Alejandro Jodorowsky’s masterpiece SANTA SANGRE, the Richard Burton/Richard Harris/Roger Moore mercenary blockbuster THE WILD GEESE; and the acclaimed BBC nuclear war thriller THREADS and Oscar®-winning docudrama THE WAR GAME.

Severin’s webstore, YouTube Channel – which features rare trailers, exclusive release promos & The Severin Cellar – and its annual Super-Shock Pop-Up Film Festival all remain popular genre fan destinations. Their subsidiary label Intervision is dedicated to eclectic ‘80s softcore favorites, shot-on-video triumphs and regional rarities. And in 2019, the company launched the children’s label Severin Kids to release such generation-scarring classics as THE PEANUT BUTTER SOLUTION and WHEN THE WIND BLOWS. 

Severin has produced feature films that include PLAGUE TOWN and THE THEATRE BIZARRE, as well as the award-winning documentaries BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON; LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU; WOODLANDS DARK & DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR; ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE; MANCUNIAN MAN: THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF CLIFF TWEMLOW; SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC; EXORCISMO: THE TRANSGRESSIVE LEGACY OF CLASIFICADA “S” and THEATRE OF HORRORS: THE SORDID STORY OF PARIS’ GRAND GUIGNOL. Severin also produces international projects for companies that include Second Sight UK, Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory, Umbrella Australia, Arrow Video, The British Film Institute and The Criterion Collection.