Our next scheduled Weird Watch Party on Amazon Prime will go down this upcoming Halloween Night (Oct. 31) at 10:15 PM.
As always, we’ll be looking for five movie screening nominations from people who plan to attend (for both or either session). After we get the minimum five nominations and likely attendees, we’ll put up a poll. Management will break any ties.
Amazon Prime’s catalog of movies is larger (and less exclusive) than Netflix’s. Ed Dykhuizen’s availability spreadsheet is a good resource to check for Canonically Weird movies (look for ones marked “free w/ Prime” in the “Amazon” column). Or, do your own research and come up with a title from Amazon. Eligible movies will have a “watch party” button on their Amazon page. You must be a Prime subscriber; you don’t have to download an extension or additional software.
We will not provide tech support; you’re on your own. Help each other.
When the party is set to begin we’ll announce it in three places:
On this site (if you’ve signed up for regular email alerts via the sidebar you’ll also get a notice that way)
As the title states, Netflix Watch Party #19—We Have Always Lived in the Castle—starts in fifteen minutes.
Please install the Netflix Party extension (now officially called “teleparty”) if you haven’t already. You must have a U.S. Nextflix account and a Chrome-based browser to participate.
There will be no pausing or rewinding except for technical reasons.
We are offering no technical support, so help each other out if needed.
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):
The Memory Game (2020?): Charlie Kaufman will adapt Yōko Ogawa’s 1994 dystopian/surreal science fiction novel “The Memory Police,” about a secret force that ensures what has been erased from the world remains forgotten. Amazon Studios will produce and Reed Morano (TV’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”) will direct. Deadline broke the news.
IN DEVELOPMENT (completed):
Jiu Jitsu (Nov. 2020): Since there aren’t a lot of weird new releases to report on this week, we’re sharing this trailer of the latest bit of nonsense from 366-icon Nicolas Cage. This one casts him in what appears to be the role of a mystical jiu jitsu teacher lecturing a group of five jiu jitsu chosen ones about how to defeat an alien jiu jitsu master (who’s apparently also “a poet warrior in the sci-fi sense”). No official site found, but The Hollywood Reporter analyzed the trailer.
DVR ALERT (Turner Classic Movies, 10/16):
TCM’s October horror features two Canonically Weird films today: the spooky Carnival of Soulsat 12:15 PM ET (that’s just an hour away!) and the deranged Spider Baby at 4:45. We’ll keep you up to date on the weirdest of the weird on TCM this month, but you can also check out Watching Forever’s handy October TCM schedule.
ONLINE DEBUTS:
“The World of Tomorrow Episode 3: The Absent Destinations of David Prime”: Don Hertzfeldt springs the third installment of his melancholy, comic philosophical stick-figure sci-fi cartoon on the world. It’s a hearty 30 minutes long and only available on Vimeo at the moment. Fans of the series will want to check it out, but a minor caution: precocious moppet Winona Mae appears to have outgrown the series, and it’s heading in different directions. Hertzfeld has neither confirmed nor ruled out plans for an Episode 4. Rent “The World of Tomorrow Episode 3: The Absent Destinations of David Prime.”
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Motel Hell (1980): “It takes all kind of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters!” This cult cannibal comedy has been released on Blu-ray before; this is a collectible steelbook with new cover artwork featuring the chainsaw-wielding pig-man. Buy Motel Hell.
Theaters are cautiously starting to reopen across North America at diminished capacity, and we’re seeing a trickle of new screenings. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether it’s safe to go to movie theaters at this time (if in doubt, try a drive-in!)
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Reminder: tomorrow we’ll be meeting up virtually on Netflix to watch Crispin Glover in the 2018 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. As usual, we’ll post the link to join around 10 PM here, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Please join us! If you can’t make it tomorrow, our next weird watch party will be held on Amazon Prime and will occur on Halloween night.
As for next week’s reviews, Gregory J. Smalley will cover a couple of new releases in the Turkish dystopian horror The Antenna and Justin Benson andAaron Moorhead‘s latest, the sci-fi oriented Synchronic. Giles Edwards, meanwhile, digs into the long-neglected reader-suggested review queue fora look at (and listen to) Peter Strickland‘s 2012 breakthrough horror film, Berberian Sound Studio. Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
IN DEVELOPMENT (content wanted):
“Untitled Joe Badon project”: Reposting this content request word-for-word: “I’m putting together a new No-Budget Feature Film that’ll be an anthology film of lots of weird shit. If y’all have any weird shorts, music videos, fake commercials, cartoons, claymations, fake trailers, really anything weird that you’d like to possibly be in the film then email me: Sonburnt77 [at] gmail [dot] com.
I can’t guarantee that what you send me will make it in the film but I’ll definitely try to fit in as much as I can! Also, we probably won’t use the entirety of whatever you send me (so keep that in mind)! Most of the videos will be chopped up in the editing room. Basically, if you’ve made weird shit in the past and you’re not doing anything with it then I’d love to possibly use it! Lastly, there is no upfront payments for this (since this is basically a no budget deal) but I’ll definitely negotiate a backend deal with whatever I use from anyone! Thanks so much! Love y’all!”
The Deeper You Dig (2019): Read Giles Edwards’ review. This family-affair ghost story (made by a husband/wife/daughter filmmaking team) isn’t exceptionally weird, but is a bit uncanny and makes for a chilly Halloween-season watch. Previously released on DVD or VOD, now on Blu-ray. Buy The Deeper You Dig.
Teknolust (2002):Tilda Swinton plays a scientist and the three cyborg clones she creates, who need to seduce men to acquire Y-chromosomes. In our review queue, and now on Blu-ray for what we believe is the first time ever. Buy Teknolust.
Theaters are cautiously starting to reopen across North America at diminished capacity, and we’re seeing a trickle of new screenings. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether it’s safe to go to movie theaters at this time.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Our October 17 Weird Netflix Party is set and scheduled. We’ll be screening the Shirley Jackson adaptation We Have Always Lived in the Castle (featuring Crispin Glover!) Mark the date!
As for next week’s reviews, Giles Edwards is ready with Miguel Llansó‘s 2015 debut Crumbs , in which a post-apocalyptic Ethiopian dwarf sets out to find Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Gregory J. Smalley is planning on taking a look at China’s Suburban Birds (2018), and is still mulling over more review options, some of which include Tammy and/or a T-Rex. Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
Possessor (2020): Eight years after his weird debut Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg is back with another feature, this one about future assassins who possess the bodies of innocents to carry out their kills. Visuals look impressive; whether it’s otherwise weird is yet to be determined. Possessor official site.
STREAMING SERVICES:
We’re going to mention two niche streaming services—one new, one older—that have some weird movie content coming online this month. The newer and more exclusive of the two is ARROW (the service’s official name) from Arrow Video (naturally). It looks like the available content will rotate (like the Criterion Channel), but October features a number of films you may be interested in: canonically weird titles Audition and Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a good number of gialli, Re-Animator, The Wizard of Gore,The Deeper You Dig, The Baby, and Miguel Llansó‘s debut, Crumbs. You’ll also have access to select special features and extras that show up on their home video releases. They offer a free 30 day trial, and require $4.99/month or $49.99/year afterwards.
Meanwhile, Midnight Pulp is a multi-platform service that’s been around for a couple years (slogan: “streaming all things strange”). They’re celebrating Halloween with subgenre-themed horror weeks: October 2-8 is Asian horror, highlighted (again) by Audition. There’s a lot of crossover with ARROW’s current catalog, though they have deals with many other indie distributors like Cult Epics, Severin, and Artsploitation. Some of the content is free and ad-supported; premium subscribers to the PULP+ service ($4.99/month after a 30-day free trial) have more options and an ad-free experience. Some titles of interest include the canonically weird title Gozu, Rampo Noir, and Bad Taste (free), plus oddities like Society, Putney Swope, and Vanishing Waves (premium only).
The Dead Ones (2019): Four students are punished by being forced to clean up their trashed high school, but find themselves locked inside and hunted by armed gunmen. From the mind that brought you the supremely confusing The Attic Expeditions. DVD, Blu-ray or VOD. Buy The Dead Ones.
“Focus Features 10-Movie Spotlight Collection”: A ten-movie bargain bundle highlighted by (for our purposes) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), with nine B-features including Lost in Translation, Pride & Prejudice, Brokeback Mountain, Atonement, Burn After Reading, Moonrise Kingdom, The Theory of Everything , On the Basis of Sex, and Harriet. Blu-ray only. Buy “Focus Features 10-Movie Spotlight Collection”.
“Galaxy Express 999, Collection 3” (1980-1981): The conclusion of the Japanese anime series about a 10-year old orphan traveling on the galactic railway in a quest for mechanical immortality. It’s got a link to a reader-suggested movie, since someone recommended Galaxy Express 999 (1979), which is a condensed version of Season 1. Collection 1 was released in 2019 and Collection 2 in July. Blu-ray only. Buy “Galaxy Express 999, Collection 3”.
“Universal 10-Film Sci-Fi Collection”: Another bundle including a single weird outlier, Twelve Monkeys (1995); you also get Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lucy, Oblivion, Pacific Rim Uprising, Pitch Black, Repo Men, Serenity, Seventh Son and Waterworld as bonus features. Your choice of DVD or Blu-ray. Buy “Universal 10-Film Sci-Fi Collection”.
Wicked City (1987): A secret agent tries to protect the fragile peace treaty between humans and demons from a plot that would destroy it. We reviewed the live-action adaptation of this anime years ago; this is the better-received anime’s first Blu-ray release. Buy Wicked City.
Independent theaters are cautiously starting to reopen across North America at diminished capacity, and we’re seeing a trickle of new screenings. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether it’s safe to go to movie theaters at this time.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Our poll is set for our next Weird Netflix Watch Party, scheduled for October 17 (vote here). Next week’s reviews will include Giles Edwards gamely enduring Yorgos Lanthimos‘ early experimental piece, Kinetta (2005), while Gregory J. Smalley looks at the teens-in-peril horror The Dead Ones (2002) (see this week’s home video releases). And you’ll be happy to know we’re working hard behind the scenes on the 2020 Yearbook, with every intention of getting it out in early December, just like we managed to do last year! Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
Here’s the poll to vote for our October weird Netflix watch party, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10:15 PM ET. If you plan on virtually attending, please vote for the movie we’ll be watching below. We’ll screen the two movies that get the most votes. Your host, Gregory J. Smalley, will personally break any ties. Note that unlike our other polls, you can only vote once. Poll closes at midnight ET on Thursday, October 8. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).
We’re still experimenting with formats for our Weird Watch Parties. This month, we’ll be offering two Weird Watch Parties, one on Netflix on October 17 at 10:15 PM ET, and one on Amazon Prime on October 31 (Halloween!) at 10:15 PM EST. This will allow us to take a more leisurely approach to the nomination process and hopefully build up antici…. pation.
As always, we’ll be looking for a minimum of five movie screening nominations from people who plan to attend. After we get the minimum five nominations and likely attendees, we’ll put up a poll. We’re hoping that the extra lead time will allow us to announce our choice a week ahead of the screening time.
,” about a secret force that ensures what has been erased from the world remains forgotten. Amazon Studios will produce and Reed Morano (TV’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”) will direct. 
.