Malofilm Video (Canada)

Background : Malofilm Video (formerly "René Malo Vidéo") was a home video company founded in 1983 by René Malo in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1st Logo (1983-1985, 1990-1991)

Logo : We see a rainbow shoot forth from the left of the screen as the black background fades to a blue gridded floor with a reddish sunset in the background. The rainbow turns into a bronze filmstrip as it spirals toward a smooth ribbon, joining it near the center. The filmstrip flashes, and "RENÉ MALO VIDÉO PRÉSENTE" appears below. The filmstrip sparkles a little after that.

Variant:  On some tapes released during the early 1990s, "Les Films René Malo Présentent" is placed under the "M."

FX/SFX : The filmstrips twisting and the flashing lights, which were top-notch effects for 1983.

Cheesy Factor : The animation is rather choppy.

Music/Sounds : "Prestige Logo (1)" by Paddy Kingsland, a track from the KPM music library, but with the arpeggio riser part cut and coupled with whooshes and a few dings.

Availability : Extremely rare. You’re probably going to have to look through some old Canadian tapes to find it. You might find this logo on French-Canadian releases of MGM/UA Home Video titles. The later variant is seen on Canadian VHS releases of King of the Kickboxers, Black Christmas (1974), Cyber Ninja, The Amityville Curse and Matinee (AKA: Midnight Matinee). The "Rene Malo Video Presente" variant was recently spotted on the Canadian New World Video VHS of One Woman or Two. Scare Factor : Low. The very last part of the music could get to some.

2nd Logo (1986-1997)

Nickname : "Spiral M"

Logo : Against a grey marble background, a rainbow ribbon comes up from the bottom of the screen. The rainbow glides around to the right, and then twists itself into an “M”. The rainbow “M” turns gold from left to right while a beam goes through it from right to left. Two more beams shoot underneath the “M” from right to left, leaving behind the words "MALOFILM" and "VIDEO".

Variants :
 * There is a shorter version, starting when the rainbow begins to glide and twist to the right.
 * A very short version starting with the shooting beams with "DISTRIBUTION" instead of "VIDEO" was seen.

FX/SFX : Some early CGI from the looks of it, which looks remarkably good for the time period.

Music/Sounds : A low bell-ish chime, then a THX-esque noise which leads into a triumphant synth hit and a 7-note chime tune. Later releases have the music start a little softer (with a much softer, higher, slightly shorter "chime") and the whole thing is re-orchestrated (but you almost can't make the difference).

Availability : Somewhat easier to find than the previous logo, but still very rare. Releases with this logo include Monty Python and the Holy Grail and some of the Scanners movies, particularly parts 2 and 3 and Scanner Cop 1 and 2. Also appears on some Canadian releases of Vidmark tapes such as Leprechaun, Heatseeker, and Best Kept Secrets. Also found on a rare VHS release of Something About Love. This makes a surprise appearance on the 2002 Platinum Disc DVD of Blind Fear, but with some odd color changes for some reason.

Scare Factor : Low to medium. The THX-esque noise alone might get some adrenaline pumping, especially if you're already afraid of the THX noise itself. Also, the dark background reminiscent of a cloudy sky might probably add to the scariness.