Originally released in 1993, director Joe Dante’s Matinee is witty and hilarious tribute to Cold War-era paranoia and monster movies. In his most underrated role, John Goodman shines as a B-horror filmmaker (lovingly based on “gimmick king” William Castle) who arrives in 1962 Key West, Florida, on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis to preview his latest work–the man-insect shocker “Mant”–while some local teens wonder if their first dates will be their last. Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, Cathy Moriarty also star, with a number of cameos.
Matinee didn’t set the box office on fire when it was released in January of 1993. Yet its great critical response and word of mouth made it a modest success whose reputation has only grew over the years. The demand for a new special edition of the film was definitely out there, and the movie lovers over at Shout Factory noticed. Thus on January 16th a new collector’s edition of Matinee will be released with the following special features:
NEW Master Of The Matinee – An Interview With Director Joe Dante
NEW The Leading Lady – An Interview with Cathy Moriarty
NEW MANTastic! The Making Of A Mant
NEW Out Of The Bunker – An Interview With Actress Lisa Jakub
NEW Making A Monster Theatre – An Interview With Production Designer Steven Legler
NEW The Monster Mix – An Interview With Editor Marshall Harvey
NEW Lights! Camera! Reunion! – An Interview With Director Of Photography John Hora
Paranoia In Ant Vision – Joe Dante Discusses The Making Of The Film
MANT! – The Full Length Version Of The Film With Introduction By Joe Dante
Vintage Making Of Featurette
Behind The Scenes Footage Courtesy Of Joe Dante
Deleted And Extended Scenes Sourced From Joe Dante’s Workprint
Still Galleries
Theatrical Trailer
As a lover of this film’s homage to the gimmick-packed days of 1960s cinema, I can’t wait to revisit this one. It’s a schlocky horror picture show that is full of Wonder Years-style nostalgia and warm laughs, set against a backdrop of one of America’s most turbulent periods.