Released 4th March 2024
Fear City
Taking place in Ferrara’s trademark nightmarish vision of New York City, Fear City delves into the seedy underbelly of the city in the 80s. Filmed on location in the sleazy dive bars and back alleys of Times Square, this thrilling, erotic neo-noir is a tale of a brutal killer targeting the city’s strippers and the former boxer and cop out to catch them.
There's a psychopath on the loose in Manhattan who is stalking and mutilating beautiful strippers employed by booking agents Matt Rossi (Tom Berenger) and Nicky Parzeno (Jack Scalia). But when the madman targets Matt’s ex-girlfriend, Loretta (Melanie Griffith), he must confront his own violent past to stop the sadist.
After the success of The Driller Killer (1979) and Ms. 45 (1981) Ferrara returned to his native New York to direct Fear City. The film was originally produced by 20th Century Fox, which allowed for a cast of 80s stars including Tom Berenger (Platoon), Melanie Griffith (Body Double) and Billy Dee Williams (Empire Strikes Back) to be assembled. They soon decided there was too much nudity, sex, violence and hard drug use for their liking and moved the film on to the independent Aquarius Releasing. After heavy cuts by the MPAA Fear City finally received its premiere in 1984.
Title 034 on the 101 Films Black Label, this limited-edition release includes both the theatrical and uncut versions of Fear City and a commentary with film critic Kevin Lyons. Enclosed in a limited-edition slipcase with brand new artwork, this title also features a limited-edition booklet with new writing on the film: ‘Seeing Red: A Neo-Noir Guide’ by Rich Johnson and ‘Returning to Fear City’ by Brad Stevens.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Uncut version of Fear City with SD inserts (97 Minutes)
Commentary with film critic Kevin Lyons
Extended trailer
Limited edition booklet: Includes ‘Seeing Red: A Neo-Noir Guide’ by Rich Johnson and ‘Returning to Fear City’ by Brad Stevens