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A brutal killer is stalking the streets of New York City; a man dressed as a police officer. He lures victims in with a false sense of security, traps them with the authority an officer of the law commands, and he murders them, whether they’re guilty or innocent. It took a couple of genre icons to get this idea into production and more icons to deal with the threat on the screen. This is the story of Maniac Cop, and we’re going to find out what happened to this horror movie.

It all began with the 1980 slasher Maniac. The mainstream feature directorial debut of William Lustig, the film caught a lot of attention when it was released, especially for the shocking moments of violence, featuring Tom Savini gore effects. Lustig followed that up with the 1982 action thriller Vigilante, which gained a cult following, but wasn’t a financial success at first.

Fright-Rags has released new apparel from a trio ’80s cult classics: My Bloody Valentine, Q: The Winged Serpent, and Maniac.

Harry Warden slashes into three new My Bloody Valentine tees: a pulp novel-style design by Yannick Bouchard, a faux drive-in ad by Kyle Crawford, and a gory Japanese-inspired design by Crawford.

Larry Cohen‘s Q: The Winged Serpent flies in with three shirts designed by Crawford: an aged take on the classic poster, a faux newspaper ad, and an I Love New York parody.

Celebrate 45 years of William Lustig‘s Maniac with two new shirts: a bloody warning designed by Crawford and Christopher Franchi‘s gritty tribute to Joe Spinell as serial killer Frank Zito.

Shirts are $33 each. My Bloody Valentine is in stock now to arrive in time for Valentine’s Day, while Q will ship the week of February 14 and Maniac is due the week of February 28.

The...

Filmmaker / musician Chris Alexander is the former editor-in-chief of Fangoria magazine, the co-founder/editor of Delirium magazine, and he wrote the book Corman/Poe. Now, he’s teaming with Headpress Publishing to send his new book Art! Trash! Terror!: Adventures in Strange Cinema out into the world. The book has a release date of March 15th (you can pre-order copies on Amazon at This Link), but the launch event is set to take place at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, California and the Cinelounge Sunset theatre in Hollywood, California this weekend!

Art! Trash! Terror! has a page count of 460. The official description says it’s a treasure trove of in-depth essays and edifying interviews that celebrate some of the most eccentric and unforgettable movies in cult cinema history. From recognized classics to misunderstood masterpieces to unfairly maligned curios, the author takes an alternately serious and playful but always personal look...

In an age where runtimes can run long, there’s a lot to appreciate about a horror movie that can deliver maximum frights in 90 minutes or less. When time is in short supply, a short movie can do the trick. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to precisely that type of movie.

If you’re in the mood for scares but don’t have much time to spare, add these five horror titles to your watchlists. As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

The Beyond – Kanopy, Midnight Pulp, Peacock, Pluto TV, Screambox

One of Lucio Fulci’s most beloved horror films and the second entry in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy hits the ground running and never eases up on the oppressive sense of dread. Set in New Orleans, a young woman (Catriona MacColl) inherits...

Development continues on a live action, supernatural crime TV series, based on the feature "Maniac Cop" (1988), to be produced and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and John Hyams, for HBO in North America and Canal+ in France:

The first "Maniac Cop" feature, directed by William Lustig, starred Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, and Sheree North, following an ex-police officer, who returns from the dead, seeking revenge on criminals, corrupt politicians and co-workers who wronged him.

"Maniac Cop" was followed by the feature sequels, "Maniac Cop 2" (1990) and "Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence".

"We've been talking about a re-imagining of the 'Maniac Cop' films for a number of years," said Refn, "but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth.

"Turning 'Maniac Cop' into a...

One lesser known but extremely cool horror series that’s worth revisiting is the Maniac Cop franchise. Directed by William Lustig and scripted by Larry Cohen, the Maniac Cop trilogy got off to a great start in 1988 with a film that stars Tom Atkins, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Laurene Landon, and Evil Dead franchise hero Bruce Campbell, with Robert Z’Dar as the title character. Although Campbell emerges as the hero in the first film, he’s killed off early in 1990’s Maniac Cop 2 – which, despite losing Campbell so quickly, still manages to be one of the best horror sequels out there. Things don’t get questionable until 1993’s troubled Maniac Cop 3. But even though the first two movies are awesome, Campbell doesn’t seem to have the fondest memories of them, as he revealed during a recent interview with Variety.

Variety gathered lines from several of the movies...

The Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival (Shiff) is set to return to the historic towns of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, New York, from October 10 to 13, 2024. Nestled in the heart of America’s supernatural folklore, the festival promises an eclectic mix of premieres, tributes, and exclusive screenings, all designed to celebrate genre cinema in the birthplace of Washington Irving’s legendary tales.

This year’s Shiff boasts a line-up that will appeal to both classic cinema enthusiasts and fans of the supernatural. Among the highlights is a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. To mark this occasion, D23—The Official Disney Fan Club—will guide festival-goers through an enchanting event filled with rare behind-the-scenes footage, special guests, and surprises that aim to bring Disney nostalgia to life.

Adding to the festivities is a tribute to iconic director Tim Burton, with a 30th-anniversary...

The best Richard Roundtree movies and TV shows feature some of the classic exploitation films of the 1970s and some great television shows of the 2000s. Roundtree was born in 1942 in New York and started his acting career after dropping out of college in 1963. He worked as a model while also starring in some theater plays before he finally got his break in a 1970 hidden-camera reality movie called What Do You Say to a Naked Lady. However, his next role made him an icon.

In 1971, Richard Roundtree took on the role of private detective John Shaft in the exploitation crime thriller Shaft. This created a new franchise, and Roundtree became the face of the new strong Black Hollywood action hero, creating a new genre in which future action heroes patterned themselves after his iconic role. However, he refused to be pigeonholed only into that role and still worked in everything...

I think part of our collective fascination with serial killers comes from an empathetic desire to uncover exactly what needs to go wrong for a human being to snap and turn into a murderer. That’s why it makes sense that this form of morbid curiosity lies at the heart of so many successful horror stories, with countless genre filmmakers trying their best to explore the minds of predators.

And in honor of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller expertly allowing us to see through the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six other serial killer movies told from the killer’s perspective. After all, there are plenty of interesting cinematic killers out there, and not all of them are as charming as Josh Hartnett in Trap.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own murderous favorites if...

The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is back this year, both in-person and virtually, from August 8-18. If the first wave wasn’t already an idicator, the fest is going big to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and the second wave of programming unleashes even more exciting events and premieres.

From the press release: “To commemorate its awesome milestone, Popcorn Frights introduces the Golden Skull Award, honoring a master of horror whose made an everlasting impact on the genre and our darkest dreams. The inaugural recipient is legendary actor Tony Todd, the haunting star of over 200 films, including the iconic Candyman. At a special presentation of Candyman, Todd will receive this honor, accompanied by the screening of two new films featuring him: the unsettling tale The Activated Man and the previously announced world premiere of The Bunker.

But the horror doesn’t end there! Just when you thought it was safe to go back into bed,...

A tidal wave of cinematic terror returns to South Florida this summer with the tenth edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, and the first wave of programming is brimming with sun-soaked scares, must-see screenings, special guests, and virtual streamings for horror fans to enjoy, including the "Lost First Cut" of Brian Yuzna's Return of the Living Dead 3, a 20th anniversary screening of The Grudge, the world premiere of Scared to Death, and much more!

You can purchase In-Theater All-Access VIP Badges here and Virtual All-Access Passes here.

Below, we have a look at the full first wave of programming for this year's Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates, and be sure to visit Popcorn Frights' official website for more information!

Press Release: Popcorn Frights celebrates its 10th anniversary with a first wave announcement headlined by 24 boundary-pushing and mind-enhancing feature films, including...

The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is back this year, both in-person and virtually, from August 8-18. They’ve unleashed the first wave of programming, indicating that the fest is going big for its tenth anniversary celebration with new premieres, virtual screenings, and exciting retro showings including the “Lost First Cut” of Brian Yuzna‘s Return of the Living Dead 3.

To add to the pure mayhem of its anniversary celebration, Popcorn Frights 2024’s in-theater experience will be offered free and open to the public, as a gift back to the community for ten years of their dedicated support and moviegoing love. Popcorn Frights’ free festival is made possible by the generous support of Nightmare Weekend Miami.

Highlights include the 35th anniversary presentation of Brian Yuzna’s spectacularly insane masterpiece Society, one of the ickiest, sweatiest, gloopiest, horniest, and most original body horror shockers of all time. The master of horror will...

When the world was first introduced to Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), she was a budding adult film starlet traveling with her crew to Texas to appear in the film "The Farmer's Daughter." She tells her boyfriend/film producer Wayne that she wants the whole world to know her name, "like Lynda Carter or some s**t." He tells her that the whole world will lust after her because she's "got that X-factor." She has dreams of being a star with her name in lights, and she'll do whatever it takes to get to the top. This film was supposed to be her ticket to superstardom, but after the events of the Texas Porn Star Murders, Maxine Minx escaped as the sole survivor and had to start again in the City of Angels.

Six years after the events of "X," Maxine Minx returns in "MaXXXine," (read our review here) which sees...

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, with the tenth day getting into the anti-festive spirit for all the holiday grinches out there. This is for those that approach December with a “bah humbug” attitude and prefer any iconography or holiday theming to be kept to a minimum when it comes to horror. Most of these ten horror titles are technically set on or around Christmas, but can’t muster up enough cheer to really embrace the holiday spirit. Many of which don’t even bother with Christmas at all, beyond a quick scene or mention.

If you’re already sick of Santa Claus, and all things holiday related, here are ten holiday horror movies – technically – that would rather just cut straight to the horror.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

The Brain

Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant...

Found in your local “Shower After Watching” section of the suspicious flea market around the corner is 1993’s Skinner. And it’s probably the only movie in that bin to feature an acting performance from daytime talk show host Ricki Lake. Seriously.

This little piece of rarely spoken about horror history is one part Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and one-part uncategorizable madness that I’m semi-shocked is still available to watch at all, much less to be reached in an instant on Tubi.

In the film, directed by feature director turned porn director Ivan Nagy, Dennis Skinner (the great Ted Raimi) is an active serial killer who murders mostly prostitutes and then skins them, stitches them back together and wears them while talking about his childhood and saying things like “This really is the clothing…..for a divine soul.”

Skinner darkens the doorway of Kerry Tate (Ricki Lake...

The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering Maniac (2012) was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Travis Hopson, Edited by Jaime Vasquez, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

More and more remakes. So many remakes. Not all are good, some would even say that most remakes are trash. However, some are good, some are great even. This leads us to this movie, the remake of Maniac (watch it Here) released to the general public in 2013. While some hated it and with reason, others loved it, also with reason. The film is one of those that made changes that worked for the story and helped bring it to the new audience, who then turned around and saw the original. Well, some of them did. However, this remake didn’t exactly hit it big at the box office and it still seems to be finding its audience.

With the death of disco in 1979 and a demand for change, the 1980s evolved into a neon-soaked, totally rad decade held firm together with cans of “Aqua Net” burning a hole in the ozone. The time for free love and hope for peace was over. It was time for a revolution. But with filmmakers, their creative freedoms would lead to exploring more areas which haven’t been touched on before. It was the year horror would forever be changed.

In this special episode of 80s Horror Memories, we take a feature-length look at the year 1980 as a whole, taking deep dives into the influential horror flicks of the year. Here are the movies we profile:

Dressed to Kill: Brian DePalma’s controversial slasher, which, if anything, is even more provocative in 2023 than it was in 1980.

Maniac: William Lustig’s grimy thriller starring 80s horror icon Joe Spinell.

Alligator:...

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival announced an impressive full slate of programming for its 2023 edition, running October 12-19 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.

From the press release:

Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.

The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Kier Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s...

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff) announces today the full program for its 2023 incarnation, running October 12-19th with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th-anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.

The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director...

You can only tell the same old slasher story so many times before it gets stale, and that’s why so many horror franchises eventually find the need to escape the confines of their original small-town settings and have their villains invade larger urban centers. And if you’re going to set your story in a big city, why not the most recognizable metropolis of all, New York?

Urban horror might not be as common as scary movies about Transylvanian castles and cursed cabins in the middle of nowhere, but we’ve seen a plethora of NYC-set horror flicks over the years. And in honor of Scream VI also choosing to relocate the action to the city that never sleeps, we’ve come up with this list celebrating six of the best horror movies set in NYC.

As usual, this list is based on personal opinion, but we’ll be...

There are holiday horror movies that wholly commit to the yuletide theme, and then there are holiday horror movies you might not even recall being set over or around Christmas. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to the latter category. These horror titles make it clear that they’re set around the holidays without that ever factoring much into the plot… if at all.

That makes them perfect watches when you’ve already exhausted the holiday horror classics and want something a little outside the box. Or way out of the box, in some instances.

As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

The Brain – Freevee, Prime Video

Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant meatball of a mutant brain to brainwash his audience. It’s up to a plucky...

William Lustig's 1980 film "Maniac" is one of the sweatiest, most brutal, most unpleasant grindhouse horror films of its decade on either side. Co-screenwriter Joe Spinell plays Frank Zito, a serial killer with a peculiar M.O. When he encounters his victims, mostly young women, he declares them to be too beautiful, with beauty being punishable by death. He then strangles his victims, strips them, scalps them (!), and carries his "souvenirs" back to his cramped New York apartment where he dresses mannequins in the clothes and "wigs." The film's gore effects were provided by horror movie maestro Tom Savini, who had previously worked on notable horror classics like "Friday the 13th," and with George Romero on "Dawn of the Dead" and "Martin." Savini would also go on to direct the 1990 remake of "Night of the Living Dead." 

"Maniac" is bleak and unpleasant, but may also serve as the Platonic ideal of an exploitation movie.

Mister Creep: "Three college students stumble upon a lost television broadcast of a deceased serial killer and search for its location. They discover a nightmarish cover-up of a clown-faced man who killed hundreds and may still be around long after his death.

From writer/director Isaac Rodriguez, and starring Thomas Burke, Ali Alkhafaji, Amber Lee Solis, and Judy McMillan, come face to face with Mister Creep on digital December 5."

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Monsters vs Madness: A Benefit Auction For Planned Parenthood - Happens Online November 11-27, 2022: "This November, fans around the world will have a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind painted figures of the most famous movie monsters ever in an online auction to benefit Planned Parenthood. The Monsters vs Madness auction is the brainchild of author, pop culture expert, producer and co-chair of the Atlanta Monsterama fan convention Anthony Taylor. Last summer, dismayed by the Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case,...

The shocking new horror film Hellbilly Hollow will close the 20th edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival (Nychff), to be held at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas (260 West 23rd Street) December 1 to 4, 2022.

After wowing fans with clips and guest speakers at Burbank’s Son of Monsterpalooza convention in October, Hellbilly Hollow will now make its World Premiere on Sunday, December 4 at the New York City Horror Film Festival, attended by director/actor Kevin Wayne and producer/actor Kurt Deimer. Rising rockstar Deimer also contributed songs to the film’s rousing heavy metal soundtrack. Hellbilly Hollow was produced by Andy Gould, who previously produced Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, 31, Lords of Salem and Zombie’s two Halloween films, among others.

In Hellbilly Hollow, Deimer and Wayne play horribly scarred—and seriously twisted —brothers Bull and Tickles. The demented siblings run the titular haunted attraction, weaving in real murders and mayhem into their staged shenanigans.

Writer/director John (Ida Red) Swab’s critically-praised horror thriller Candy Land will open the 20th edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival, to be held at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas (260 West 23rd Street) December 1 to 4, 2022. Stars Olivia Luccardi (It Follows) and Owen Campbell (X) will be attending the NYC screening.

Candy Land will be joined by over 50 films from around the world at the New York City Horror Film Festival. For this edition, classic screen bogeyman Kane Hodder (notorious slasher icon from the Friday the 13th and Hatchet films) will be receiving the fest’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The festival offers 13 programs, each consisting of terrifying new feature films and shorts. Q&a panels and celebrity guests follow each screening. Fans and filmmakers will mingle at the full bar located at the venue.

Candy Land follows religious cult disciple Remy, who stumbles upon a rag-tag group of truck...

Italian maestro Fabio Frizzi has composed more than 100 scores over the course of his 50+ year career, including features, shorts, and television, but he’s most well known for his work with Italian horror legend Lucio Fulci. Intermittently since 2013, Frizzi has paid tribute to his late friend and frequent collaborator with a live band dubbed Frizzi 2 Fulci.

“Fulci started to give me this heritage, and I try to use it in the best way,” he told me at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Ma on September 17, where he was being honored with the Coolidge After Midnite Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the genre. The evening also included a Frizzi 2 Fulci concert and a midnight screening of Fulci’s Zombie.

The show kicked off with the first-ever live performance of a track from Frizzi’s previously unannounced Zombie composer’s cut. He recently revisited The Beyond for a...

The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Ma will honor composer Fabio Frizzi with its Coolidge After Midnite Award on Saturday, September 17. The Italian maestro will be joined by his Frizzi 2 Fulci band for a live concert of his chilling compositions, followed by the award ceremony and a special screening of Zombie.

Frizzi is best known for his work with Lucio Fulci on the likes of Zombie, The Beyond, and City of the Living Dead. He also composed the scores for such cult classics as Pieces, Devil Fish, and Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, while Quentin Tarantino featured his music in Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

Fulci passed away in 1996, but his legacy lives on in part through Frizzi, who has been paying tribute to his friend and frequent collaborator since debuting Frizzi 2 Fulci in 2013. This event marks Frizzi’s third time performing at the Coolidge.

“The Coolidge Corner Theatre is proud...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film at Lincoln Center

A 20-film Dario Argento retrospective has begun.

Roxy Cinema

Videodrome plays on Friday and Saturday, while a print of The Fly screens Friday and Sunday; to highlight some of Will Smith’s best onscreen work, prints of Bad Boys II and Ali show on Saturday and Sunday, respectively; indie classic In the Soup plays on Friday with a director Q&a; William Lustig presents his film Vigilante on 35mm this Saturday.

Anthology Film Archives

Essential Cinema has Orson Welles and Jean Vigo, while a tribute to the long-ignored Dore O. is underway.

Museum of Modern Art

One of the year’s great retrospectives looks at deep cuts of Shochiku Studios.

Japan Society

The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl shows Friday.

Film Forum

A 35mm print of Diva continues, while Montgomery Clift is given a retro...

Blue Underground Releases 25th Anniversary Edition of Uncle Sam on 4K Ultra HD Street Date 6/21 Despite a relatively short-lived career as a director, spanning 16 years and 8 films, William Lustig has had a major impact on genre cinema. While filming “making-of” features for Anchor Bay, Lustig formed Blue Underground and started to bring exploitation cinema to the …

The post Blue Underground Releases on 4K Uhd Uncle Sam from Director William Lustig appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s only friendly fire.”

Blue Underground will release William Lustig’s Uncle Sam (1996) 25th Anniversary on 4K Ultra HD June 21st . Check out this classic trailer

Despite a relatively short-lived career as a director, spanning 16 years and 8 films, William Lustig has had a major impact on genre cinema. While filming “making-of” features for Anchor Bay, Lustig formed Blue Underground and started to bring exploitation cinema to the home video market with high-quality DVDs loaded with special features. More than 20 years later, Blue Underground is still thriving and upping its game to include 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray releases. Blue Underground’s latest 4K release is Lustig’s very own Uncle Sam, available everywhere on June 21, 2022.

Master Sergeant Sam Harper (David Fralick) is tragically killed in a horrible accident in Kuwait after his helicopter is shot down by friendly fire. Sam’s charred remains are shipped back...

Development continues on a live action, supernatural crime TV series, based on the feature "Maniac Cop" (1988), to be produced and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and John Hyams, for HBO in North America and Canal+ in France:

The first "Maniac Cop" feature, directed by William Lustig, starred Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, and Sheree North, following an ex-police officer, who returns from the dead, seeking revenge on criminals, corrupt politicians and co-workers who wronged him.

"Maniac Cop" was followed by the feature sequels, "Maniac Cop 2" (1990) and "Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence".

"We've been talking about a re-imagining of the 'Maniac Cop' films for a number of years," said Refn, "but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth.

"Turning 'Maniac Cop' into a...

While the 1970s and 1980s were strong decades for independent horror filmmaking, the 1990s proved to be a somewhat interesting time, as there seemed to be an overall tendency for this realm of the industry to be focused on making sequels and creating franchises out of ’80s horror hits, with a few landmark indie horror projects in the mix as well. And since sequels were so dominant at that time, I thought it only made sense for us to start there for this look back on the history of ’90s indie horror cinema.

After the 1980s proved to be a great time for indie horror, where so many movies ended up being successful due to a combination of theatrical releases and the increasing popularity of home video, it feels like in the decade that followed, many producers working in the independent realm wanted to capitalize on those successes by turning...

Happy Friday, everyone! This time last week, we celebrated the amazing independent horror films that were released throughout the 1970s, so it only makes sense that we shift our focus today to all the great indie genre movies and moviemakers that helped make the ’80s one of the most unforgettable decades in horror.

Much like the 1970s, we saw a handful of eventual Masters of Horror establish themselves as genre storytellers on the indie side of things throughout the ’80s. On the East Coast, we saw an explosion of creativity come out of New York City with filmmakers such as William Lustig, Frank Henenlotter, Larry Fessenden, and Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman making their feature debuts in the world of horror during the ’80s. And even though Troma Entertainment was founded in 1974, the company really came into its own during the 1980s as well. The indie studio founded by the aforementioned...

A fan favorite 90s slasher, William Lustig‘s All American horror movie Uncle Sam is getting a 4K Ultra HD upgrade from Blue Underground, we’ve learned this week. The 1996 slasher comes to 4K Ultra HD on June 21, 2022! Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show), Bo Hopkins (The Wild Bunch), William Smith (Fast Company), P.J. […]

The post William Lustig’s 90s Slasher ‘Uncle Sam’ Comes to 4K Ultra HD! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Peter Weller and Sam Elliott on the Forty Deuce under the Times Square Theatre marquee in James Glickenhaus' Shakedown.Movie-lovers!Welcome back to The Deuce Notebook, a collaboration between Notebook and The Deuce Film Series, our monthly event at Nitehawk Williamsburg that excavates the facts and fantasies of cinema's most infamous block in the world: 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. For each screening, my co-hosts and I pick a flick that we think embodies the era of late-night celluloid consumption and present the theater at which it premiered.American writer, director, and producer James Glickenhaus made action movies: eye-for-an-eye fables starring virtuous underdogs and righteous renegades—rogue cops, ex-Army officers, and cunning FBI agents settling scores with street scum, Mafiosi, and the international drug cartel. These low-cost, high-grossing blockbusters projected do-good Nationalism onto the silver screens and boob tubes of the 1980s, encouraging a generation of bleary-eyed Boy Scouts to stay strong,...

Frank Pesce, a character actor whose many credits include “Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Midnight Run,” has died of complications from dementia, his girlfriend, Tammy Scher confirmed to TheWrap on Wednesday. He was 75.

“It’s very sad. He was loved by so many and had more friends than anyone I’ve ever known in my life. He was larger than life,” she said.

Pesce was in a hospital for the final three weeks of his life. He died Feb. 6.

“We walked into his room and everyone knew his name,” Scher said.

Pesce was born in New York in 1946 and began as an extra in “The Godfather Part II,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. He was also a stand-in for Robert DeNiro in “Taxi Driver” and Frank Sinatra in “The First Deadly Sin.”

He had a small part in the first “Rocky” movie and formed a lifelong friendship with Sylvester Stallone.

Stars: Dan Grimaldi, Charles Bonet, Bill Ricci, Ruth Dardick | Written by Joseph Ellison, Ellen Hammill, Joe Masefield | Directed by Joseph Ellison

One of the many films that were tangled up in the video nasty debacle of the early 80s, Don’t Go In The House tells the story of Donny, a somewhat disturbed man who lives under the thumb of his overbearing and sadistic (in the sense that she likes to burn his arms on the stove) mother. That is until his mother passes away and Donny’s already disturbed psyche finally cracks. Living only with the voices in his head, Donny seeks out female companionship, only his idea of bringing a girl home to meet mother entails tying them up in his steel-walled burning chamber!

Don’t Go In the House is a film clearly inspired by Psycho, yet it shares very familiar traits with William Lustig’s Maniac and De...

Hello, everyone! We’re back with a brand new round of horror and sci-fi 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD releases coming out tomorrow, and I gotta say, November 16th is a good day to be a genre fan, because we have a lot of cool stuff coming our way. If you missed it in theaters, you can finally catch up with Nia DaCosta’s Candyman and both Maniac Cop 2 and 3 are getting a 4K upgrade courtesy of Blue Underground. Lionsgate has put together the impressive 4K set The Evil Dead: Groovy Collection that includes the first two Evil Dead films and all three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead (plus a bevy of bonus content) that would make a killer addition to anyone’s home media collection.

Other releases for November 16th include Mulholland Dr. 4K, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Megan is Missing, Caveat, The Resort, and the Mad Max Anthology 4K.

After the 1992 release of Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino was fast on his way to becoming a big deal. And while his next directorial effort, Pulp Fiction, wouldn’t arrive until 1994, 1993 was also a big year for Tarantino – because that was the year of True Romance. It was technically Tarantino’s first screenplay, written before Reservoir Dogs, and […]

The post Quentin Tarantino Reveals ‘Maniac’ Filmmaker William Lustig Almost Directed ‘True Romance’ appeared first on /Film.

“This gun is my judge, my jury… and my executioner!”

Robert Forster and Fred Williamson in Vigilante is coming to 4K Uhd and Blu-ray December 15th from Blue Underground’s. Check out the retsoration trailer:

New York City factory worker Eddie Marino is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. But when a corrupt judge sets the thugs free, Eddie goes berserk and vows revenge. Now there’s a new breed of marauder loose on the city streets, enforcing his own kind of law. His justice is swift. His methods are violent. He is the Vigilante.

Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn), Richard Bright (The Godfather), Rutanya Alda (Amityville II: The Possession), Carol Lynley (The Poseidon Adventure), Woody Strode (Spartacus), Joe Spinell (Maniac) and Salsa legend Willie Colón co-star in this hard-hitting exploitation classic from director...

With the virtual edition of Fantastic Fest 2020 still underway, here’s a look at two more films from this year’s programming slate: The Stylist from Jill Gevargizian and The Boy Behind the Door, which was co-written and co-directed by Justin Powell and David Charbonier.

The Stylist: I was a fan of Jill Gevargizian’s short film The Stylist when it was making the rounds a few years back, so to see her finally have the opportunity to expand upon the initial concept from the short for her feature-length film debut, also entitled The Stylist, is pretty damn great, and I was left absolutely floored by the results. When people talk in the future about filmmakers who took the world by storm with their first movie during this era in horror, I guarantee that Gevargizian and The Stylist will undoubtedly be a part of that conversation for years to come.

Someone is taking a big bite out of the Big Apple on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray! Blue Underground is proud to present critically acclaimed restorations of The New York Ripper and The House By the Cemetery in true 4K Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision Hdr and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix, bursting at the seams with hours of new and archival extras.

"We put a lot of time and work into restoring these films," said William Lustig, President of Blue Underground. We're thrilled that fans can now view them at home in true 4K Ultra HD, with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range and new Dolby Atmos audio mixes."

A blade-wielding psychopath is on the loose, turning The Big Apple bright red with the blood of beautiful young women. As NYPD detective Fred Williams (Jack Hedley of For Your Eyes Only) follows the trail of butchery from the decks...

Blue Underground is bringing two cult classics from Lucio Fulci to 4K on August 25th! Here's a look at the bonus features and cover art for 4K restorations of The New York Ripper and The House by the Cemetery:

From the Press Release: "Blue Underground is proud to present critically acclaimed restorations of The New York Ripper and The House By The Cemetery in true 4K Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision Hdr and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix, bursting at the seams with hours of new and archival extras.

"We put a lot of time and work into restoring these films," said William Lustig, President of Blue Underground. " We're thrilled that fans can now view them at home in true 4K Ultra HD, with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range and new Dolby Atmos audio mixes."

The New York Ripper

Someone Is Taking A Big Bite Out Of The Big Apple.

In addition to their 4K Ultra HD releases of movies such as Lucio Fulci's Zombie and William Lustig's Maniac, Blue Underground has announced that they're bringing Harry Kümel's 1971 vampire film Daughters of Darkness to 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray this year as well.

Special features and a specific release date have yet to be announced for the 4K Ultra HD release of Daughters of Darkness, but according to Blue Underground's Twitter account and Blu-ray.com, it is slated for a fall release.

You can view the official cover art (via Twitter) and synopsis (via Blu-ray.com) below, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates.

Synopsis: " International screen icon Delphine Seyrig (Last Year at Marienbad) stars as Elizabeth Bathory, an ageless Countess with a beautiful young "companion" (Goth goddess Andrea Rau) and a legendary legacy of perversion. But when the two women seduce a troubled newlywed couple...

We're back with another installment of Horror Highlights! In today's edition, we have an exclusive clip from Dreamland that features Juliette Lewis, the full documentary Tax Shelter Terrors, release details for Zeta, a teaser for 6:45, and an interview with the composer of Artik:

Exclusive Clip from Dreamland: Starring Stephen McHattie, Henry Rollins, Juliette Lewis, directed by Bruce McDonald, written by Tony Burgess and Patrick Whistler:

On the night of the strangest weddings in cinema history, a grotesque gang boss hires a stone cold killer to bring him the finger of a fading, drug-addicted jazz legend.

Uncork'd Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures will release the horror/crime/thriller Dreamland in theaters, on VOD and Digital HD on June 5, 2020.

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Canadian Horror Documentary Tax Shelter Terrors: "An in depth look how the Canadian Government tax incentives helped develop Canada's horror and exploitation film industry.

Montreal, Canada - Immediate Release – June...

Perhaps one of the oddest inspirations which resulted from William Lustig’s grindhouse narrative debut, which became a major cult classic, was Michael Sembello’s song, reconstituted for Adrian Lyne’s 1983 film Flash Dance, netting an Academy Award nomination with its new lyrics.

In 2012, Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur scripted a remake made by Franck Khalfoun and starring Elijah Wood, relocating the narrative from New York to Los Angeles, although the result didn’t have the same impact. Perhaps its because Lustig’s original, which was the director’s lateral move from pornography, is itself somewhat derivative.

A psychotic serial killer with mommy issues is brutally murdering people in New York, scalping the women and taking his souvenirs home as hair pieces for the mannequins in his squalid apartment.…...

Development continues on a live action, supernatural crime TV series, based on the feature "Maniac Cop" (1988), to be produced and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and John Hyams, for HBO in North America and Canal+ in France:

The first "Maniac Cop" feature, directed by William Lustig, starred Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, and Sheree North, following an ex-police officer, who returns from the dead, seeking revenge on criminals, corrupt politicians and co-workers who wronged him.

"Maniac Cop" was followed by the feature sequels, "Maniac Cop 2" (1990) and "Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence".

"We've been talking about a re-imagining of the 'Maniac Cop' films for a number of years," said Refn, "but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth. 

"Turning 'Maniac Cop' into a...

In late 1979, Joe Spinell was a successful character actor who had appeared in major films by Coppola, Friedkin, Scorsese and Mazursky, but he wanted to go beyond supporting work to make a name for himself as a horror icon. His friend William Lustig was a 24-year old movie fanatic who had directed a couple of adult films and was hungry to graduate to mainstream features. Joining forces with producer Andrew Garroni, Lustig and Spinell scraped together $48,000 and started making Maniac, an extremely unpleasant – and extremely effective – study of a psychotic loner on a killing spree. They […]...

In late 1979, Joe Spinell was a successful character actor who had appeared in major films by Coppola, Friedkin, Scorsese and Mazursky, but he wanted to go beyond supporting work to make a name for himself as a horror icon. His friend William Lustig was a 24-year old movie fanatic who had directed a couple of adult films and was hungry to graduate to mainstream features. Joining forces with producer Andrew Garroni, Lustig and Spinell scraped together $48,000 and started making Maniac, an extremely unpleasant – and extremely effective – study of a psychotic loner on a killing spree. They […]...

The Coronavirus is having a widespread impact on people, governments, businesses, and events around the world, and the Fantaspoa Film Festival announced that it will postpone this year's event, with plans to launch "Fantaspoa at Home" to offer seven feature films every week at www.fantaspoaathome.com starting April 1st:

Porto Alegre, Brazil - 24 March 2019 - It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that the Fantaspoa Film Festival announces that it will postpone its upcoming 16th edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic currently sweeping the world. Initially scheduled for this coming May, the festival directors forecast that this year's edition will now take place between the months of October and December, 2020, if deemed responsible and safe at that time.

Due to executive decisions made by the Brazilian government prior to this unprecedented health crisis, Fantaspoa and countless other organizations dedicated to the arts were stripped of all federal sponsorship money.