Director William Lustig will be IN PERSON to celebrate the 40th anniversary 4K restoration of his ruthlessly reverent riff on the DEATH WiSH-genre: ViGLANTE (1983) along with a gorgeous 4K restoration of his psychological horror masterpiece MANiAC (1980). Presented by MOViES FOR MANiACS and hosted by Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, a very special Q&A will occur between the double bill.
“A Genuine Tribute to William Lustig IN PERSON: ViGiLANTE (1983) + MANiAC (1980)”
May 24, 2024
Vigilante
7:00 pm
Directed by William Lustig
Written by Richard Vetere
Cinematography by James Lemmo
Containing Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Willie Colón, Richard Bright, Rutanya Alda, Joe Spinell, Woody Strode, Carol Lynley
Quentin Tarantino has spoken at great lengths about Robert Forster’s performance in ViGiLANTE being a major inspiration for casting him as the lead in JACKiE BROWN (1997). Forster plays a working-class New York City man who is forced to confront the dirt and slime of the garbage-ridden 1980s NYC streets. His casual intensity culminates in “the performance of a lifetime” and should be taught to every genre actor in the business.
This purely profound blue-collar ballbuster, reaches even grittier depths than most films made since. Shot in glorious Widescreen 2.35, look for Blaxploitation superstar Fred Williamson and the pioneering character actor Woody Strode (of John Ford’s Westerns), whose performances should help inspire some wonderfully riotous post-film debates. Not to forget an amazing synth score by Jay Chattaway as well as some priceless Latin Salsa songs by the almighty Willie Colón, who also co-stars.
Widescreen 4K DCP courtesy of Grindhouse Pictures.
Maniac
9:30 pm
Directed by William Lustig
Written by Joe Spinell
Cinematography by Robert Lindsay
Containing Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Gail Lawrence, Tom Savini
Close to 45 years since its sensational release, this surreally disturbing stalker masterpiece has not only accumulated one of the most devoted of cult following in exploitation cinema history, this nasty wonder deserves to be reevaluated along the lines of Abel Ferrara’s feminist manifesto MS. 45 (1980) and William Friedkin’s infamous queer time-capsule CRUiSiNG (1980).
Joe Spinell’s personal and deeply sensitive character study combined with the psychotic grit of Tom Savini’s relentless and jaw-dropping special effects, sets this film apart from pretty much every movie of the era. Showcasing Jay Chattaway’s legendary synth score, this 4K restoration of the unrated 88 minute Director’s Cut (complete with the entire hotel room sequence) will be presented from a gorgeous DCP, courtesy of Grindhouse Pictures.