SEVERIN UNLEASHES TWO MORE HUGE RELEASES FROM RUSS MEYER’S BOSOMANIA! WITH MOTORPSYCHO & UP!
Both Films Now Available for the First Time in 20+ Years,
Pre-order Begins at SeverinFilms.com on January 27, 2025
“The films of Russ Meyer must be seen to be believed – exploitation entertainment that not only transgresses but achieves artistic transcendence.”
-Variety, 1/7/25
Following their celebrated release of The VIXEN Trilogy, Severin Films – in collaboration with The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust – today announced the UHD/Blu-ray Premieres of two more landmark films from the vaults of iconic American auteur Russ Meyer: 1965’s action-and-violence saga MOTORPSYCHO, and the erotic comedy RUSS MEYER’S UP! co-written by Roger Ebert. Both titles have been restored and scanned in 4K from their original negatives with hours of new and archival Special Features and will be available for pre-order on January 27 at the Severin Webstore.
“PLENTY OF ACTION AND BUXOM WOMEN…
all the sex and violence Russ Meyer could get away with in 1965.”
-The Spinning Image
Just prior to FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, producer/director/co-writer and cinematographer Russ Meyer first unleashed his singular vision of full-throttle violence and vengeance with this 1965 shocker: When a trio of psycho bikers launches a sexual assault and murder spree in a desert town, the local veterinarian (Alex Rocco of THE GODFATHER fame in his screen debut) teams with a rage-ravaged vixen (the incredible Haji in her own first film role) to settle the score. Steve Oliver (WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS), Lane Carroll (THE CRAZIES), Timothy Scott (THE FARMER) and Russ himself co-star in this “slick, violent and well made” (Variety) Meyer milestone, now scanned in 4K from the original negative restored by The Museum of Modern Art with new and archival Special Features curated by Severin Films in association with The Russ Meyer Trust.
Special Features for MOTORPSYCHO
UHD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell And Filmmaker Zach Clark
- Trailer
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell And Filmmaker Zach Clark
- Desert Rats On Hondas – Interviews With Actors Haji And Alex Rocco
No fairy tale…this! In 1976, producer/director/cinematographer/editor Russ Meyer delivered his penultimate feature film – co-written by BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert – hailed as “jaw-droppingly perverse” (Entertainment Weekly), “Meyer at his most outrageous” (Images Journal) and “definitely not to be confused with the Pixar cartoon” (The Spinning Image): Welcome to a sex-blasted burg in Northern California where sodomized Führers, ravenous piranha, sapphic ecstasy, murder mystery, Shakespearean appropriation and the remarkable Raven De La Croix collide, with Kitten Natividad – in her RM Productions debut – as The Greek Chorus of it all. Janet Wood (THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS) co-stars in “one of Russ Meyer’s best films” (We Are Movie Geeks), now scanned in 4K from the original negative by Severin Films with new and archival Special Features curated in association with The Russ Meyer Trust.
Special Features for RUSS MEYER’S UP!
UHD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell
- No Fairy Tale... This! – Interview With Actress Raven De La Croix
- Radio Spot
Feature Specs for RUSS MEYER’S UP!
- Trailer
Feature Specs for MOTORPSYCHO
Runtime: 74 mins
Audio: English Mono
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A/B/C
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Feature Specs for MOTORPSYCHO
Runtime: 74 mins
Audio: English Mono
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A/B/C
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
“AN EROTIC COMEDY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS…
It’s campy, violent and wallowing in a sea of carnality, but effective
in its mission of unrefined eroticism and gung-ho extravagance.”
--Gone With The Twins
Special Features for RUSS MEYER’S UP!
UHD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell
- No Fairy Tale... This! – Interview With Actress Raven De La Croix
- Radio Spot
Feature Specs for RUSS MEYER’S UP!
Run Time: 80 mins
Audio: English Mono
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A/B/C
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
MOTORPSYCHO (1965)
Audio: English Mono
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A/B/C
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
MOTORPSYCHO (1965)
RUSS MEYER'S UP! (1976)
About the Severin Films / Russ Meyer Estate Partnership
He’s been called “a one-man film industry” (The Guardian), “the first feminist American director” (B. Ruby Rich), “practically an American institution” (The Washington Post) and “the ultimate auteur” (Roger Ebert). His films include such classics as LORNA, UP!, MUDHONEY, FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and the legendary VIXEN Trilogy. His creative vision and maverick spirit changed the trajectory – and shape – of cinema forever.
But when writer/producer/director/cinematographer/distributor Russ Meyer – who famously retained all rights to the films he produced – passed away in 2004, the fate of his landmark catalog became shrouded in mystery and clouded by rumor while remaining virtually unseen and unattainable by modern audiences.
In 2023, Severin Films approached The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust by reaching out to his longtime Executive Assistant Janice Cowart – who by then was the last remaining Trustee and responsible for herculean preservation efforts in the years following Russ’ death – with a passionate pitch to restore and release many of his films. Severin promised to spare no expense, archeological effort or technical wizardry to present these works via the gold standard they richly deserve and celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Russ Meyer.
About Severin Films
Severin Films is the foremost independent studio dedicated to rescuing, restoring and releasing the works of Oscar nominees and cult icons alike for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital platforms. Founded in 2006, their distribution catalogue includes projects by iconic filmmakers Russ Meyer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Paul Morrissey, Mike Leigh, Lucio Fulci, Peter Greenaway, Penelope Spheeris, Just Jaeckin, Roman Polanski, Alex de la Iglesia and UK comedy legends The Comic Strip; classics of Blaxploitation, Ozploitation, Sharksploitation and Nunsploitation; groundbreaking Filipino, Indonesian, Spanish & Soviet horror; American drive-in indies, controversial documentaries, renowned UK comedies and the industry’s most formidable collection of Italian gialli, cannibal, zombie, erotic thrillers and ‘80s action hits. Along the way, Severin has elevated the oeuvres of such fringe auteurs as Bruno Mattei, Al Adamson, Andy Milligan, Joe D’Amato, Claudio Fragrasso, Umberto Lenzi, Ray Dennis Steckler and Goya-Award winner – and Severin patron saint – Jess Franco. Severin has also produced the award-winning documentaries BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON; LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU; WOODLANDS DARK & DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR; TALES OF THE UNCANNY; ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival; MANCUNIAN MAN: THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF CLIFF TWEMLOW; SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC and EXORCISMO: THE TRANSGRESSIVE LEGACY OF CLASIFICADA “S”.
About the Severin Films / Russ Meyer Estate Partnership
He’s been called “a one-man film industry” (The Guardian), “the first feminist American director” (B. Ruby Rich), “practically an American institution” (The Washington Post) and “the ultimate auteur” (Roger Ebert). His films include such classics as LORNA, UP!, MUDHONEY, FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and the legendary VIXEN Trilogy. His creative vision and maverick spirit changed the trajectory – and shape – of cinema forever.
But when writer/producer/director/cinematographer/distributor Russ Meyer – who famously retained all rights to the films he produced – passed away in 2004, the fate of his landmark catalog became shrouded in mystery and clouded by rumor while remaining virtually unseen and unattainable by modern audiences.
In 2023, Severin Films approached The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust by reaching out to his longtime Executive Assistant Janice Cowart – who by then was the last remaining Trustee and responsible for herculean preservation efforts in the years following Russ’ death – with a passionate pitch to restore and release many of his films. Severin promised to spare no expense, archeological effort or technical wizardry to present these works via the gold standard they richly deserve and celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Russ Meyer.
About Severin Films
Severin Films is the foremost independent studio dedicated to rescuing, restoring and releasing the works of Oscar nominees and cult icons alike for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital platforms. Founded in 2006, their distribution catalogue includes projects by iconic filmmakers Russ Meyer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Paul Morrissey, Mike Leigh, Lucio Fulci, Peter Greenaway, Penelope Spheeris, Just Jaeckin, Roman Polanski, Alex de la Iglesia and UK comedy legends The Comic Strip; classics of Blaxploitation, Ozploitation, Sharksploitation and Nunsploitation; groundbreaking Filipino, Indonesian, Spanish & Soviet horror; American drive-in indies, controversial documentaries, renowned UK comedies and the industry’s most formidable collection of Italian gialli, cannibal, zombie, erotic thrillers and ‘80s action hits. Along the way, Severin has elevated the oeuvres of such fringe auteurs as Bruno Mattei, Al Adamson, Andy Milligan, Joe D’Amato, Claudio Fragrasso, Umberto Lenzi, Ray Dennis Steckler and Goya-Award winner – and Severin patron saint – Jess Franco. Severin has also produced the award-winning documentaries BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON; LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU; WOODLANDS DARK & DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR; TALES OF THE UNCANNY; ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival; MANCUNIAN MAN: THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF CLIFF TWEMLOW; SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC and EXORCISMO: THE TRANSGRESSIVE LEGACY OF CLASIFICADA “S”.
