Manson International
Codyfinke2, Supermarty-o, and MachineryNoise
Captures by
Eric S.
Video captures courtesy of
MachineryNoise
Background
Manson International (or Manson Distributing Corporation) was founded in 1953 by Edmund Goldman and Sam Nathanson. Initially a distributor of foreign films for the American market, Manson was later reorganized as a foreign sales company. In 1987, Management Company Entertainment Group bought Manson, renamed the company Novacom towards the end of the '80s, and the company folded in the early '90s. A majority of their titles are now with MGM through Orion.
1st Logo (1970s-Early 1986)
Visuals: On a sky blue background, a wireframe globe shape with a white inside quickly zooms in before it compresses itself, expanding out and forming a wide white "M". The "M" then fades to a gold version of itself, with beveled edges and still shines, as a filmstrip filled with a rainbow gradient surrounds the "M". "MANSON INTERNATIONAL" then zooms in.
Technique: Cel animation.
Audio: None.
Availability: This logo was mainly seen on international releases in countries such as the UK, Australia, Japan, etc. Most current prints of Manson's output remove or plaster this logo, so check older copies or releases from the one-off labels. It was seen on the New World Video VHS release of A Taste of Hell and a Comet airing of Screamtime, as well as on some international prints of Warriors of the Wind. Remains intact on the Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment and Arrow Video Blu-Ray releases of Blood Feast (1963), the Kino Lorber BD and current streaming prints of Losin' it, the theatrical cut of the Canadian thriller Self Defense (on the Severin Films Blu-Ray of said film, also known as Siege), and the Umbrella Entertainment Blu-Ray release of Hostage (1983) (AKA: Savage Attraction in the US).
2nd Logo (1985-1990)
Visuals: On a black background, several blue lines, with different thickness levels, converge at the bottom half of the screen, zooming upwards as they form a spiral shape. It then cross-fades to a slightly different spiral with a copy sliding to the right, forming a "M" shape that resembles the one in previous logo. After the "M" forms and stops at the top half of the screen, the text "MANSON INTERNATIONAL" flies up from below.
Variant: The position of the logo may very slightly. Sometimes, it's somewhat centered, other times its at the top half of the screen.
Technique: Possibly CGI or motion-controlled animation.
Audio: A synth rock tune. Sometimes, it is silent.
Availability: Seen on old video copies of Blood Link, The Video Dead, foreign prints of Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, Appointment with Fear (including the 1987 IVE release), From a Whisper to a Scream (AKA: The Offspring) and R.O.T.O.R. It is intact on the Drafthouse Releasing DVD & Blu-Ray of Miami Connection, and an overseas MGM HDTV airing of Willy/Milly (AKA: Something Special). It was also spotted on a now-defunct AT&T U-Verse Screen Pack print of Star Knight, and was also preserved on the 2007 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD release. It is unknown if this can be seen on any foreign releases of Anguish; however, it is not present on the Japanese VHS release.
