The 80s Movie Podcast

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens explores Motion Picture Marketing, an early 1980s independent distributor that built its business by aggressively rebranding and retitling 1970s European horror films for the American market. Rather than releasing these films as originally presented, the company reshaped them through new titles, redesigned poster campaigns, and targeted marketing strategies designed to make foreign genre cinema more commercially viable to U.S. audiences.

In this episode, Edward breaks down how Motion Picture Marketing identified overlooked international horror titles and repositioned them through graphic-driven advertising and strategic packaging. He also examines how this approach allowed the company to move beyond simple distribution and eventually step into producing its own films, using marketing success as a foundation for expansion within a rapidly evolving independent film landscape.

Finally, Edward looks at what this short-lived company reveals about early 1980s film distribution, particularly how smaller distributors competed with limited resources by prioritizing creativity in presentation over production scale. The episode also connects these strategies to broader trends in exploitation cinema, where marketing often shaped audience perception as much as the films themselves.

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens concludes his exploration of Miramax Films in the 1980s by focusing on the company’s 1989 releases, a year that brought increased visibility, stronger positioning, and signs that Miramax had moved beyond survival into sustained influence. After a decade of gradual growth, the company entered the final years of the 1980s with a clearer identity and growing confidence in the films it championed.

In this episode, Edward explores the movies Miramax released during 1989 while tracing how the company expanded its reach within independent cinema. Along the way, he examines the filmmakers, acquisitions, and industry conditions that helped Miramax strengthen its reputation. At the same time, the episode considers how the distributor’s successes reflected larger shifts happening within specialty film distribution as audiences increasingly embraced alternatives to major studio filmmaking.

As the series concludes, Edward reflects on how Miramax evolved throughout the 1980s and why its growth mattered to the future of independent cinema. By the end of the decade, the company had established itself as a meaningful presence within the film industry and set the stage for even greater influence in the years ahead.

 

 

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his exploration of Miramax Films by revisiting the company’s 1988 releases, a period when the distributor expanded both its reach and reputation. As independent cinema gained greater visibility during the late 1980s, Miramax increasingly positioned itself as a company capable of bringing challenging, international, and unconventional films to wider audiences.

In this episode, Edward examines the films Miramax released during 1988 while also exploring how the company refined its distribution model and strengthened its place within the specialty film market. Along the way, he looks at the filmmakers, acquisitions, and industry developments that helped Miramax attract greater critical attention. At the same time, the episode considers how independent film distribution itself was changing as audiences sought alternatives to mainstream studio releases.

As Miramax moved closer to becoming a recognizable industry name, the company entered a period of growing confidence and ambition. This installment follows the next stage of a distributor steadily reshaping its place in American film culture.

 

Rampage is one of the most fascinating and overlooked films of the 1980s. In this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast, we dive into the troubled production, disturbing subject matter, and complicated legacy of William Friedkin’s 1987 crime thriller. Written, directed, and produced by Friedkin, the film tells the story of a chilling serial killer case that pushes the justice system, morality, and the death penalty debate to their limits.

We explore how Rampage was originally intended as a hard-edged courtroom and psychological drama inspired by real-life crimes, and how its production became entangled with the collapse of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. The film’s fate was sealed when the studio went bankrupt, delaying its release for years and leaving it largely unseen by audiences at the time. Despite being completed in the late 1980s, the film did not receive proper distribution until the early 1990s, contributing to its reputation as one of Friedkin’s most misunderstood works.

Whether you’re a fan of William Friedkin’s filmmaking or discovering Rampage for the first time, this episode revisits a dark, challenging, and often forgotten corner of 1980s cinema. We break down why the film still feels unsettling today, how it fits into Friedkin’s career, and why some of the most interesting films of the decade are the ones that nearly disappeared entirely.

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his Miramax Films series by focusing on 1987, a year that marked an important turning point in the company’s growth. Although Miramax remained a relatively small independent distributor, its slate increasingly reflected larger ambitions, broader visibility, and stronger positioning within the independent film landscape.

In this episode, Edward explores the films Miramax released throughout 1987 while examining how the company strengthened relationships with emerging filmmakers and expanded its presence in specialty distribution. Along the way, he looks at the creative voices behind these projects and the challenges of building momentum in an industry still dominated by major studios. At the same time, the episode traces how Miramax gradually moved from survival mode toward sustained growth.

By 1987, the company had begun positioning itself for a much larger role in independent film. This chapter of the series explores the releases and decisions that helped move Miramax closer to mainstream recognition.

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens falls down a research rabbit hole and uncovers one of the strangest forgotten films of the 1980s: Oklahoma Smugglers, a little-seen 1987 action-comedy that seemingly vanished from existence after a limited Southern theatrical release and a lone VHS release in 1988. What happened to this lost movie — and why couldn’t anyone see it for decades?

Along the way, we explore the growing problem of disappearing films, from silent-era lost cinema to modern streaming removals, and how obscure independent movies can slip through the cracks of film history. Featuring discussion of film preservation, regional theatrical distribution, forgotten VHS releases, and the bizarre history behind one of the rarest 80s movies ever discussed on the podcast.

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This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his look at Miramax Films by exploring the company’s releases from 1984 through 1986, a period when the distributor began refining its identity within the growing independent film market. Although Miramax still operated far outside the studio system, the company increasingly sought films that could distinguish it from competitors and attract audiences interested in international, unconventional, and filmmaker-driven stories.

In this episode, Edward examines the films that shaped Miramax during these transitional years while also exploring the business realities facing independent distributors in the mid-1980s. Along the way, he considers how release strategies, marketing limitations, and critical reception influenced the company’s growth, even as Hollywood studios continued to dominate theatrical exhibition. At the same time, the episode highlights the filmmakers and projects that helped establish Miramax’s emerging reputation.

As Miramax slowly expanded its reach, the company began laying the groundwork for a larger breakthrough later in the decade. This episode continues the story of how an independent distributor learned to compete in a changing film industry.

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens begins a multi-part exploration of Miramax Films and its rise during the 1980s. Starting with the company’s earliest years between 1979 and 1983, Edward traces how a small independent distributor entered a marketplace dominated by major studios by acquiring, promoting, and releasing films that larger companies often ignored. Before Miramax became associated with awards campaigns and prestige cinema, it operated as an outsider trying to establish a foothold in a competitive business.

In this episode, Edward explores the company’s earliest releases while examining the practical realities of independent film distribution during the period. Along the way, he looks at how Miramax built relationships with filmmakers, pursued niche audiences, and developed strategies that would eventually help define the modern independent film marketplace. At the same time, the episode considers the risks involved in launching a film company during a decade increasingly shaped by blockbuster economics.

As the first chapter in an ongoing series, this episode establishes the foundation for understanding how Miramax grew from a small distributor into a recognizable force within American cinema. By revisiting these early releases, Edward begins tracing the decisions and turning points that shaped the company’s future.

 

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens wraps up his miniseries on director Martha Coolidge with a look back at her overlooked 1988 comedy Plain Clothes. Starring Arliss Howard as an undercover police officer posing as a high school student to investigate the suspicious death of his younger brother, Plain Clothes blends teen comedy, murder mystery, and fish-out-of-water humor into one of the stranger studio comedies of the late 1980s.

Along the way, Edward explores how the film followed Coolidge’s cult favorite Real Genius, why Plain Clothes struggled to find an audience despite a cast that included Suzy Amis, George Wendt, and Max Perlich, and how the movie became one of those forgotten 80s cable and video-store discoveries that audiences still occasionally rediscover today.

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This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his informal miniseries on director Martha Coolidge with a look back at her 1985 cult favorite Real Genius. Starring Val Kilmer in one of his earliest iconic roles, this smart sci-fi comedy follows a teenage prodigy and his brilliant classmates as they unknowingly develop laser technology for a dangerous military project at a Caltech-inspired university.

Edward explores the making of Real Genius, from Coolidge’s extensive research with real science students and laser experts to the film’s unusual blend of college comedy, Cold War anxiety, and razor-sharp humor. Plus: why the movie struggled at the box office in 1985 despite its originality, how it became a beloved cable and VHS favorite, and why many fans now consider it one of the smartest and most underrated movies of the decade.

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