Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons
Automatons

Glass Eye Pix

Automatons

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$28.99
$41.98
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Edition Type: Limited Edition Slipcover

GEP-001 SLIP
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This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!

Details

This special limited edition slipcover (designed by Adam Juresko) is limited to 1,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Glass Eye Pix (“one of the indie scene’s most productive and longest-running companies” —Filmmaker Magazine) is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden (BLACKOUT, DEPRAVED, BENEATH, ABC’s of DEATH 2, NBC’s Fear Itself episode “SKIN AND BONES,” THE LAST WINTER, WENDIGO, HABIT, NO TELLING). Glass Eye Pix is responsible for narrative films, documentaries, books, comics, audio plays, and other unique work designed to inspire and contrast with corporate media. Fessenden (winner of the Someone to Watch Spirit Award) has operated the company since 1985, with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts.

Somewhere in the distant future, The Girl is alone. She is the last of her people, the others having died in a generations-long war that the girl continues to fight with the assistance of a group of antiquated robot helpers and soldiers.

directed by: James Felix McKenney
starring: Christine Spencer, Angus Scrimm, Brenda Cooney, Jennifer Boutell, Larry Fessenden
2006 / 83 min / 1.33:1 / English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Additional info:

  • Region Free Blu-ray
  • New remastered feature in 2K
  • New audio Commentary with director & crew
  • New BTS Surveillance Camera montage
  • New "The Delusions of James Felix McKenney" film reel
  • 2007 60-minute BTS documentary
  • 2006 Angus Scrimm Interview
  • 2006 Automatons trailer
  • 2005 Camera tests
  • Director’s introduction from 2015 VHS release
  • Booklet with new writing by film critic Simon Abrams and an original director's statement from 2006
  • English SDH subtitles

Overall rating: 4.3863635 / 5 from 44 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

This limited edition slipcover for the film 'Automatons' is a unique collector's item, featuring a black and white grainy security camera art style. Customers appreciate its retro sci-fi elements, great effects, and cinematography. It includes new 2K remastered features, audio commentary, and behind-the-scenes content.

Summary topics

  • Art Style: 20%
  • Retro Sci-Fi Elements: 29%

Review topics: ["quality","looks","design","buy","packaging","sound","movie","film","release","features","extras","effects","watch","restoration","vision","budget","gem","horror","appearance","atmosphere","cinematography","flick"].

Review highlights

  • "This movie is super crazy with great effects and cinematography." — Jeffrey L.
  • "classic sci-fi feel with a nice slipcover to match." — Chris T.
  • "I appreciate small labels releasing independent films I had never heard of before." — Sebastian V.

Reviews

SKU: GEP-001 SLIP

"The trailer for AUTOMATONS looks great, and so do the screenshots. I love modern films shot on grainy 16mm black and white and this is even grainer, being shot on 8mm B&W. And while the look and design are similar to Darren Aronofsky's debut masterpiece PI, this movie just fails in everything else. There's not a lot of plot and still it's hard to follow. Most of the running time is spend on our female protagonist talking to her robots who go out every day to fight other robots and watching video broadcasts of Angus Scrimm talking endless Gibberish about the war and whatnot. It's so boring and never seems to end. Later there's some action outside and some suprising gore, but still I didn't care about any of the characters. Indie god and owner of Glass Eye Pix Larry Fessenden shows up in a cameo. Picture quality is great if you like this type of retro Sci-Fi. The extras are plentiful, but most is archival, uninteresting stuff."

— Dominik F. (2/5)

LoFi SciFi

"Automatons is a stark, lo‑fi black‑and‑white sci‑fi horror film that leans heavily into its retro aesthetic and minimalist worldbuilding. It follows a lone survivor, known only as The Girl, fighting a generations‑long war with the help of battered, antiquated robots in a bunker-bound future. The film’s deliberately crude effects and grainy 8mm look create an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere that feels like a lost artifact from 1960s sci‑fi television."

— Tarek E. (3/5)

I Was Automatically Engaged With This Flick!

"This release may be of the lower budget type but don't let that dissuade you from giving it a spin! It is a very engaging film and kept my interest from beginning to end! The extras are also pretty cool! The peerless VS restoration process was on full display with stellar sound and picture! Thank you, VS, for continuing to lovingly restore and release so many wonderful films from every conceivable genre! You are keeping physical media alive in this streaming world we now live in! Highly recommended!"

— Paul K. (5/5)

Lo-fi post apocalyptic fun

"Saw the trailer before blind buying it and it's right up my alley. Don't come in expecting explosive, over the top 80's fare. This is a slow grind with some satisfying use of cheap budget sets with some great cinematography and an interesting plot. Reminds me of some European films of the 70s to early 80s but not as artsy. Can't compare the transfer as this is the first time I've seen it but this looks gorgeous on my TV. The extras are also a nice bonus with the passion from the filmmakers being very obvious. Fun deep dive into the making of this film."

— Cody B. (4/5)

A Bleak, Minimalist Vision of Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"Automatons strips science fiction down to its bare essentials, offering a stark and meditative take on life after the end of the world. Set in a desolate bunker environment, the film focuses on a lone survivor navigating a world populated by malfunctioning machines and fading purpose. The pacing is deliberately slow, almost hypnotic, emphasizing isolation and routine over action. Its lo-fi visuals and grainy texture create a suffocating atmosphere that reinforces the film’s themes of decay and existential emptiness. This is not a conventional sci-fi experience—there’s little exposition and even less narrative payoff. Instead, Automatons works as an experimental mood piece, rewarding patient viewers with a haunting, quietly oppressive vision of humanity’s remnants."

— Thomas H. (5/5)

Interesting and stylish sci fi horror

"Really cool budget analog robot flick with great visual style and horror. Love the appearance of the cover art and bonus features. Highly recommend sci fi horror fans check this one out."

— Nicholas V. (5/5)

Watch it!

"Ambitious , interesting. and does a lot with very little"

— Bruce K. (4/5)

EEK! ROBOTS!

"I love the whole look of the setting, and the anti-war message."

— Dylan B. (5/5)

Didn't work for me

"It's just kind of empty, with no new ideas."

— Avery E. (2/5)

Weird, baffling, intriguing little indie

"I’m not sure if I could pass a test on what’s happening in this bizarre sci-fi feature, a microbudget flick that looks at technology through a grainy filmic prism (and also has The Tall Man from Phantasm). At times, you might think the Tetsuo team had remade Barry Levinson’s Toys. But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and I suppose that’s something."

— Joshua K. (5/5)

Q&A

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