Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of acclaimed films like Drive and The Neon Demon – arguably one of 2016’s most impressive horror films – is to unleash his own streaming service. The service is to be completely free and will focus on artsy films that have predominantly flown under the radar.
Within the horror genre there are plenty of films that are critically acclaimed and do well on the festival circuit, but still fail to be secure a release in the USA or, more than likely, in the UK. It’s a shame, because great cinematic work is missed by fans who love the genre. Even sadder is the lack of classic horror films and the difficulty in being able to watch lesser-known films from the ‘50s through to the ‘80s. Refn’s service is said to tackle this problem particularly, with the first batch of films acquired as follows:
Night Tide (1961)
The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds (1965)
Hot Thrills and Warm Chills (1967)
The Burning Hell (1974)
When speaking about his plans for the VOD service to The Guardian, Refn said:
“I want [the future] to be an uncontrolled place of beautiful chaos, where everyone can create their own universe and is free to speak their own mind, without being overseen by big business. A place of free speech and free access.
Over recent years, I’ve bought and had restored scores of old movies as a hobby. I wondered what to do with them. Then I realised I should share them for free, so I set up a website where they could be streamed. There’s no catch; you’re not being sold anything. Take it or leave it.
I hope my site will inspire people to see the world a different way. Setting it up has helped me reconcile myself to a different concept of culture than the traditional, romantic one I was raised with. People of my generation – I’m 47 – want tangible tokens of mortality to cling to. But nostalgia is artistic suicide. You have to accept the fact that everything disintegrates in your hands.”
This sounds like an awesome way for fans to brush up on their classic film knowledge, so we can’t wait for the service to get going. More as it comes!
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