Okay so if you know me you know I will never shut up about physical media and theatrical restorations. It's like the one thing I'll get on a soapbox about. And today's reason is Der Fan, Eckhart Schmidt's 1982 German cult horror thing that most people haven't heard of but the ones who have are EXTREMELY loud about it.

Fun City is bringing a restored version to Metrograph starting August 28, which is like... weeks away. The [trailer just dropped](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/movies/der-fan-trailer-1982-german-cult-horror-movie-restored/ar-AA29jFHD?ocid=BingNewsVerp) and it looks gorgeous in that grimy, atmospheric, early-80s European way that you just cannot replicate.

If you haven't seen Der Fan, it's basically about a teenage girl who becomes obsessed with a pop singer, and then things go to a very dark and weird place. It's been described as a horror film, a psychological study, a critique of celebrity worship, and it's kind of all of those at once. What makes it special though is the synth-pop soundtrack by Rheingold, which is so woven into the movie that it basically functions as another character. The music is hypnotic and eerie and it pulls you into this teenager's fixation in a way that feels uncomfortably real.

The movie has been hard to find in decent quality for years. Like, we're talking bootleg DVDs and sketchy uploads. A proper restoration is a big deal for the people who've been waiting, and also just for anyone who cares about preserving weird, singular films that don't fit neatly into any category.

Metrograph programming Fun City stuff is always a good sign too. They have a specific eye for cult and underground cinema, so if they're putting their weight behind this restoration, there's a reason.

I keep thinking about how celebrity obsession in 1982 looks almost quaint compared to what we have now with parasocial relationships being basically the default mode of fandom. But Der Fan was ahead of its time in a way that probably felt insane to audiences back then. Watching it now must hit different.

August 28 at Metrograph. If you're in New York, go. The communal energy of watching something like this with a room full of people who GET it is what matters. You can't stream that.