8mm Forum: "The Minikillers" feature ... first actual direct to super 8 feature film?

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 22, 2016, 12:16 PM:

I was perusing the Super 8 warehouse website, and I saw a feature (well, I believe it was 3X400ft), of a feature called,
"The Minikillers", which starred Diana Rigg, among others. the boxes say that it was a direct to super 8mm production.

Was this the first (and perhaps, only), film feature released EXCLUSIVELY on super 8? From the description, (and i have no reason to doubt it), this was only released as a silent version AND a sound version, but the sound version just had music, but no dialogue.

Personally, what I'm betting on, is that this was a film that unfortunately, had no remaining budget to

A. record actual dialogue for the film, and
B. since there was no dialogue, they no doubt could not come up with distribution for it ...

..., so, to recoup at least part of they're investment, and with the addition of the lovely Diana Rigg in the cast, they released it on super 8.

Any thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?

Posted by Bob Loehr (Member # 3556) on October 22, 2016, 01:15 PM:

Minikillers was the second attempt of a fan-movie, financed by a Düsseldorf dentist dandy and a newsreel-cameraman, with a little help of their friends, - to be released exclusively on 8mm and Super 8 for sale in a warehouse chain and - hold your breath - for projection at gas stations while customers had their tank filled up by a friendly service man. The idea never took off, really. Diana Rigg got a check for 200.000 Deutschmarks in 1969 for her reprise of the Emma-style role in these silent amateur movies. The films are dreadful to watch, excerpts can be found on youtube and the complete series is presented as extras on a French AVENGERS BluRay box. Those Super 8 reels are totally overpriced and overrated, contrast and sharpness is as weak as the plotlines. I got those films for 20 quid and only ever watched them once. The cardboard boxes are fun, though.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 24, 2016, 12:14 PM:

Bob, you are an absolutely awesome fellow!

I would have never dreamed that it would be a gas station entertainment!!! Man! The super 8 stories just get wilder and wilder!!!!

Posted by Bob Loehr (Member # 3556) on October 26, 2016, 04:53 PM:

There is another absymally amateurish straight-to-Super-8 miniseries out there: DIE LADY AUS DEM WELTRAUM (THE LADY FROM OUTER SPACE" featuring Vivi Bach, a TV presenter, co-starring: a space dog. Check this out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MuQDa4hjfY

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on October 27, 2016, 12:58 PM:

I have one of the Diana Rigg 400' reels which I've only watched once, years ago. I recall the print being good, so I must take another look. I believe there were also some 200' releases that overlapped with the 400' ones, and one might have had a music track? I saw an article about these releases somewhere but it was in German so I'd love to know the full story. We might be grateful for some 'straight to 8mm' releases now!

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on February 15, 2018, 07:16 PM:

I've never seen it offered before, but the ultra-rare colour sound release (music track) is currently on eBay. I'd be tempted to bid, but the colour is badly faced and it only seems to be 100', instead of the 200' that I thought applied to he sound version.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/super-8-film-The-Avengers-Diana-Rigg-in-Das-Diadem-1960s-VERY-RARE/122966064470

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on February 16, 2018, 01:21 PM:

It's on the IMDb website. Running time is 28 minutes or as four 7 minute episodes for gas stations probably. Released (or escaped) in 1969. "The only full copy of the movie was found with cameraman Josef Kaufmann in his hometown Cologne/Germany. This 16 mm copy has sound. The S-8 mm copies for publishing are without sound".

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on February 17, 2018, 04:57 AM:

There is still another straight to home production,and this is really a classic (no irony)! CAPTAIN CELLULOID VS THE FILM PIRATES a four episode serial.This also was filmed in 16mm and reduced to 8.And this is from 1968!

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on February 18, 2018, 12:11 AM:

Good to hear about the IMDB information, and a user review there by perfectpawn provides a synopsis of all four parts. What still puzzles me, though, is how a 28 minute production resulted in three (b/w silent) 400' Super 8 releases, as well as the colour one(s). The 400' I have is on a fairly full reel. So, if the three 400' releases are all drawn from the 28 minute production, there must be a lot of overlap in the footage used!

Posted by Oliver F. R. Feld (Member # 1911) on February 18, 2018, 02:09 AM:

Bob is completely right with everything, but I like the MINIKILLERS.
Everybody who „directed“ Super-8-home movies as a kid (my stars were LEGO- and later PLAYMOBIL-figures) would have dreamed of these little films. They are more professional than they seem and full of phantasy - and somewhere between THE AVENGERS and JAMES BOND. Diana Rigg was doing this right after OHMSS!

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on February 18, 2018, 10:36 AM:

And how about John Daborn's collectively made cartoon, THE BATTLE OF WANGAPORE from 1956 and JACK AND THE BEANSTALK and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in 1968-'69?

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