Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema of Michael J. Murphy, 1967–2015

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In this final segment of Murphy's Lore, several individuals pay tribute to Murphy's work and reveal how they first discovered it (usually through the double-bill of Invitation to Hell and The Last Night) and how it influenced them. We then get onto the credits for every single film in this set, a section that proved invaluable to me when writing this monstrous review. Fitfully available on videotape, and barely represented on DVD, this comprehensive and long-gestating ten-disc Blu-ray collection seeks to rectify that situation once and for all. And having expected to have to make allowances for all of the films in this set and politely profess to quite liking aspects of some of the titles, I was genuinely blown away by how impressive some of films in this collection are. While his earliest works were shot on an 8mm home movie camera, he quickly moved up to 16mm film, and later to mini-DV video and eventually HD.

Murphy also added digital VFX to the DVD version of Invitation to Hell, enhancing four shots with glowing demonic eyes, but since this is the only difference between the 16mm print and the DVD (aside from the latter's horrendous cropping and stretching to get the original 1. Unfortunately, the sole film elements of three of his better-known titles ( Avalon, Death Run and Legend of a Hero) were destroyed in a fire at a storage facility - thankfully after they'd been telecined, so at least they survived in some form.picture to fit a 16:9 frame, which there was no reason to preserve for posterity), we decided that the best option was to add the same glowing eyes to the 1080p master and give the viewer the upfront option to watch the film with or without them. Not great, but rather fun, and as the special features reveal, Murphy was really getting something off his chest here. This has effectively put every other disc review on hold and thrown my planned review schedule for the first two months of the year into chaos. When work delays his father's arrival, Terry is able to spend some time alone with Alex and work on his latest story, but he seems to be planning something sinister.

For items that are dispatched using our standard service, we ask that you wait 14 days from the date of dispatch before reporting any items as undelivered. King tells him it's bollocks and fires him on the spot, but as soon as Alistair has angrily left the building, King admits to the film's lead actress Judy Brooks (Catherine Rowlands), with whom he is having an affair, that the film is really good and will likely make him a fortune. Winner of a Movie Maker Ten Best Competition Four Star Award, this short film takes place primarily in the cell of a condemned prisoner (Russell Hall) in medieval Russia on the eve of his execution, as he converses with the prostitute (Carol Aston) who has been paid to spend his final night with him.The performances here are a little stronger than those in the preceding films, with three of Murphy's regular actors starting to polish their skills, and while I may have winced every time Hall says the word "Yes" (the one word that feels like it's being read off a cue card every time), when he silently stares at Shirley, he exudes an air of brooding menace that really works for his character. For me, this proved intriguing and a little saddening, a too-pertinent reminder, perhaps, of the steadily decreasing limits of my own mortality, and the mountains of discs and memorabilia I will leave behind with no named benefactors. The two eventually wash up on the shores of Cornwall, and to help revive the dazed princess, Tristan takes the bottle she wears around her neck – one he is under the impression is a reviving spiced wine – and pours some of the contents into her mouth, also taking a swig himself. And since the film then had to be sent off for processing, you might have to wait up to a month to see if what you had shot was what you wanted or was even any good. In the wonderfully titled essay Balsawood Babylon, he considerably expands on what has been discussed elsewhere in this set and provides a detailed breakdown of Murphy's life and career.

In the second half, he shows us film books in which he gets a mention, then regales an unseen interviewer with amusing and winningly self-depreciating microbudget filmmaking anecdotes whilst seated in in his garden and flanked by regular actors Patrick Olliver and Phil Lyndon. Far from being shocked, Vicky is relieved to now be free to marry Steve, sell the house, and leave an island she has clearly dreamt of escaping from for years. A surprisingly frugal 16 screens (two of which are title cards) featuring stills, posters and DVD covers for Rite of Spring and Tristan.This Halloween in the UK and the USA, INDICATOR releases its grandest, most ambitious collection to date.