(Editor’s note: In response to the latest online debate about the morality of pirating and illegally torrenting films, in which a growing number of people seem to genuinely believe that they should be able to watch whatever they want, in perpetuity, for free, we present the following anecdotal tale of how this criminal practice does actual damage to the creators… in this case one close to horror’s heart.)
In the early years of FANGORIA magazine, one name you would find frequently in its pages was that of legendary producer/distributor Samuel M. Sherman, founder and president of East Coast-based Independent-International Pictures.
A 1970s-era drive-in competitor to American International Pictures, IIP released such schlock classics as Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Nurse Sherri, Satan’s Sadists, Midnight, and Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror, to name a few. But today, the 84-year-old Sherman has suffered significant financial loss due to unscrupulous film pirates. Many of the titles in Sherman’s cinematic catalog have been bootlegged and falsely licensed by fly-by-night DVD companies and streaming services worldwide. IIP’s coffers to battle these video vultures have been drained.
“Film piracy is at its max today, especially in online streaming coming from domestic and foreign film pirates,” Sherman tells Fango. “It is very tough to stop the piracy. Online pirated versions can be taken down and shortly later, they pop right back up again.”
Sherman’s struggles with these shady companies overshadow the caring for his daughter Stephanie’s medical emergencies. These expenses have proven so insurmountable, the producer has launched a GoFundMe campaign and is asking his legions of fans to consider contributing.
“Our proceeds from this funding effort will go to health fees and costs for Stephanie’s illnesses,” Sherman says. “These huge bills would have been paid for by IIP’s profits from film distribution, but they have dried up due to film piracy that is badly hurting our company’s business and which the U.S. government is not protecting under the federal copyright laws which they don’t enforce.”
Even if you can’t donate to Sherman’s drive, he asks collectors to avoid sleazy hucksters online and at conventions who steal from the big and small alike, hurting everyone in the process. Also, high-quality, extras-laden copies of many IIP exploitation gems are available from one very reputable source.
“Best way to see our IIP films is on discs from our authorized distributor, Severin Films,” Sherman says. “You can find DVDs, Blu-rays and now some gorgeous 4K transfers at the Severin website.”
And you can learn more about Sherman’s outreach here.
