UK distributor Revolver Entertainment is planning the territory's first all-platform day-and-date release.

The Boxing Day release of Steven Sheil's low-budget horror film Mum & Dad will open simultaneously in theatres, video-on-demand, electronic sell-through and rental. A similar US release is planned for Mother's Day 2009.

The move will reopen the often fractious discussion about release windows but managing director Justin Marciano says the company was not courting controversy, and the decision made complete business sense for a horror film likely to attract an audience with high internet use.

"I'm not suggesting Tropic Thunder should open day and date but for a pure indie effort that knows its market, this makes sense."

The date of release supports this. It is a time with limited cinema-going but one that is established as a launch day for DVDs.

The theatrical release will be limited to around 15 cinemas, although as Marciano points out "this kind of film would never have been a 100-screen release".

The VoD release will also come at a premium cost. "A lot of people will be watching to see how it works," said Marciano.

Sheil's low-budget horror film is described as a "Heathrow Chainsaw Massacre" because of its setting near the London airport.

The film, backed by Film London's Microwave digital production scheme, premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and later screened at London-based Film4 Frightfest.

Frequent Shane Meadows collaborator Perry Benson stars as the father of a psychotic family, whose young Polish cleaner is drawn into their nightmare world.

"Being the first UK distributor to release day and date across all platforms enables us to be the market leader in offering consumers the ultimate choice to watch the film in the way they choose, whether this is at home or on the big screen - or both," says Marciano.