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IMDbPro

William Lustig

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Actor
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William Lustig
The feature-length documentary AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film.  The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment.  Exploitation Cinema has left an indelible mark on American culture, and this informative and amusing documentary proves that its principles—and popularity—endure to this day.  This introduction to the documentary features interviews with such notable filmmakers as John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Animal House) and Joe Dante (The Howling, Innerspace).  Copyright © 2009 Lux Digital Pictures, Inc.
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American Grindhouse
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William Lustig was born on February 1, 1955 in Bronx, New York. During his teenage years, Lustig avidly watched a huge volume of lowdown trashy exploitation fare at numerous 42nd Street grind house theaters in Manhattan and also worked as a movie theater usher in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, he took a few film classes at New York University.

Lustig began his film career in his mid to late teens, working behind-the-scenes in various minor production capacities on a handful of hardcore X-rated porno pictures as well as a production assistant on both "The Seven Ups" and "Death Wish." He made his debut as a director, producer and editor with the hardcore porn features "Hot Honey" and "The Violation of Claudia." Lustig directed both of these movies under the alias Billy Bagg.

In 1980, Lustig found himself at the center of a storm of controversy when he made the grim, gory and disturbing slasher sleaze splatter landmark "Maniac," which boasts an incredibly intense performance by the legendary character actor Joe Spinell as a vicious depraved psychopath and plenty of hideously graphic and gruesome make-up effects by horror genre icon Tom Savini. In 1982, Lustig followed up "Maniac" with the tough, gritty and exciting New York urban revenge opus "Vigilante." In 1988, he delivered another winner with the terrific "Maniac Cop," a violent horror action flick about an undead New York police officer on a killing spree which was the first of several cinematic collaborations with fellow maverick independent filmmaker Larry Cohen.

Lustig followed up with the 1989 stirring action item "Hit List" and the suspenseful serial killer thriller "Relentless" were likewise on the money excellent and entertaining offerings. However, the two "Maniac Cop" sequels were strictly hit-or-miss affairs: the second one was a worthy successor to the superior original and the third one was a regrettably mediocre entry in the series. Lustig's last film as a director to date was the nifty and enjoyable fright flick "Uncle Sam."

Since 1997, William Lustig went on to initially produce retrospective DVD documentaries for Anchor Bay and now currently runs the outstanding DVD label Blue Underground which restores and re-releases popular and little seen cult movies and other grind house action, drama, and horror films.
BornFebruary 1, 1955
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BornFebruary 1, 1955
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Known for

Nora Arnezeder in Maniac (2012)
Maniac
6.1
  • Producer
  • 2012
Embeth Davidtz and Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness (1992)
Army of Darkness
7.4
  • Fake Shemp
  • 1992
Hot Honey
5.7
  • Producer(as Billy Bagg)
  • 1978
Liam Neeson in Darkman (1990)
Darkman
6.4
  • Dockworker #4
  • 1990

Credits

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IMDbPro

Producer

  • House Quake: Interview with Giorgio Mariuzzo
  • Urban Western
  • Blue Collar Death Wish
  • A Recollection with Anya Liffey and Alan Orsmby
  • Notes For A Homecoming: Interview with Composer Carl Zitter
  • Sharp as a Razor
  • Prisoner of Art
  • Three Shades of Asia
  • Stephen Thrower on 'Eugenie'
  • Beating A Dead Horse
  • Looking For Richard
  • The Story of the Stranger
  • Tony Lo Bianco in God Told Me to: Heaven & Hell on Earth - Interview with Tony Lo Bianco (2015)
    God Told Me to: Heaven & Hell on Earth - Interview with Tony Lo Bianco
  • Brooke Adams in Sole Survivor: Interview with Star Brooke Adams (2014)
    Sole Survivor: Interview with Star Brooke Adams
  • Notes for the Undead: Interview with Composer Richard Einhorn (2014)
    Notes for the Undead: Interview with Composer Richard Einhorn

Director

  • Conducting Dario Argento's 'Opera' (2001)
    Conducting Dario Argento's 'Opera'
  • Uncle Sam (1996)
    Uncle Sam
  • The Expert (1995)
    The Expert
    • (uncredited)
  • Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
    Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence
  • Robert Davi and Robert Z'Dar in Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
    Maniac Cop 2
  • Relentless (1989)
    Relentless
  • Hit List (1989)
    Hit List
  • Maniac Cop (1988)
    Maniac Cop
  • Vic Noto in Vigilante (1982)
    Vigilante
  • Maniac (1980)
    Maniac
    • (directed by)
  • Hot Honey
    • (as Billy Bagg)
  • The Violation of Claudia
    • (as Billy Bagg)

Actor

  • 222
    • Completed
  • Raven Van Slender Saves Christmas! (2023)
    Raven Van Slender Saves Christmas!
  • Creature Features (2016)
    Creature Features
  • Trepanator (1992)
    Trepanator
  • Embeth Davidtz and Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness (1992)
    Army of Darkness
  • Liam Neeson in Darkman (1990)
    Darkman
  • Relentless (1989)
    Relentless
  • Mel Harris and Cotter Smith in Cameron's Closet (1988)
    Cameron's Closet
    • (uncredited)
  • Maniac Cop (1988)
    Maniac Cop
  • Vic Noto in Vigilante (1982)
    Vigilante
    • (uncredited)
  • Maniac (1980)
    Maniac
    • (uncredited)

Videos1

American Grindhouse
Clip 3:26
American Grindhouse

Personal details

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    • February 1, 1955
    • The Bronx, New York, USA
  • Other works
    Directed hardcore porn films in the 1970s under the name Billy Bagg, including the successful "Violation of Claudia".
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Interviews

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Nephew of boxer Jake LaMotta.
  • Quotes
    [on the appeal of his movies] When I was in New York and I had my office on Broadway, before Federal Express and fax machines, there used to be things called messengers and they used to come up to my office and see the posters for Maniac (1980) and Vigilante (1982), That was my audience. They used to go crazy over those movies. So that's what I always say to myself--that's my audience. I'm making movies for the dishwasher, the messengers, that's who I'm making movies for. People who would appreciate them. I'm making a six-pack and a joint for a Saturday night.

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