Completed in 1978 but never theatrically released, The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover casts Broderick Crawford as the jowly Hoover in what might be the first-ever history lesson as horror film. Panned by Variety as “cheap, lurid sensationalism,” Cohen's FBI flogger is that and more, a scandalous but politically astute exposé made without the de rigueur endorsement of the Bureau. Playing a disgruntled agent, Rip Torn narrates this tabloid-like testament to Hoover's rise from ungainly gangbuster to anti-Communist bulldog, pushing aside politicians and presidents alike in his wiggy witchhunts. Director Cohen reifies rumor by pulling back the sheets on Hoover's strange sexual proclivities.

UPDATE: The only 35mm print we have been able to locate was discovered to have severe vinegar syndrome and has been destroyed. We will be screening a digital version of the film instead. As a special treat, we will screen a prerecorded Skype interview with director Larry Cohen following the film.