Andrew W. Garroni

Last updated
Andrew W. Garroni
Occupation Film producer
Employer(s)Magnum Motion Pictures
Axis Films International
Known for Maniac
Spouse
Catherine R. Gambino
(m. 1983)

Andrew W. Garroni is an American film producer. After becoming known for producing the 1980 slasher film Maniac , Garroni became a partner in Magnum Motion Pictures. He subsequently established Axis Films International in Los Angeles, [1] which primarily produced erotic thrillers by directors like Gregory Dark.

Contents

Career

Garroni co-produced the 1980 psychological slasher film Maniac , directed by fellow New Yorker William Lustig and starring and co-written by Joe Spinell. Financed in part by Lustig's pornographic film profits and filmed between 1979 and 1980, [2] Maniac premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. [3] It also developed a cult following and an infamous international reputation, leading to seizures of film copies in a number of countries. [4] [5] Garroni would later go on to serve as an executive producer on the film's 2012 remake, [6] which was directed by Franck Khalfoun and starred Elijah Wood. [7] [8]

Having founded Axis International Pictures, an independent film studio, Garroni became known for producing direct-to-video erotic thriller films. Many of these were directed by Gregory Dark, including Secret Games (1992), [9] [10] Animal Instincts (1992), [11] Body of Influence (1993), [12] [13] all of which were adapted into successful film series. He also worked in other genres, as shown by the 1993 comedy film Buford's Beach Bunnies . [14]

Controversy

In 2007, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Garroni, along with multiple companies controlled by Garroni and his business associates, for allegedly engaging in "a nationwide scheme to use deception and coercion to extract payments from consumers," which involved offering users a free trial of software for downloading video content and then, after the end of the trial period, displaying pop-up messages demanding payment that "[took] up much of the computer screen, obstruct[ed] consumers from working in other windows, and lack[ed] any obvious way to permit consumers to minimize or close [them]." [15] Garroni and his associates eventually reached a settlement with the FTC, agreeing to pay over $500,000 and being banned from installing software on consumers' devices without their consent; a similar lawsuit brought against Garroni and his associates by the state of Washington was settled for $50,000, along with "provisions that limit their business practices." [15]

Personal life

Garroni has been married to Catherine R. Gambino since April 16, 1983. [16]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977The Violation of ClaudiaProduction Manageras Andrew Garroni
1978The SqueezeProduction Manageruncredited
1980 Inferno Production Manager
1980 Maniac Producer / Unit Production ManagerAlso makes an uncredited appearance as Jerry
1982 Vigilante Produceras Andrew Garroni
1987 I Love N.Y. (1987 film) Producer
1991 Carnal Crimes Producer
1992Mirror ImagesProducer
1992 Secret Games Producer
1992The Other WomanProducer
1992 Night Rhythms Produceras Andrew Garroni
1992 Animal Instincts Produceras Andrew Garroni
1992The Pamela PrincipleProduceras Andrew Garroni
1993 Body of Influence Producer
1993 Buford's Beach Bunnies Produceras Andrew Garroni
1993 Sins of the Night Producer
1993 Secret Games 2: The Escort Producer
1993 Mirror Images 2 Producer
1994The Other ManProducer
1994 Object of Obsession Producer
1994The Pamela Principle 2Producer
1994 Animal Instincts 2 Producer
1994 Secret Games 3 Producer
1994 Stranger by Night Producer
1995 The Expert Produceras Andrew Garroni
1995Undercover HeatProducer
1995 Friend of the Family Producer
1995Siren's KissProducer
1996 Animal Instincts 3 Producer
1996Body of Influence 2Producer
1998 Naked City: Justice with a Bullet Executive Producer
1998 Naked City: A Killer Christmas Executive Producer
2012 Maniac Executive Producer

References

  1. Williams, Linda Ruth. The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema. Indiana University Press. pp. 62–72.
  2. Kerekes, David (2002). Headpress: Journal of Sex, Religion, Death (#24–27). Headpress: 114. ISSN   1353-9760.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Maniac (1980)". American Film Institute Catalog. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. "New Maniac Poster Released". Daily Dead. February 7, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  5. Christopher, Neil. "Maniac". Hysteria Lives. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. "Andrew Garroni". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  7. "Maniac (2012) Movie | News, Reviews, Spoilers, Images, Trailers, and Video Clips @". Beyondhollywood.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  8. Buchanan, Jason. "Maniac". Allmovie. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  9. "Secret Games 1992 Directed by Gregory Dark". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  10. "Secret Games 1992 films". netflix.com. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  11. "Animal Instincts' Cast Members". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  12. "Body Of Influence movie". sky.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  13. "Body Of Influence (DVD)". tvguide.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  14. Kristie Hassen (2016). "Movie Reviews - The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  15. 1 2 Rodelo, Nicholas (2025-07-03). "Leaked Documents: Erotic Thriller Producer's Companies Gleaned Millions From Unusable Dating Websites". Drop Site News . Archived from the original on 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  16. "Catherine R. Gambino and Andrew Garroni Marry". The New York Times . April 17, 1983. Retrieved December 8, 2023.