A horror legend and his iconic slasher will open the 2018 Nightmares Film Festival (October 18th to 21st) when director Bill Lustig (Maniac Cop) brings the just-revealed 4K restoration of his 1980 classic Maniac to opening night. “We’re honored to have Bill, one of the true legends of independent horror, join us to open this year’s edition of Nightmares,” programmer and co-founder Jason Tostevin said. “The newly-restored Maniac is the perfect tone-setter for four days of better horror.”
Maniac is a bona fide cult classic with a rabid following that’s grown over the three decades since its release — especially for its Tom Savini-created practical effects. But almost no one has seen the film the way it really looked upon release. That’s because the available print for home video was a 35mm blow-up — a transfer that washed out the picture, reduced resolution and created artifacts. This year, the original 16mm negative was rediscovered after being thought lost for decades. That allowed Lustig and his team at Blue Underground to scan a new clear, clean and vibrant 4K print — and for the world to discover the true film that’s been hiding in the home video version. “In a very real sense, no one has seen the true Maniac since it played a handful of theaters almost 40 years ago,” said Nightmares co-founder Chris Hamel. “That makes this screening a must-see for every horror fan.” Creating a genuinely unique experience, director Bill Lustig will introduce the film live, take Q&A afterward, and meet and greet fans and filmmakers at the festival. Maniac joins other early selections Nightmares has announced, including the world premieres of The Final Interview from director Fred Vogel (August Underground), The Bad Man from Scott Schirmer (Found, Harvest Lake) and Skeletons in the Closet from Tony Wash (The Rake); the midwest premiere of The FP 2: Beats of Rage from Jason Trost (The FP, All Superheroes Must Die); and new short films from the directors of Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich and Wyrmwood: Road of the Damned. Nightmares, called “the Cannes of horror” by iHorror, is a prestige celebration of genre and an annual pilgrimage for fans and creators around the world. It’s been the number one-ranked genre festival on FilmFreeway continuously for more than two years, as rated by attending filmmakers and screenwriters.
