The Film Detective


The Film Detective is an internet television service and vintage film archive based in Rockport, Massachusetts. Programming for the service consists of classic feature films as well as some classic television programs. Many of the titles shown are public domain and have been restored by The Film Detective.

History

The company was founded in December 2013 by veteran film archivist and collector Philip Hopkins, previously a co-founder of Marengo Films and a co-founder at Film Chest, where he oversaw the first Blu-ray restoration of the Orson Welles film The Stranger and was instrumental in recovering the library of noted film collector Elvin Feltner.

Programming

The service has over 3,000 titles which include classic Westerns, Mystery, Family, Horror, Mystery, Family, Film Noir, Cult Classics, Silents, Shorts and Documentaries. Many are seldom-seen titles. This includes B movie titles. Titles are made available by the Film Detective for broadcast, theatrical, Blu-ray and streaming.

Services

The Film Detective offers various ways to watch their services. The online streaming option can be viewed for free with ads or commercial free with a subscription.
On May 31, 2018, The Film Detective launched an ad-free 24/7 channel on the Sling TV streaming service. Included as part of Sling TV's “Hollywood Extra” add-on, the service also includes on-demand programming from The Film Detective. With the carriage on Sling TV, the service is available as an option to over two million subscribers. The Film Detective's linear channel is also available on multiple free, ad-supported platforms, including DistroTV and Stirr. The 24/7 channel is similar in format and programming to 1980's Nostalgia Channel.
Currently, the service is supported on various platforms such as web, iOS and streaming devices Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.