Action International Pictures Project

This little project should be a tough one to complete since most of the movies on this list never got the DVD release. Project includes movies produced by A.I.P. Studios and distributed by A.I.P. Home Video.

ACTION INTERNATIONAL PICTURES (A.I.P.) - This is a TRUE independent distributor. A.I.P was founded in 1986 by low-budget director/producers David A. Prior (SLEDGEHAMMER - 1983), David Winters (THE LAST HORROR FILM - 1982) and Peter Yuval (KILLER WORKOUT - 1986) as a way to distribute their poverty-row productions. A.I.P. (which, probably uncoincidentally, shares the same initials as the biggest independent of the 50's, 60's and 70's: American International Pictures), began by right off the bat distributing home-made productions like MISSION….KILL and NIGHT WARS, mixed in with international pickups such as MIAMI HORROR and STRIKER. While their action and horror productions, like ALIEN SEED, SPACE MUTINY, THE SATAN KILLER and the horrendous ELVES, were strictly low-rent (and unintentionally hilarious), A.I.P. did manage to release a few notable films, including the sadistic ROAD-KILL, Richard Haines' technicolor gore comedy ALIEN SPACE AVENGER, the immortal soldiers thriller THE LOST PLATOON, Lucio Fulci's DANGEROUS OBSESSION and Jose Larraz's slasher flick SAVAGE LUST. Many of A.I.P.'s in-house productions starred David Prior's brother Ted, a capable and muscular action star who, unfortunately, never went on to bigger and better things and a lot of their films contained appearances by B-movie actors, such as David Carradine, Robert Ginty (remember him?) Cameron Mitchell and Erik Estrada. Action International closed up shop in 1994, partly due to the Richard Pepin/Joseph Merhi company (PM Enterprises) turning out superior action flicks (they would eventually cease to exist in 2000) and partly due to major video store chains no longer looking to stock their shelves with low-budget DTV films (up yours Blockbuster!).