Mr. Montoro would use many less legitimate ways to produce content for his company- one method was to find little known films that were in the public domain, re-edit them with bizarre credit sequences and new titles, then release them as though they were new projects. This might annoy moviegoers, but with his production costs basically zero, he could turn these projects into profitable ventures.
Having outgrown its backwater beginnings in Georgia, Mr. Montoro and Film Ventures pulled up stakes and set out for the big leagues- Hollywood, California. The company flew under the radar before, but it sought to claim its spot in the big leagues. It was at this point that the studio began producing copycat films. Now a mainstay of cable's SyFy network, it was a relatively new thing back when Film Ventures started doing it. It was also riskier, because the big studios weren't likely to accept his derivative films. In fact, his first such film Beyond the Door, brought a lawsuit from Warner Brothers, who felt that the film was too close to their Exorcist. Warner Brothers lost that fight and FVI continued on, its next copycat film borrowing from Jaws- Grizzly.
Grizzly was basically Jaws on land. Made for $750,000, the film grossed $39 Million at the box office, a colossal profit. FVI was seemingly unstoppable now- until it decided to make a version of Jaws with a shark.
This time, Universal Studios wasn't about to let this one go. The studio sued and won. The film was pulled from theaters after a pricy promotional push. With Film Ventures on the ropes, Edward Montoro shocked Hollywood by embezzling what was left of the studio's cash and taking off for parts unknown. Nobody has seen Mr. Montoro since the mid-1980's and his current whereabouts are unknown.
