A desperate young man strikes a dark deal, unknowingly offering up his mother as a subject for the twisted experiments of a morally ambiguous physician who is seeking to reverse the aging process in A Blind Bargain.
In limited theatrical release, the film opens in New York City theaters April 24 and Los Angeles theaters May 8, with more dates/cities to be announced.
From visionary writer-producer-director Paul Bunnell (The Ghastly Love of Johnny X) and starring cult icon Crispin Glover (No! You’re Wrong, Willard), A Blind Bargain was shot on Kodak film and is a stylized time capsule set in 1970—an evocative throwback that will captivate cinephiles, fans of classic suspense and lovers of offbeat cinema.
Also starring Jake Horowitz (Bones and All), Lucy Loken (Teen Wolf), Annalisa Cochrane (Cobra Kai, One of Us is Lying), Amy Wright (Breaking Away, The Amityville Horror, The Deer Hunter), Sean Whalen (Never Been Kissed, Twister, That Thing You Do), Jed Rowen (Pretty Boy, Blind, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X) and Rob Mayes (Mistresses, The Client List, John Dies at the End) as “Vincent.”
This heart-pounding psychological thriller resurrects and reimagines the long-lost 1922 silent horror classic A Blind Bargain, which originally showcased legendary chameleon Lon Chaney in a remarkable dual role that became one of his most talked-about performances. Deemed too amoral and unsettling for its time, the film faced heavy censorship, with its premiere delayed by extensive rewrites and cuts—yet it ultimately emerged as both a critical triumph and a box-office success.
Today, it stands as one of the most coveted lost works of Chaney’s career—a holy grail title for film preservationists and Chaney historians—with only a few theatrical lobby cards and photos known to survive as evidence of its existence.
Tagline: Every Bargain Has Its Price …
Full Synopsis:
Home from the Vietnam war, struggling with addiction and living with his mother, Dominic Fontaine (Horowitz) has already hit rock bottom when mom (Wright) delivers an ultimatum.
Desperate to settle a dangerous debt with a volatile drug dealer (Mayes), Dominic accepts an unexpected offer from a charming, young nurse at his clinic. The deal seems simple—and lucrative—but comes with a hidden cost. Without fully understanding the consequences, Dominic signs his mother up as a patient of the enigmatic Dr. Gruder (Glover), a morally ambiguous physician whose radical research is seeking to reverse the aging process.
At first, the arrangement seems promising—his mother thrives and he sets aside his nagging guilt. However, he soon realizes that he failed to read the fine print and that every bargain has a price—Things at the Gruder Institute are far more sinister than he ever imagined …
Reimagining the lost 1922 Lon Chaney silent film of the same name, a stylized throwback to 1970, A Blind Bargain is an evocative psychological thriller that will captivate cinephiles, fans of classic suspense and lovers of offbeat cinema.
Short Synopsis:
Reimagining the lost 1922 Lon Chaney silent film of the same name, a desperate young man strikes a dark deal with an unhinged doctor, unknowingly offering up his mother as a subject for the twisted experiments of a morally ambiguous physician seeking to reverse the aging process. However, he soon realizes that he failed to read the fine print and that every bargain has a price. Things at the Gruder Institute are far more sinister than he ever imagined in this evocative psychological thriller—a stylized throwback to 1970.
John E. Falotico presents A Blind Bargain, a Paul Bunnell film, starring Crispin Glover, Jake Horowitz, Lucy Loken, Annalisa Cochrane, Amy Wright, Sean Whalen, Jed Rowen and Rob Mayes as “Vincent.” Directed by Paul Bunnell, the screenplay was written by John E. Falotico and Paul Bunnell from a story by Bing Bailey. Producers are Paul Bunnell and Bing Bailey. Co-Producer is John Duffy. Executive Producer is John E. Falotico. Director of Photography was Francisco Bulgarelli. Production Designer was Frida Oliva. Costume Design by Anita Rinaldi-Harnden. Music by Ego Plum.
Winner of “Best Feature Film” at the 2025 HPLovecraft Film Festival and an Official Selection of Fright Fest 2025.
VISIT US ONLINE: https://www.ablindbargainmovie.com
A Blind Bargain
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Cult
Not Rated
Production Year: 2025
Language: English
Production Country: U.S.
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital 7.1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
