American International College communication/film professor Marty Langford’s documentary “DOOMED!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four” is set to be screened here at AIC on Friday, September 25th at 7:00 PM.

Langford, simply referred to as “Marty” by his students and peers, is excited to screen the film in his hometown after successful screenings at The SAG Foundation in Los Angeles, the San Diego Comic Con, and The Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif.

“It’s just so gratifying that my friends, family and students will be able to see the movie on the big screen,” said Langford. “Every other screening has been on the west coast or otherwise out of town. I love that Springfield will get a chance to screen it.”

The screening at AIC is definitely important to Langford, but his film was also a hit when it was being shown on the west coast.

“We’ve had such great success in all of our previous screenings,” Langford said. “The San Diego Comic Con was certainly the highest profile, but the show at the Aero Theater was probably the most satisfying. It was a paid audience who really went nuts for the film. And the panel discussion with over 10 of the original film’s cast and crew was terrific.”

According to Langford, the documentary sheds new light on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the legendary cult classic and “lost” Roger Corman film, “The Fantastic Four.”

In 1994, Roger Corman was tapped to produce this Marvel superhero story on a very small film budget. The film was ultimately shelved prior to distribution, but a VHS copy was mysteriously leaked and the movie became a darling of film bootleggers and, more recently, web pirates.  Rumors and speculation surrounding the production have become as much a part of the lore of the film as the movie itself.

While his documentary is sure to have a cult following, Langford hopes his audience extends beyond what he calls the “comic book fan-boy crowd.”

“It’s really a David and Goliath story… The sweating, bleeding artists versus the corporate shills whose only interest is the bottom line,” Langford explains. “I think the documentary gives the cast and crew some validation.”

Langford refutes the notion that most people figured “The Fantastic Four” went unreleased just because it was a bad movie.

“That’s not the reason at all. We reveal the legal and financial motives behind the shelving, and it’s a compelling story.”

Members of the AIC community can catch the screening of “DOOMED!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four” in the Griswold Theater on the 25th. After the screening, Langford will be available for a Q&A session moderated by Adam Moreau, a local writer/personality. Moreau contributes to the globally-known website, “The Geek League of America” (www.geekleagueofamerica.com) and can be heard on WHYN 560 AM in Springfield.

If you can’t make it to the screening, check out www.doomedthemovie.com, where you can read all about Langford’s film and pre-order the documentary for $14.00.