Severin Films Celebrates 20 Years: 20 Facts You Need to Know

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From Oscar-nominated filmmakers and cult icons to folk horror, Bruceploitation, killer sharks and cinema once thought lost forever, Severin Films has spent 20 years preserving the strange, significant and spectacular, building a truly original catalog and becoming a cultural force to be reckoned with.

As Severin celebrates 20 years in the business, from taking on the British film censors with its first indie label and rescuing lost movies to redefining the collector’s box set and building a catalog of more than 400 film and television projects, here are 20 things you need to know about one of entertainment’s most fearless and innovative independent labels.

The Beginning

1. Severin Films was born in August 2006

The company was co-founded by David Gregory and Carl Daft, two lifelong horror fans from Nottingham, UK, whose partnership began at middle school when they bonded over a shared obsession with horror and cult cinema.

2. Severin wasn’t their first label

By their mid-20s, David Gregory and Carl Daft had launched the VHS and DVD label Exploited. Its early releases included Todd Phillips’ HATED and Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen’s DERANGED, which became popular titles in the post-Video Nasties era.

3. They took on the British film censor

In 2001, their attempt to release an uncut edition of Wes Craven’s THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT ignited a major censorship battle when the British Board of Film Classification demanded cuts. Their subsequent landmark appeals remain a significant reference point for the international anti-censorship movement and helped lead directly to the preservation of several titles from the original Video Nasties list.

Rescuing and Restoring Cinema

4. Its library now contains more than 400 films and television projects

The catalog ranges from Oscar-recognized cinema and major cult classics to obscure discoveries rescued from being lost forever.

5. Severin is part film label, part cinematic detective agency

Restoring a film can mean years spent tracking down original negatives, rare prints, missing footage and surviving audio elements in archives, vaults and private collections around the world.

6. The mission goes far beyond releasing cult movies

Severin rescues, restores and reintroduces neglected cinema for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital platforms, while preserving the stories behind the films through newly produced documentaries, interviews and archival research.

The Filmmakers

7. Severin’s filmmakers range from Mike Leigh to Lucio Fulci

Its catalog includes work by Peter Greenaway, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Penelope Spheeris, Peter Medak, Álex de la Iglesia, Russ Meyer, Paul Morrissey, Roman Polanski, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro and many more.

8. Jess Franco is Severin’s unofficial patron saint

The prolific, provocative and utterly individual Spanish filmmaker embodies the kind of fearless outsider cinema that has shaped the label’s identity.

9. Severin has helped place fringe filmmakers firmly into film history

Its releases have celebrated and reassessed mavericks including Al Adamson, Andy Milligan, Bruno Mattei, Joe D’Amato, Claudio Fragasso, Umberto Lenzi, Ray Dennis Steckler and Manchester action auteur Cliff Twemlow.

Going Wherever the Movies Take Them

10. No exploitation subgenre is too specific

Severin has explored Blaxploitation, Ozploitation, Sharksploitation, Discosploitation, Nunsploitation, Bruceploitation and even “Indiana Jonesploitation.”

11. Severin’s production expertise is sought by other leading labels

The company has produced international bonus-feature projects for The Criterion Collection, the British Film Institute, Second Sight Films, Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory, Arrow, Umbrella, Blue Underground and Dark Sky.

12. Its catalogue travels far beyond Hollywood

Severin has championed groundbreaking horror and cult cinema from the Philippines, Indonesia, Spain, the Soviet Union and beyond, alongside American drive-in films and European genre classics.

The Box Sets

13. Their box sets can take years to complete

Each collection can involve extensive research, international film archaeology and major restoration, alongside specially commissioned documentaries, soundtracks and full-color companion books.

14. Severin has redefined what a box set can be

Collections have explored individual filmmakers, performers, national cinemas, cultural movements and entire subgenres rather than simply bringing together a group of films.

15. Folk horror became one of its biggest undertakings

The two volumes of ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS: A COMPENDIUM OF FOLK HORROR assemble films, documentaries, short films, archival material, soundtracks and books from across the global history of folk horror.

16. Christopher Lee has received the epic Severin treatment

THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE has grown to three volumes devoted to lesser-seen European films and television work from the screen legend’s extraordinary career.

Beyond Physical Media

17. Severin has an ever-expanding universe

The company produces the monthly Severin Films Podcast and popular YouTube series including THE SEVERIN CELLAR, IN THE LAND OF FRANCO and MY FLEAPIT, MY PALACE, as well as Shudder’s annual Christmas anthology series THE HAUNTED SEASON.

18. Severin does not just restore films, it makes award-winning ones

Productions include LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON, WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR, ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE, THEATRE OF HORRORS and anthology film THE THEATRE BIZARRE.

Celebrating 20 Years

19. Severin’s first ever film release was GWENDOLINE

The cult favorite feature from EMMANUELLE director Just Jaeckin will be re-released in a brand new 4K UHD edition as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations.

20. The anniversary celebrations are getting the full Severin treatment

Kicking off the celebrations with its SuperShock Pop-Up Film Festival in Los Angeles on August 22, Severin has an exciting upcoming release slate for the rest of 2026 that includes one of its most ambitious collections to date. More news on that soon.

Five Severin Favorites

Among the label’s most popular releases are:

Peter Medak’s THE CHANGELING
Michele Soavi’s CEMETERY MAN
Jess Franco’s VAMPYROS LESBOS
Dario Argento’s OPERA
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s SANTA SANGRE

Five Special Mentions

Severin has also brought new attention to:

THREADS
PERDITA DURANGO
BURIAL GROUND
THE WILD GEESE
Enzo G. Castellari’s original THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS

About Severin Films

Severin Films is the foremost independent studio dedicated to rescuing, restoring and releasing the works of Oscar nominees and cult icons alike for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital platforms.

Founded in 2006, its distribution catalogue includes projects by iconic filmmakers Russ Meyer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Paul Morrissey, Mike Leigh, Lucio Fulci, Peter Greenaway, Penelope Spheeris, Just Jaeckin, Roman Polanski, Álex de la Iglesia and UK comedy legends The Comic Strip; classics of Blaxploitation, Ozploitation, Sharksploitation and Nunsploitation; groundbreaking Filipino, Indonesian, Spanish and Soviet horror; American drive-in indies, controversial documentaries, renowned UK comedies and an extensive collection of Italian gialli, cannibal, zombie, erotic thrillers and ’80s action hits.