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Severin Bringing Notorious Doc “The Killing of America” to Blu-ray
In 1981, director Sheldon Renan and Academy Award nominated co-producer/co-writer Leonard Schrader (brother of filmmaker Paul) created a graphic and provocative examination of America’s history with – and penchant for – senseless violence, mass shootings and cold-blooded murder. Piercing, brutal and at times, unflinchingly graphic, The Killing of America was exhibited briefly in New York in 1982…and subsequently shelved. While the ensuing thirty five years have – thankfully – seen the lowering of overall violent crimes in the nation, the documentary’s themes about equating violence with economic & racial discrimination and the continued proliferation of personal firearms in our republic still echo in the national discourse during this election year. Sometimes, to solve a problem in front of us, we must look to the past…
Severin Films announces the October 25th release of Sheldon Renan’s controversial documentary The Killing of America on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand. Fully restored and just as explosive almost four decades after its inception, the film will be presented uncensored and uncut. In addition, the Blu-ray™ release includes the even more unnerving Japanese version known as Violence USA, which contains previously unseen footage from the American cut. A limited nationwide theatrical release is also planned; cities and theatres to be announced.
The Killing of America begins with the following cautionary note: “All of the film you are about to see is real. Nothing has been staged.” Guided by interviews with criminals (including Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan) and law-enforcement officials as well as incendiary newsreel footage of actual violent crimes, viewers are taken on a profoundly disturbing and still chillingly relevant journey into a uniquely American heart of darkness. Rock! Shock! Pop! proclaimed the film “a powerful experience,” The Guardian declared it “austere and remarkable,” and Vox Magazine showered praise via the warning “not for the faint of heart.”
The Killing of America Blu-ray and DVD comes fully loaded with exclusive Bonus Features including:
- Audio commentary with director Sheldon Renan
- Interview with director Sheldon Renan
- Interview with editor Lee Percy
- Interview With Mondo Movie historian Nick Pinkerton
Are you ready to go back?
After a record-breaking box office run and an extended cut re-release, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ Backrooms is heading home to Digital.
Backrooms will be available to rent or buy this Tuesday, July 14.
In the film, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in Backrooms as the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire, who discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Renate Reinsve (A Different Man) also stars in Backrooms.
Will Soodik wrote the screenplay.
I wrote in my review, “Backrooms is at once complex and sparse, but never repetitive. It might be set in 1990, but it effectively captures modern anxieties and isolation in a way that frequently makes your skin crawl. While the journey ultimately loses steam by its cryptic end, Parsons’ visual representation of the human psyche disturbs like no other.”
YouTube prodigy Kane Parsons makes his feature directorial debut based on his creepypasta-inspired video series, which debuted in 2022 and has amassed over 190 million views to date.