'Der Fan' Trailer: 1982 Cult Horror Hits U.S. Theaters
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- "Der Fan" (1982) — a German New Wave cannibal horror written and directed by Eckhart Schmidt and classified as a "video nasty" — receives its first-ever U.S. theatrical release after decades unavailable in American cinemas.
- Fun City Editions restored the film in 4K from its original 35mm camera negative and will present it with its original stereo soundtrack for the first time since its 1982 German theatrical debut.
- Désirée Nosbusch stars as teen runaway Simone, who fixates on Neue Deutsche Welle singer "R" (played by Bodo Staiger), whose band Rheingold contributed the film's sinister synth-pop soundtrack.
- Metrograph in Lower Manhattan hosts the opening on August 28 as part of a series called "That Most Taboo of Red Meats," which also includes "House," "In My Skin," "Jennifer's Body," "Raw," and "Spider Baby."
- Following Metrograph, screenings are booked at American Cinematheque: Los Feliz (LA), Wisconsin Cinematheque (Madison), Austin Film Society, Hollywood Theatre (Portland), The Frida (Santa Ana), Alamo New Mission (San Francisco), and Trylon (Minneapolis/St. Paul), with further engagements forthcoming.
- The trailer was cut by Chris O'Neill; the film was previously restored in 2015 by Mondo Macabro but never previously licensed to U.S. theaters.
Why it matters: A 43-year-old "video nasty" that never played U.S. theaters becomes a seven-city theatrical tour starting August 28 — Fun City Editions lands a high-profile cult restoration, while U.S. cinephiles get their first sanctioned chance to see a film Metrograph's synopsis calls "a slow-burn psychological thriller" that "speaks to our age of parasocial obsession."
