First, Liongate delayed the May 2008 release of Midnight Meat Train, then decided to go direct to DVD. If that wasn’t bad enough, the studio then smacked it in the face with a limited release to 100 bargain theaters in August. As of October 1, the film is be available through FearNET’s Video On Demand service until December, and will make its Web debut on FearNET.com on October 30.

The few people who’ve seen the Ryuhei Kitamura-directed film, based on the short story by Clive Barker, gave it great reviews, so it’s a mystery as to why the studio has buried this release.

For those of you in the Chicago area on October 25, Clive Barker will be hosting a screening of Midnight Meat Train, which will be followed by a Q&A and signing, as part of at the Music Box Theater’s Massacre 4.

Looks like there’s lots of other great films being offered at the 24-Hour horror movie marathon, including The Exorcist, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, and Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive. Tickets are $27 in advance, $33 at the door. For more info, check out the Massacre 4 page.