It's no secret that I was thrilled to see Platinum Dunces off the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and for good reason. That company can't make good films. Or, possibly, they can, and choose not to. It's hard to tell. But for all the gripes about a production company that seems content to go through the motions of making a horror film with no clear vision of what real horror is or what fans of this genre care about, it's nice to see the antithesis of the Dunces churning out brave, if not wholly successful, work.

I have always said that I admire a noble failure more than a mediocre effort. The first film I had ever seen under the Dimension Extreme shingle was Automaton Transfusion, the poster child for the noble failure. Without getting into a full review here, Transfusion is a movie hampered by its budget, but so ambitious, and with enough talent behind it to make it a memorable viewing. I sincerely hope to see more work from the creators of that film. I never would have seen it, regardless of its effect, if The Weinstein Company hadn't realized that there is a market for the unusual, the avant-garde and the outright disturbing.

When Miramax lost the Weinsteins, they also lost Dimension Films, which had previously been the distributor and/or producer for a number of genre films, notably titles such as From Dusk 'til Dawn, Sin City and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. These are all films that either fall outside the conventions of expected storytelling or appeal to a niche market. Thankfully, the Weinsteins (Bob and Harvey, for those taking notes) have vision and got a lot of small films and strange ideas out into the marketplace.

So, Dimension goes out the door with Bob and Harvey (Messrs. Weinstein if you're nasty), but the brothers see that there are films out there that are direct-to-dvd no-brainers. Movies made overseas that

have found no stateside distribution, or domestic films that will never see the flickering light of a brick-and-mortar theater. But that doesn't mean they don't deserve to be seen.

Enter Dimension Extreme, a company only three years old, but carving out a bloody place for itself in the market. With imports like the quirky Black Sheep, the notorious A l'interieur, Greg McLean's Rogue and Argento's Mother of Tears on shelves or coming soon, Dimension Extreme also distributed Papa Bear's Diary of the Dead and the indie parable Teeth, among many others. Are there some stinkers on the list of titles? Absolutely. But I will take the knock-offs like Pulse 2 to get Martyrs any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

No production company or distributor is without flaws or successes (except for Platinum Dunces, who are allergic to good movies), but Dimension Extreme has laid a solid foundation for horror fans. They have scooped up low-budget fare that displays wit or imagination, a few sequels, a handful of remakes, and a lot of foreign horror that you just can't see without ordering from a foreign distributor. All I ask is that this company be supported. Rent the movies. Dog them after the fact, if you must, and certainly there are times I must, but I don't want to lose the one distributor who seems focussed on getting a lot of the good stuff out there. I hope they continue the trend of snatching up the foreign goodies and getting them to us before the inevitable (and, it seems, inevitably bad) remakes can sour the experience. Thanks, Bob and Harvey. Sincerely. We horror fans owe you.