Fantasia 2017: George Mihalka’s The Blue Man to Screen in 35mm

The Blue Man: My Bloody Valentine director George Mihalka to introduce a rare 35mm print of his obscure 1985 thriller

The name George Mihalka carries weight when it comes to horror. The director got his start working for mythical Canadian genre film production house and distributors Cinepix (i.e the John Dunning and Andre Link-run studio that discovered Ivan Reitman, Don Carmody and David Cronenberg). For Cinepix, he helmed perhaps the most famous slasher film of the ’80s that WASN’T Friday the 13th, 1981’s My Bloody Valentine. That’s the movie that will likely be etched on his tombstone, and he’s okay with that.

But Mihalka made another horror movie that time has seemingly forgotten and that’s a damn shame because it’s a brilliant and atmospheric chiller that needs more love. 1985’s The Blue Man (released later as Eternal Evil) stars Winston Rekert as Paul Sharpe, a director in a slump who is forced to shoot insipid TV commercials just to keep his Montreal-based production company afloat. Dissatisfied of his life both at work and at home, he finds solace in the arms of his mistress, Janus, who introduces him to the world of astral projections, an esoteric practice in which the spirit dissociates itself from the body to freely explore its surroundings. But are these astral journeys really harmless? Not only is Paul’s son convinced that he’s seeing a transparent blue being flying around the house, but people close to Paul are now starting to die one after another while he sleeps. Furthermore, it appears that the victims’ bones and internal organs are literally shredded from the inside. With a cop investigating the string of murders, the noose is tightening around Paul as he comes to realize that this whole ordeal can probably be traced back to a documentary he made a few years earlier. The legendary Karen Black also stars in this eerie, unique film.

In a wild twist, the folks at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival (which is currently in full swing) have discovered a lost 35mm print The Blue Man, deep in the vaults of the Cinematheque Quebecoise. This could well be the last print available of this film and the fest is proudly projecting it exclusively for Montreal fans to enjoy. This special presentation will be accompanied by a Q & A with the director himself on July 26th at 7pm with a Q&A moderated by Marc Lamothe, Co-General Director of the Fantasia Film Festival.

You can find out more about the screening here and if you’re at Fantasia or in the Montreal area, you should really make time for this one-shot screening event. The Blue Man needs to find its cult and this is the perfect start for its journey.

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