Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Hectic Knife (2016): A knife wielding vigilante defends the city from a supervillain named “Piggly Doctor” in this black-and-white bad taste comedy that was picked up (though not produced) by Troma. The trailer (available at the link below) is loaded with violence and f-bombs. Hectic Knife official site.
SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, July 29-Aug 2):
Fantastic Planet (1973) & Possession (1981): Read the Certified Weird entry for Fantastic Planet and Pamela de Graff’s controversial Possession review. The illustrious Cinefamily keeps busy again with screenings of two weird European classics, both presented in new restorations, throughout the weekend and the early part of next week. Possession plays every day until Aug 2nd, but your only remaining chances to catch Planet are next Monday and Wednesday. Check the Cinefamily calendar for convenient screening times.
SCREENINGS – (New York City, Lincoln Center, July 30-Aug 4):
On the Silver Globe (1988): A new restoration of Andrzej Zulawski‘s never-quite-completed visionary sci-fi epic. Prints of this will be touring (it’s also closing this year’s Fantasia Festival on Aug 3). We sense a DVD/Blu-ray will be coming down the pike sometime soon. On the Silver Globe at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
NEW ON DVD:
“Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection”: Japanese action/exploitation expert Chris D. called the first film in this women-in-prison series “psychedelic, erotic/grotesque madness” and the second “an absolutely phenomenal surrealist cum exploitation picture.” The original series included six films, so this four movie set—containing Scorpion, Jailhouse 41, Beast Stable and Grudge Song—is not technically “complete.” Buy “Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection” [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law (1977): The title character is murdered by a comedy duo, but the Devil offers him a second chance for life on Earth if only he will marry the Evil One’s stunningly ugly daughter. Rudy Ray (Dolemite) Moore’s bizarre 70s pictures mixed blaxploitation, kung fu, his standup comedy routine, and early freestyle rap; some say this supernatural effort is the wildest of them all. Buy Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
Sexsquatch 2: Teen Ape vs. Sexsquatch (2016): In a matchup that trumps Alien v. Predator for weirdness, Teen Ape and Sexsquatch face off in a battle of microbudget comedy franchises. We can’t promise you’ll get the continuity if you’ve never seen the original Sexsquatch or any of the Teen Ape movies, but for some reason we suspect it won’t matter much. Buy Sexsquatch 2: Teen Ape vs. Sexsquatch
Tricked (2012): A business tycoon is blackmailed, and lots and lots of secrets emerge. What’s weird about this short (under an hour) Dutch black comedy is its origin: Paul Verhoeven shot the first five-minute scene, then posted it on the Internet and asked users to come up with the rest of the story, sort of like a crowd-sourced game of Exquisite Corpse. Buy Tricked
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
“Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection”: See description in DVD above. The set contains eight discs, presumably four DVDs and four Blu-rays. Buy “Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection” [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
“Killer Thrillers Collection”: Read Pamela de Graff’s review of Baba Yaga. The other two (less weird) gialli on this three Blu set are Night Train Murders and the shamelessly-titled Strip Nude for Your Killer. Buy “Killer Thrillers Collection” [Blu-ray]
Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law (1977): See description in DVD above. This Vinegar Syndrome release includes a commentary track (though not with Moore, who died in 2008), a documentary, and trailers for the Dolemite pictures. Buy Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.