‘Just Before Dawn’ Producer Prevails in Cult Horror Courtroom Drama

A Florida jury has found DVD distributor David DeFalco infringed Vlado Hreljanovic’s copyright in the 1981 horror film *Just Before Dawn*. Hreljanovic, who produced the film with his father, sued after discovering it was streaming and being sold on DVD after an earlier licensing agreement had expired.

The dispute centred on whether DeFalco had authority to license the film through a former business partner, Bill Olsen. Hreljanovic had granted Olsen a six-year licence that ended in 2018; DeFalco said Olsen later gave him the title and permission to license it to Shudder. Most other defendants, including AMC Networks and retailers, settled out of court, while DeFalco continued to trial. A six-person jury ruled against him on 20 October.