Hosted by Jesse Hawthorne Ficks of MOViES FOR MANiACS, emphasizing dismissed, underrated and forgotten films for over 23 years.
MOViES FOR MANiACS is thrilled to announce a gorgeous 4K restoration of Robert Vincent O'Neil’s ANGEL (1984) for its belated 40th Anniversary along with Greydon Clark's cult classic Horror parody WACKO (1982) @ The Balboa Theater on WED. OCTOBER 1.
$15 for one movie, $20 for double bill
7:00pm ANGEL (1984) - Brand New 4K Restoration
This underrated and underappreciated 1980s treasure captures the grit of the Hollywood strip along with a gaggle of heartfelt street urchins that you genuinely end up caring for; something rarely achieved in many exploitation films. Writer/Director Robert Vincent O'Neil’s shot on location, following a tough 15-year-old (portrayed brilliantly by Donna Wilkes) doing whatever it takes to survive on the dangerous, time-capsuled LA streets. This may have single-handedly inspired Ti West's entire X, Pearl, Maxxxine trilogy as well as countless knock-offs for decades to follow.
Showcasing legendary queer-positive performances by Susan Tyrell, Dick Shawn and Rory Calhoun, nothing can truly prepare you for the show-stealing, avant-garde performance by character actor extraordinaire, John Diehl as an immensely complicated sex-worker serial-killer.. Fans of the director's screenplay Vice Squad (1982) do not hesitate one iota. This is exploitation at its absolute finest. Unavailable for many years on any streaming site, this gorgeous new 4K DCP Restoration is courtesy of AGFA and Vinegar Syndrome. Running Time: 93-Minutes. Rated R (including extremely mature situations.) Do not miss one of my all time favorite movies.
9:15pm WACKO (1982) - Original 35mm Print
From the director of the cult classic Joysticks (1983), this hilarious parody of 1980s Stalker films predates the Scream and Scary Movie franchises by a good 25 years, Wacko creates an unstoppable amount of actually funny gags -- similar to Top Secret! (1984) and Airplane! (1980). Immensely cinematic, this early-80s obscurity is chock full of Horror movie references ranging from Film Noir gems to Alfred Hitchcock masterpieces to late-1970s Stalker film classics such as Halloween (1978), Carrie (1976) and Friday the 13th (1980)! Add to that wacked-out performances by Joe Don Baker, George Kennedy, Stella Stevens, E.G. Daily & Andrew "Dice" Clay, and you've got the funniest Horror parody of the era. This extremely RARE Original 35mm print has been unavailable for years on any streaming sites. Original 35mm print. Running Time: 90 Minutes. Rated R (including mild nudity and extremely silly situations.) Preceded and followed by other 1980s & 1990s Stalker Horror trailers.