Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema of Michael J. Murphy, 1967–2015

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The Making of ‘Roxi’ (2004): documentary featuring interviews with actors Mary-Anne Barlow, Bruce Lawrence, Ross Maxwell and Valia Yanarou Standard Definition presentations, newly digitised from Murphy’s tape masters, of Qualen (1983), Tristan aka Legend of the Hero (1986), Death Run (1987), Avalon (1988), Second Sight (1992), The Rite of Spring (version one, 1995), The Rite of Spring (version two, 1995), Tristan (version two, 1999), Roxi (2004), and Skare (2008) Mute footage of a fight rehearsal from the earlier film. If you thought it surprising that a mouthy drunk could best the buff Dan in the remake, wait until you see the muscles on Dan's 2001 equivalent Steve, played by Oliver Price – I have little doubt that he could lift a barn in the air with one hand and drop it on his opponent's head without breaking a sweat.

Murphy stopped shooting on film after the disaster that befell the initial attempt to film Skare in 2001, when a huge chunk of footage went missing in transit to the lab*. Thereafter, he either shot on SD video ( Roxi, the entirely re-shot Skare, ZK3) or HD ( Nekros, The Return of Alan Strange). Low-budget independent filmmaker Chris (Jonathan Whalley), leading man Mark (John Wright) and his older co-star Helen (Helena Zeffert) arrive in Greece to shoot scenes for their latest production. Helen is wrestling with some past demons, and politely rebuffs the younger Mark's amorous advances, claiming that she wants to avoid a repeat of the emotional hurt she suffered after a recent breakup, but this doesn't stop her from seducing good-looking Greek actor Andreas (Paulos Charalambidis). When out walking one day, however, she finds herself in the woodland lair of Alexandro Constantino, a masked local legend who requests that she remain with him to help break the curse under which he has been placed. Murphy’s Lore, Part 3: Legacy (2023, 25 mins): final instalment of a three-part documentary assessing Murphy’s career and legacy, featuring interviews with British filmmakers, cinema programmers, film historians, and writers

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Oliver Price, who played the hugely muscular Steve in the 2001 version of Skare, commentates on the surviving footage from that film in which he appears – Indicator really did go the extra thousand miles here. Short though it may be, it's still really welcome, and includes a story about Price's car that typifies Murphy's ability to take advantage of any opportunity to save money. All-new 2K restorations by Powerhouse Films, using film elements from the Murphy archives, of Tristan and Iseult (1970), Happy Ever After (1974), Secrets (1977), Almost a Movie (1979), The Cell (1980), Stay (1980), Death in the Family (1981), Invitation to Hell (1983), The Last Night (1983), Bloodstream (1985), Moonchild (1989), Torment (1990), Atlantis (1991), Road to Nowhere (1993), Tristan (version one, 1999), ZK3 (2012), Nekros: Isle of the Dead (2014), and The Return of Alan Strange (2015) Audio commentaries on Invitation to Hell and The Last Night with Murphy, Lyndon and Sally Duncan (2008)

The Making of 'Invitation to Hell' and 'The Last Night' (2008): retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Murphy, Lyndon and Duncan Alternative opening titles and closing credits for the film whose pixelated look suggests that they were created digitally for the film's first DVD release.A fun collection out outtakes from Skare. The expected fluffed lines are often amusing, but the best moments are all technical gaffs, with Murphy's trademark fire-in the-foreground shot triggering a smoke alarm that ruins a deadly serious monologue, a lightbulb that is the main source of room light falling out and then dropped when an attempt is made to replace it, and an absolute belter when a body falls towards the camera and slams into the lens instead of stopping short as intended. In this final segment of Murphy's Lore, several individuals pay tribute to Murphy's work and reveal how they first discovered it (usually through the double-bill of Invitation to Hell and The Last Night) and how it influenced them. Curiously, at least on the review disc version, none of them are identified with name captions, although there is a roll call of participants in the closing credits, and I instantly recognised the voice of Johnny Walker, who provided the second commentary on Invitation to Hell. Murphy's second stab at The Seventh Day has ironically suffered the same fate as the first, being now lost save for five surviving minutes, which doesn't prove enough for me to state with any authority what is actually taking place.

Greek island home. Nathan only ever writes a single novel at each location before moving on, a practice he is able to now do with ease because of the financial success of the movie adaptation of his last novel, Zombie Knights. Now commissioned to write the screenplay for the sequel, he is visualising how the film will look as he writes, casting himself as the lead character, a mad scientist who creates an army of Nazi zombies. When Amanda arrives and starts conducting her interview, Nathan starts writing her into the story, and she soon begins having unnerving visions of zombified locals and suspecting that Nathan's fantastical story might have a basis in reality.

A surprisingly frugal 16 screens (two of which are title cards) featuring stills, posters and DVD covers for Rite of Spring and Tristan. The Making of 'Atlantis' (2010): two-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Murphy, Lyndon, Bunday and Holding All-new 2K restoration by Powerhouse Films of Bloodstream (1985), using Super 8 film elements from the Michael J Murphy archives

The Making of ‘Skare’ (2009): retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Murphy and Holding

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Murlyn’s Cave (2023, 22 mins): footage of Murphy’s friends and collaborators salvaging rare promotional materials, production equipment, props and other materials from the director’s home shortly after his death in 2015 An alternative cut of the above that dispenses with most of the captions but ends with one that shouts in bright red, "Truly unbelievable," which is either a reflection of Murphy's tongue-in-cheek approach or really asking for it, depending on your viewpoint. Murphy here talks about the origins of the project and the original version – which was scuppered when most of the footage was lost in the post – and the changes that were made for this second take on the story, and Judith Holding comments on what a joy her character was to play. Quite a few outtakes have been included, all of which and more can be viewed in the collection detailed below. screens of production still, artwork, video covers, and international posters, including a Japanese one for Avalon that adapts the title to the available syllables in the language as Abaron. Trailers for Invitation to Hell, The Last Night, Bloodstream, Legend of a Hero, Death Run, Avalon, Moonchild, Torment, Atlantis, Road to Nowhere, The Rite of Spring, Tristan, Roxi, Skare, ZK3, Nekros: Isle of Death, and The Return of Alan Strange