One of last year’s real big surprises in the world of Blu-ray box sets was Bloody Legend: The Complete Twemlow Collection, as it was a wholly entertaining, fascinating, and at times heart-warming set. The Severin released boxset brought together the work of one of the UK’s unlikeliest movie moguls- Cliff Twemlow, a Mancunian bouncer/ body builder, who went on to write/star in/produce a series of low-budget/ largely SOV films in the early 80s to early 90s- these moved between action, thriller, sci-fi, and horror. His most notable/notorious film was 1983’s G.B.H., which landed on the video nasty list, though he was connected to other ten feature films, many of which got their first real full/proper release on the boxset. Opening up the set was the excellent 2023 documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow, which really pulls you into the set. I caught up with Severn’s David  Gregory and Jake West, director of Mancunian Man, to discuss the boxset and all things cliff.

MES( Mark E Smith- The Falls main creator) possessed the ability to cram phrases into impossible spaces - “I’m hunting and I’m trying to find” delivered as “hut’na tryna find”; the eight-syllable “mere pseud mag editor’s father” hastily squeezed into a manipulation of time and space, heralded by the prior line “twice each at least”, the latter naturally repeated thrice.

Back in 2024, I got my first taste of Absurd Reality, and I was so impressed by how crude and nasty its take on walled noise was. Behind the project is South Carolina-based Krys Marshall, who also runs the Filthy Sounds Recording label. He’s since gone on to form No Fun HNW, which pushes the levels of nasty crudeness even more.  Krys kindly agreed to an email interview.

Of all the cult/exploitation genres, Giallo stands as one of the more visually & art-based- be it with the grand/ dramatic location, choreographed murder scenes, or great poster art.  The focus of this interview is on the last of these three- looking at the two classy/ glossy full colour Giallo Posters books put out by Germany's Creepy Images.  Below is an interview with Thorsten Benzel, one of the key minds behind the books. To date, there are two volumes, with a third coming next year.

As the year rolls to its end. Here are our writers' best-of lists for 2025, and as always, it’s a highly genre-varied mixed selection of titles- highlighting the site's mission statement.  Some writers list taking in both music/ sound and film, or just music/ sound, depending on what they review on M[m].

As music obsessives know, what makes a label fascinating is not just the sounds they release. The most intriguing labels offer a conceptual framework and consistent aesthetic philosophy that connects their releases, creating a mysterious, immersive world that enthralls the listener and demands that one absorb all their releases as one cohesive body of work. Often these types of labels construct a hidden, private, esoteric atmosphere with an occult mystique that cultivates a small dedicated cadre of followers who revel in the enigmatic and the secret, an obscurity that encourages the listener’s imagination to fill in the gaps. Ritualistic compositions, unsettling imagery, clandestine knowledge, and limited access offer listeners an experience that is as thrilling as it is collectible. One such label that has developed this kind of intimacy is Attic Shrines.