Monster super 8!

[Osi Osgood]

Dave's topic reminds me of something ... A question, what was your first monster digest? I have fond memories of my first, a standard 8mm 200ft of "The Deadly Mantis"!

[Mike Newell]

Night of the Big Heat 200ft Black & White Sound from Perry’s. I was no wiser what film was about after watching it.

I think that was part of my first order from Ian at Perry’s in 1980.

Night if the Living Dead 200ft B/ W Sound Santorini Travelogue 200ft Colour Sound which I still have and Funeral of Queen Victoria (filmed by Ian as a small boy) and vintage what the butler saw striptease film both 50ft Black and White Silent wish i had kept those two as never ever saw them again.

[Melvin England]

King Kong - 200' Black and white (!) Silent, delivered mail order from Mailmaster Film Productions!!

[Mike Newell]

Mailmaster were one of the multitude of names used by Portland Films. I bought my first projector Royal Super 8 Sound projector £79.95 postage included) from an advert they had at the back of Tit Bits magazine ( it wasn’t as bad as the name suggests) I was just reading it waiting to get my hair cut in the barbers honest 😳

[Melvin England]

Mike ...

A) Off the top of my head, Mailmaster's address was 69 Long Lane, London (will stand corrected on that) but didn't know it was connected to Portland Films so thanks for that info.

B) I remember Tit Bits too. Nothing to do with the human anatomy!

C) I bet you regretted investing all that money on THAT plastic toy! I am sure you learnt your lesson soon after!

.

[Mike Newell]

Melvin

I didn’t know until years later it was associated with Portland. I think address was 69 Long Lane Soho London. I actually thought it was okay until I tried the reverse. I didn’t do reverse just tore the film apart. My next was Cinerex from Lees Cameras I think it was cheaper. It did reverse projection with sound which you had to hear. It also guaranteed to scratch every film consistently which is why every film I had prior to 1982 was disposed of apart from Santorini which I used as a test film.

[Maurice Leakey]

Tit-Bits had a long life.
Titbits (joyceproject.com)

Maurice

[Mike Newell]

My version was in colour 1881 to 1984. National Inquirer with adverts.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Returning to the topic, my first film purchase (actually my parents paid for it) was also my first monster film. It was Atlas Films' 200' B&W silent Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, one of a few bootlegs that were taken from that feature. If that falls into the horror category as opposed to monster, my second was Ken Films' Battle of the Monsters, one of their two Ghidrah releases.

[Oliver Feld]

„Tarantula“ in the 17 meters silent edition

[Michael O’Regan]

Son of Frankenstein - 200ft silent, Castle Films. I still have it.
I also still have a few that I bought from Mailmaster Films. I loved that “Bumper catalogue pack” that they sent out to new members of their film club.

[David Baker]

Here is my very first super 8mm 50 foot film I bought for my " crank " projector -

I still have it too !

[Carter Bradley]

"Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein," Super 8 200' "Complete Edition," silent, in glorious black and white. This film came with the used projector I purchased from an add in the local newspaper from someone who lived in my town. When I viewed the film I remember thinking, "This print sure is dark, the boxes containing the subtitles are so dim I can't make out the dialog." Then on the second showing the DJL bulb blew. I guess it was on its last leg!

[Brian Fretwell]

Melvin

I didn’t know until years later it was associated with Portland. I think address was 69 Long Lane Soho London. I actually thought it was okay until I tried the reverse. I didn’t do reverse just tore the film apart. My next was Cinerex from Lees Cameras I think it was cheaper. It did reverse projection with sound which you had to hear. It also guaranteed to scratch every film consistently which is why every film I had prior to 1982 was disposed of apart from Santorini which I used as a test film.

I worked near Long Lane (It is near Smithfield Market) for many years No 69 was just a door and not actually on the road but in a courtyard off it. I posted a photo of it in recent years on the old forum, but can't find the file at present.

[David Baker]

Here was all my favorite Giant monster Ken films super 8 I owned - usually as soon as they came out ( I even bought them direct through the mail from Ken Films in Fort Lee , NJ. )