FOUND: The Lost Cinema of Michael J Murphy

Michael J. Murphy

PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND: Today Murlyn Films International, a British based independent film production company specialising in low budget movie production, announced that over 30 surviving works of late director Michael J Murphy from "Avalon" to "ZK3" are now available for free viewing online.

Upon reaching this milestone, Murphy's archivist and documentary maker Mike Peter Reed said "It's been quite a journey to pull these works together from disparate sources including old VHS recordings, broadcast beta tapes, DVD and Blu-Ray screeners. Sadly we lost Murphy in 2015 aged 64 whilst he was in preproduction of 'Pornophobia' but at least his back catalogue can now be enjoyed, entertain and inspire others for generations to come."

Murphy's archivist explained why Murlyn Films International chose to partner with YouTube:

•  Youtube is currently the second largest search engine on the planet. It stands to reason that anyone looking for Murphy's cult and obscure films would likely try a search on Youtube.
  
•  Ease of uploading feature length content and subsequent reliability of distribution globally. Anyone can do it without involving a middleman or aggregation company.
  
• Longevity. It seems likely that YouTube will be around for at least as long as the internet exists meaning Murphy's work can be found and enjoyed by generations to come.

About Murlyn Films International: Murlyn Films International is a British independent film production company based in the historical naval city of Portsmouth, England. Founded in 2013 through a creative collaboration between Michael J Murphy and Philip Lyndon, Murphy's back catalogue stretches back to an acclaimed production of 'Boadicea' in the late 1960s and includes pioneering works during the VHS pre-certification "video nasties" era of the 1980s.

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☴ MJM Film Review: INVITATION TO HELL

This is possibly Michael J. Murphy's best known work, certainly in the pre-cert world of video nasties.

It's got a lot to like but at the same time it didn't all hang together that well for me. I appreciate the atmosphere and commend the edginess. The soundtrack alone throws me right back to the VHS era.

A girl turns up to a fancy dress party but is then held captive as part of a bizarre ritual. Simplistic, but there is also a subtle subplot going on if you care to watch the embedded full film below.

☴ MJM Film Review: THE LAST NIGHT

Originally part of a double bill with Invitation to Hell, this film The Last Night shares technical issues associated with its age. No formal previous archiving beyond what can be found on the recent Murlyn channel, founded almost a year after the director's untimely death (he was 64). Sadly this means what the kids would today call "potato vision" where high-detail is non-existent. The technical issues are compounded by lo-fi audio limitations and a production issue with the camera itself which Murphy explains in a later interview.

The story revolves around two escaped convicts who hide in a theatre during the last night of an amateur stage production of Murder In The Dark but invariably get discovered by the staff and cast.

The convicts obviously have to ensure their own freedom endures by murdering various people in (some very) cold blood. Some of the methods of dispatch really are grisly and bear Murphy's unmistakable signature - as does the production design, particularly the convicts' appearance after re-appropriating a blazer, waist-coat and tie they find.

If you can see past the technical limitations of what's thought to be the only surviving version of this film (likely originated from a 240P Scorpio Video pre-cert VHS transfer) it's an enjoyable, disturbing, psychologically terrifying film - with a great synth soundtrack like only that 1980's pre-cert video nasty era can deliver.

Watch the film embedded below or head over to the main channel for a browse.

Remembering Michael J. Murphy

Michael J. Murphy, 1951 - 2015

As a relative outsider it is testament to Michael J. Murphy's (MJM) larger than life personality that after only meeting him twice I was keen to get to know him and his work beyond the surface.

The man may be gone but his work lives on.

By the end of March 2016 I had managed to archive digital versions of most of his significant works on the official Murlyn Films International channel on Youtube.

It may not quite be definitive (only fuzzy clips of Boadicea remain as part of the original BBC broadcast profiling MJM) but later professional works are well represented but much products of their time - VHS is a 240P format at best so we were lucky to get some of his work sourced from master tapes - but it seems zero celluloid survives.

His work lives on, as does his power to inspire. Phil Lyndon (the surviving Murlyn business partner) received this praise via Facebook (reproduced with permission):


Hello Mr. Lyndon.
Of course you don't know me, so a brief introduction: I'm Joe Chapman from Pennsylvania. I have a video and photo studio, Chapman Productions, in the city of Allentown, where my fiance, Libby, and I work on various projects. Recently, I happened upon Invitation to Hell and The last Night on Youtube, and watched them both. I then investigated into who this fellow, Michael J. Murphy was, which led to my discovery of his recent passing - my condolences. Watching the video interview of Mr. Murphy on the MurLyn Films website painted him in a very favorable light to me, and prompted me to watch more of his work. I then proceeded to view everything I could find with great enjoyment. The long interview on Youtube with him by you pressed upon me to learn more about all of you. I suppose my discovery of MurLyn Films came at an opportune moment for me, as gearing up to shoot our first feature has been somewhat stressful, but hearing Mr. Murphy speak so candidly about his career making films, and seeing his films myself, was exactly the inspiration that I needed to snap me out of my doubtful mindset. So this is simply a letter of thanks to Director Michael J. Murphy, to you for keeping MurLyn Films aloft, and to the cast and crew of all of MurLyn Films' productions. Also, if we can be of service to your future productions in any way then let us know. It would be an honor to help keep Mr. Murphy's love of filmmaking going, and a pleasure to work with you and MurLyn Films.
Sincerely,
Joe Chapman


Discover the obscure world of Michael J. Murphy yourself, here are some pointers:

MURLYN films

Rare video interview with Michael J. Murphy by Chris Jupp

MJM's Facebook cover picture shows the director with his stalwart Murphy cam rig

Murlyn Films International on Youtube archive works of MJM

Michael J. Murphy on IMDb

Michael J. Murphy on Letterboxd

MJM Interview on The Zone by Paul Higson

Dead Or Alive:British Horror Films 1980 - 1989

Michael J. Murphy Tribute Video


And remember, "the next one will be bloody marvellous."

UPDATE: Murphy's Lore

The development of my documentary around the late prolific Portsmouth filmmaker Michael J. Murphy takes another turn as the Merlin/Murlin/Murlyn portfolio becomes officially available on the internet.




It's made me realise that to truly do justice to his story I need to be more familiar with his body of work. Basically, that means watching it!

Before I interviewed Murphy I had watched bootleg copies of Death Run and Bloodstream and seen a few trailers. He'd also invited me over for a private screening of his last film entitled The Return of Alan Strange which I duly attended.

After he passed away I discovered that as well as a cult horror following some of his work has a peplum following too.

Whereas his horror stuff that I've seen to date reveals themes of cannibalism, satanic rituals and general low budget gore, the peplum productions are another side of his character I need to become better acquainted with.

The MURLYN INTERNATIONAL Youtube channel is being populated with Murphy's back catalogue.

So having said that, I have resolved to watch the remainder of his surviving filmography as it becomes available on his youtube channel over the coming weeks. I suspect I may start reviewing his work here on my blog, too. All in an effort to inform the sensitivity of the documentary I produce, which you may have guessed is consequently not going to get completed any time soon!