Shout! Factory, the home video company that has released exhaustive box sets of Freaks And Geeks, Transfomers, and allowed Larry Cohen to provide an audio commentary on Q: The Winged Serpent, is making its way into original features. Fender Bender, a horror feature script from writer-director Mark Pavia, “will be developed and financed through the company’s horror genre label, Scream Factory” according to Deadline. The feature is described as a “throwback to the horror films of the ’80s—a time when homicidal maniacs like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees routinely terrorized hapless teens.”
And if there’s one thing Scream Factory knows, it’s classic horror. The company has put out some outstanding special editions of cult classics and forgotten horror like Sonny Boy, The Burning, and The Beast Within in recent years. “Over the last few years we’ve built up credibility with these fans, “ Jordan Fields, the company’s head of acquisitions tells Variety. “We know this audience. We know where they live and what they love.” So even if the film is lame, consumers will certainly be treated to terrific packaging and artwork, areas where Scream Factory excels.
“It’s a natural progression for us and it’s very much in that sweet spot of genre films that we’re known for,” adds Shout! Factory founder Bob Emmer. “We want to create something that broadens the scope of what we’re doing and gives us property we fully control.” No word yet on a theatrical release, though.