Drafthouse Films bringing remastered horror epic The Visitor to theaters this Halloween; VOD/DVD/Blu-ray set for early 2014

By Kevin Woods

October 9th 2013, 2:12pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Earlier this year we brought you the news that Drafthouse Films would be bringing us a remastered and uncut version of 1979's phantasmagorical sci-fi oddity THE VISITOR, a strange little film that mashed up elements from THE OMEN, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, THE BIRDS, ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE FURY and STAR WARS into something truly memorable and featured a cast that included Lance Henriksen, Mel Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Franco Nero, Glen Ford and iconic film directors John Huston and Sam Peckinpah. If you've never been initiated into the zaniness that is THE VISTOR, your chance is coming very soon as we now have word that the film will open in a dozen cities starting Halloween weekend before rolling out into additional markets throughout November and the rest of the year. The repertory title will be hitting the big screen in major markets including Los Angeles, New York, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Portland and San Francisco. A VOD/digital and home entertainment release will follow in January, 2014. How cool is that?

Here's the synopsis:

John Huston (The Maltese Falcon; Treasure Of The Sierra Madre) stars as an intergalactic warriorbattling alongside a cosmic Christ figure against a demonic eight-year-old girl and her pet hawk, as the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

Sounds quite insane, huh? Oh, it is! But in the very best way possible.

Drafthouse Films Creative Director Evan Husney says of the film…

This film is from another time, another place and another wholly different dimension and contains the highest JDPM (jaw-drops-per-minute) ratio out of any movie we have ever encountered. The Visitor is a repertory mainstay at the Alamo Drafthouse and is truly one of the most joyfully delirious theatrical experiences we've unleashed on our audiences. The world wasn't ready for this film in 1979, and it still may not be. Regardless, we are ecstatic to be able to reintroduce cinema's most colossally bizarro achievement. Ever."

We also got our grubby lil hands on the theatrical poster for the re-release, so peep that badboy below!