The Sword and the Sorcerer: Promo for 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever!

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

I think it’s generally accepted nowadays that 1982 was perhaps the greatest year for geek cinema that ever was. Just think about all of the classics that came out: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Blade Runner, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Conan The Barbarian, and many, many more. Oddly, there’s never been a great in-depth examination of this year, until now with the legendary sci-fi chronicler Mark A. Altman (Sci-Fi Universe, Nobody Does it Better: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of James Bond), Roger Lay, Jr. Tom Vitale, and host Scott Mantz unveiling a feature-length doc – 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever!

The project, which is currently being funded through Kickstarter, will take a deep dive into the makings of all of those classics, and even some more obscure favorites, such as the infamous Megaforce and another hidden gem from that year, Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer.

Now, this movie is interesting. A low-budget Conan the Barbarian clone, this movie came out just a few weeks before that and grossed an amazing $39 million and only about $500k short of what Conan did. Insane, right? Yet, the film is often forgotten these days, so the good folks behind the project have sent us this exclusive promo clip digging into the history behind the film. Check it out!

If you want to contribute to this project hit them up on their Kickstarter! Here’s the official press release:

(HOLLYWOOD, CA) June 4, 2021. From award-winning producers Roger Lay, Jr. (Star Trek: The Roddenberry Vault, The Twilight Zone 60th: Remembering Rod Serling, Aliens Ate My Homework), Mark A. Altman (CW’s Pandora, The Librarians, author, St. Martin’s bestselling The Fifty-Year Mission books) and Thomas P. Vitale (Nextflix’s Slasher, Pandora) comes the ultimate look back at the greatest geek moviegoing year of all-time filled with exclusive interviews, rare behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive never-before-seen clips in a fun, lively, no holds barred celebration of the legendary moviegoing year of 1982.

1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! will take viewers behind-the-scenes at a time when fandom was in its infancy, featuring rare interviews with genre superstars from in front of and behind the camera of the biggest and most influential movies ever made. “1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! is not just a documentary,” says Scott Mantz, one of the film’s producers and a noted film critic and broadcast entertainment journalist. “It’s a time machine that takes viewers back to one of the greatest years of movies ever as we examine the biggest blockbusters as well as the cult classics that made it so unforgettable.”

Made by fans for fans, 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! will be a celebration of the single greatest geek moviegoing year ever including E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, John Carpenter’s The Thing. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, Creepshow, The Dark Crystal, Tron, Conan The Barbarian, Paul Schrader’s Cat People and George Miller’s The Road Warrior. In addition to honoring the classics, the film will also revisit such cult films asMegaforce, a megabomb starring Barry Bostwick (“the good guys always win… even in the 80’s”), Time Rider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann, The Sword & The Sorcerer, a low budget Conan cash-in, and Liquid Sky, a film about miniature aliens in New York who thrive on heroin and sex.

And, of course, 1982 also gave us what Entertainment Weekly later called the Citizen Kane of teensploitation films: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as action classics like First Blood, Rocky III and 48 Hours. In 1982, Gandhi prevailed at the Oscars and comedy classics such as My Favorite Year, Diner and Tootsie were culturally impactful. 1982 was also the year in which movies grew up and began to tentatively explore gay and trans themes in such films as Personal Best, Making Love and The World According To Garp.

On the 39th anniversary of the release of Star Trek II and Poltergeist on June 4th, 1982, the filmmakers are launching a Kickstarter to supplement the film’s production budget to allow for the additional licensing of clips, clearances and global travel in the age of COVID and will feature exhaustive one-on-one conversations with the biggest names in Hollywood — 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! will be filled with anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories of the classics from critics, super fans and a generation of filmmakers who were inspired by these movies.

The film will be completed this fall for a planned theatrical release in 2022, the 40th anniversary of the films of 1982.