In the 1990 sci-fi/horror film "Flatliners," five medical school students — fascinated by so-called "near-death" experiences — take turns inducing clinical death in one another. After brief tastes of the afterlife, each is brought back via emergency room/code blue procedures. But the results are disturbingly compelling. After the first volunteer is dead for one minute, the next goes for two — and on and on, in increasingly protracted lengths.

None of them, though, was dead for 27 years. In an amazing feat of resuscitation, a new version of "Flatliners" — part remake, part sequel — hits theaters today.

To be accurate, the first "Flatliners" has never been dead. With a (literally) killer premise, renowned director Joel Schumacher and a cast of A-list Brat Packers including Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon, it's enjoyed an enduring reputation as a cult favorite.

But the new version is fun and flattering news for Mystic native Peter Filardi, who happens to be the guy who conceived and wrote the visionary script for the original movie. While he wasn't involved in making the latest "Flatliners" — directed by Niels Arden Oplev and starring Ellen Page, Diego Luna, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons, Nina Dobrev and, in a years-later continuance of his original part, Sutherland — Filardi is delighted about the remake on several levels.

Calling from Los Angeles, where he and his wife and two daughters were scheduled to attend the new "Flatliners" premiere Wednesday, Filardi says, "I'm honestly flattered that the story is still considered engaging — or engaging enough to be remade after 27 years. It's survived, and so much of pop culture does not. I'm eager to see this reinterpretation. It has a great cast, and Oplev, who directed 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' has that left-of-center quality you see in many European directors. It's something I admire very much."

The soft-spoken and self-deprecating writer, who graduated from Fitch High School and, after years living in SoCal, recently moved back to Connecticut where he lives with his family in Guilford, says he'd been aware of the possibility of a new "Flatliners" for a while, though his permission or approval wasn't sought or required.

"When you sell a script to a studio, they own all the rights to do with the property what they see fit in the future," Filardi says. "You're financially included in the new project, but they don't have to clear anything in terms of the creative. I knew it was in the works for a few years because, as the creator, I was getting drafts of the new script through the Writers Guild."

If such things are standard procedure in Hollywood, it's also true that such situations can be uncomfortable or even contentious. Filardi says this wasn't remotely the case.

"I looked at the story, and it was similar enough in terms of the dynamics and theme and major plot points, so that was good. And I met with Ben Ripley, a talented young screenwriter who wrote this version. We had lunch and hit it off really well. We both agreed on the credits" — it will read "story by Peter Filardi and screenplay by Ben Ripley — "and it didn't have to go to mediation, which is very rare and something I really appreciate."

Naturally, Filardi feels proprietary about "Flatliners." He says, "It was a spec script not based on existing material or a book. It was a child of my imagination, and it launched my career, so I feel very connected to 'Flatliners.' In many ways, I'm defined by it, career-wise and genre-wise, and I think it's maybe the best example of what my strengths are."

In that context, maybe the most obvious thing about the remake is that it reinforces what an incredibly original idea "Flatliners" was. Was Filardi aware of that?

"You know, I have to say, I knew the idea — exploring the final frontier — was pretty great," Filardi says. He takes a deep breath, as though a larger supply of oxygen is required if he's going to make a positive self-assessment. "Space was no longer the final frontier; that had been thoroughly mapped out by George Lucas. The West had been done; underwater had been done.

"Maybe I was listening to too much Jim Morrison, but I wanted to know: what happens when you die? I have a friend who'd recently had a routine surgery — and he died on the operating table for about 30 seconds before they brought him back. And of course, when we knew he was going to be okay, I asked if he'd seen anything. He did not.

"I thought about that a lot. You know, religion and philosophy require that you make a leap of faith because no one has the answer. And in my youthful arrogance, I thought I'd just explore the idea of being able to go there and come back with all the marbles. It was exhilarating."

Once Filardi had that lightning-bolt premise, he came up with the necessary plot complications, and the script came quickly.

Filardi has had and continues to enjoy a solid career in Hollywood. He also conceived and wrote "The Craft"; did the teleplay for Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" with Rob Lowe; wrote and directed "Ricky 6"; has adapted books by Clive Barker and Whitley Strieber for TNT; and, in 2015, sold a spec script called "Magicus" to Dreamworks.

The attention resulting from the new "Flatliners" doesn't hurt. While the visit to L.A. for the premiere is certainly celebratory, he says, "As long as I'm out here, I'm making the rounds pitching TV series ideas and trying to use the energy of this remake." He laughs. "This has certainly helped get in the door."

Filardi will return to Connecticut — which his family loves, he says — and will feed off the energy of the "Flatliners" experience.

"You don't need a lot to keep going as a writer," he says. "It's a daily challenge to sit down and tell yourself that what you're doing is worthwhile — or fool yourself that what you're doing is worthwhile.

"So to have any fan or fans of any project is so much appreciated. That's certainly the case with 'Flatliners.' I understand that fans maybe focus on Joel's amazing visuals or those young actors who were in the early stages of what mostly became big careers. If I had a good idea for a story, I share that in a big way with everyone involved. And I hope the new 'Flatliners' does the same thing for its fans."