FRIDAY, AUGUST 15TH, 2014
at the CASTRO theatre in San Francisco, CA.
"A GENUiNE RETROSPECTiVE FOR
WiLLiAM LUSTiG" Triple Bill - DAY ONE
(ONLY $12 FOR DOUBLE BiLL!)


7:00pm - MANiAC (1980) - 34th ANNiVERSARY!
Written by Joe Spinell & C.A. Rosenberg; Directed by William Lustig
SFX by Tom Savini; Score by Jay Chattaway
Containing: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro and Tom Savini

Earning instant notoriety, controversy and even protests in 1980 as the most graphic and disturbing of all stalker films, many critics and audience members were so disturbed by this exploration into a deranged man's mind that even Siskel & Ebert called for people to boycott the film! Nearly 35 years later, this extremely violent and "irresponsible Video Nasty" has not only accumulated a large minion of cult followers but deserves to be reevaluated along the lines of Abel Ferrara's DRiLLER KiLLER (1979) and MS. 45 (1980) and William Friedkin's CRUiSiNG (1980). If you look close, this deeply personal NYC masterpiece confronts issues of gender and sexuality that while Elijah Wood exposed nicely in Franck Khalfoun's remake in 2012, it is Joe Spinell's sensitively surreal performance combined with Lustig's psychotic grit and Tom Savini's relentless SFX that sets this film apart from pretty much any movie of the era. This Restored, Unrated Director's Cut (complete with the hotel room sequence!) is a newly struck 35mm Print courtesy of Grindhouse Pictures. Preceded by the most infamous horror trailers I own. UNRATED and not for the faint-of-heart. 88 minutes.

Playing with...

9:00pm - ViGiLANTE (1983) - RARE 35MM SCREENING!
Directed by William Lustig; Score by Jay Chattaway; SFX by Gary Zeller (Scanners)
w/ Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, Willie Colon, Woody Strode and Joe Spinell

This ruthless riff on the DEATH WiSH-genre reaches new heights (and widths due to the film being shot in glorious Widescreen) with this purely profound blue-collar ballbuster. Robert Forster from ALLiGATOR (1980) and JACKiE BROWN (1997) plays a working-class New York City man who is forced to confront the dirt and slime of the totally terrifying streets of the early 1980s. Forster's casual intensity as he stalks the garbage ridden late nite NYC streets culminates in "the perfomance of a lifetime" and should be taught to every genre actor in the business. While the film's knack for brutal Big-City lessons could still be too rough for many audience members, look for Blaxploitation star Fred WIlliamson and even the pioneering character actor Woody Strode should help inspire some wonderfully riotous post-film debates. Yet another memorable synth score by Jay Chattaway as well as some priceless Latin Salsa by the almighty Willie Colon. Preceded by some quintessential revenge flick trailers. 90min. RATED (HARD) R. Original Widescreen 35mm Print.

Playing with...

9:30pm - HiT LiST (1989)
(RARE 35MM SCREENING! NOT ON DVD/BLURAY)
Written by John F. Goff & Peter Brosnan
(w/ Josh Becker & Scott Spiegel ghostwriting)
Directed by William Lustig
w/ Jan-Michael Vincent, Leo Rossi, Lance Henriksen, Rip Torn & Charles Napier

This blood-pumping smashterpiece is one of the great, unheralded action classics of the late '80s and Mr. Lustig's only film that’s still not on DVD! Sporting an all-star cast of Rip Torn, Lance Henriksen and a quintessentially dazed Jan-Michael Vincent as he tracks down some brutal meanies that have kidnapped his son. Filled with excellent stunt work by stunt master Spiro Razatos, wild performances and genuinely explosive set pieces will remind you that New Line Cinema genre films may have B-list budgets but often deliver A-list thrills! 87min. RATED R. Original 35mm print.

Tickets are $15 for all three films and are extremely limited to this event. They will go on sale soon so stay tuned!



UPCOMING     |     PAST MIDNITES     |     THE MANIAC     |     PRESS