Studious Horror Fans Get a Full Ride to MURDER UNIVERSITY



Nestled in picturesque (and pleasantly spooky) Providence, Scorpio Films Releasing - helmed by prolific filmmaker Richard Griffin and his partner Ted Marr - has been churning out high quality, high entertainment genre love letters for over a decade. No era is safe from their pointed humor and dizzying array of cleverness in the face of microbudgets. Where most "throwback" projects fail, Griffin's crew succeeds in paying homage to classic sci-fi, horror, and exploitation by balancing humor, a keen eye for detail, and a true love for the films they're referencing. Films like The Disco Exorcist (Mike's Review), Nun of That, and Exhumed (My Review) prove that solid technique, witty writing, blasphemy, and the occasional naked breast can overcome most monetary deficiencies. I dare you to watch any of those films and not crack a smile! I know Mike and I are more than a little giddy when we hear of a new project by the company.  

This go around, it looks like the gang is taking on the 80's slasher with their latest film MURDER UNIVERSITY. Despite a plethora of current films that claim to pay homage to that once lucrative genre, I'd wager that Scorpio Films Releasing delivers a truly refreshing take. Richard Griffin tackles his films with a near scholarly approach, but without taking things so seriously it gets bogged down in pretentiousness. With 12 features now under their collective belts, Murder University is sure to hit all the right notes, deliriously hacking away at convention with a subversive edge. If you weren't excited enough, Griffin states, "Extreme graphic violence, action, sex, nudity, comedy, a musical number... hell, anything and everything we could throw at the audience, we did! The performances are top-notch, and the movie has a scope that most low budget films could only dream of." Clearly Griffin and his cohorts succeed because they care deeply about their audience and their forebears in exploitation cinema.

The film is written by acclaimed playwright turned screenwriter Lenny Schwartz of the Daydream Theater. He says of Murder University: "It certainly is the bloodiest thing I have ever written and it is filled with things I have never done in the theater: blood, sex, extreme violence and nudity. And that positively fills me with glee."

Synopsis: A series of brutal, cult-like murders are taking place at a New England college. Josh Greene, a shy freshman, is the lone survivor of a series of murders that are reminiscent of a similar string of killings some twenty years prior. As he seeks to uncover the secret behind the attacks, he is joined by Detective Forrester, who was instrumental in halting the bloodshed before, and his daughter Meg, who had barely escaped being a victim previously.

Starring Jamie Dufault, Michael Thurber, and Samantha Acampora, MURDER UNIVERSITY is the company's most violent and gory film to date. It will premiere in late July of 2012. As always, check here for screenings, trailers, and any other information. Be sure to attend our screening of Griffin's Exhumed (Double Feature with Patrick Rea's Nailbiter) on Friday, May 11, 10 pm at the Somerville Theater in lovely Somerville, MA.