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| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Romulus, Michigan , |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Website | synapse-films |
Synapse Films is an AmericanDVD andBlu-ray label, founded in 1997 and specializes incult horror,science fiction andexploitation films. It is considered aboutique DVD label.[1]
Synapse Films was owned and operated byDon May, Jr. and his business partners Jerry Chandler and Charles Fiedler, the catalyst being May's longstanding interest in and passion for TV and cinema. May explained, “I caught thelaserdisc bug while working at a local laserdisc store while I was in college. I was selling laserdisc players and buying products, and I pretty much spent every extra dollar I had on laserdiscs. I loved movies and the disc format and knew this was a business I wanted to be in.”[2] May became a part owner of Elite Entertainment after leaving his aforementioned job in laserdisc retail.[2]
The Synapse catalog ranges from European horror touchstones likeVampyros Lesbos, andCastle of Blood to important genre documentaries includingRoy Frumkes'Document of the Dead, from drive-in favorites likeThe Brain That Wouldn't Die toLeni Riefenstahl's Nazi filmTriumph of the Will.
In 2004, Synapse released the controversialThriller – A Cruel Picture on DVD, followed by aBlu-ray release in 2022. A competing 4K UHD release byVinegar Syndrome was released later the same year, raising questions as to which company has a current and valid license to the title.
Detroit film scholar Nicholas Schlegel released his documentaryThe Synapse Story in its entirety onYouTube. The documentary details the history and vision of the label and its founders.[citation needed]
In 2016, film critic and authorMaitland McDonagh was nominated for aRondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Commentary for her work on Synapse Films' DVD release ofDario Argento's filmTenebrae.[3]
