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.
STREAMING (SHUDDER):
The Amusement Park (1973/2019): Read our review. George Romero‘s Lutheran-funded horror allegory about aging will stream exclusively on Shudder.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Zeroville (2015): An idiot-savant with a tattoo of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on the back of his head goes to Hollywood and makes movies. This James Franco experiment (with a pretty weird-looking trailer) was finished in 2015, but the distributor went bankrupt, and then sexual misconduct allegations about the director/star started bubbling up; only now has a new distributor been brave enough to take it on. DVD and Blu-ray only. Buy Zeroville.
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. We will, however, continue to mention exceptional screenings in this space. In fact, we have one to highlight this week:
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: The poll for our June 19 Amazon Weird Watch Party is now up. If you plan to attend you have until this Sunday to make your voice heard.
Here’s the poll to vote in June’s Amazon Prime Weird Watch Party, which will start on Saturday, June 19 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 movie 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 Sunday, June 13. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).
Our next Weird Watch Party on Amazon Prime is scheduled for June 19 at 10:15 PM.
As always, we’ll be looking for RSVPs from people who plan to attend. You are free to nominate a movie to watch, but it’s no longer a requirement: if everyone is happy with the same movie choice, or with the choice between two or three, that will do. After we get the minimum five likely attendees, we’ll put up a poll (assuming we have multiple nominees). Management will break any ties. We’re open to suggestions for different starting times, dates, or methods of propagating the watch link.
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.
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)
May’s Netflix Watch Party—Synchronic (2018)—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.
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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
The Carnivores: A lesbian couple’s marriage is tested when Alice becomes jealous of Bret’s relationship with their dying dog. That synopisis sounds like it could make for a dry indie drama, but the trailer promises something much darker and weirder. Limited theatrical release; also simultaneously on VOD. The Carnivores official site.
DVR ALERT (Turner Classic Movies, 6/7, 2:00 AM ET):
Dementia Part II (2018): This non-sequel tribute to Dementia is a black and white indie horror about an ex-con who takes a job as handyman for a demented old woman. Supposedly set to debut June 1, we discovered it’s already available for rental via Vudu and Itunes. We’ll let you know if it turns up elsewhere.
Honeydew (2020): Read our review. Uneven spooky-old-woman-in-farmhouse horror with some weird segments in the middle. VOD only. Buy or rent Honeydew.
This section is starting to fill out, as more and more theaters come back online. We’ve also started tracking several new venues. That said, unless there is a big outcry, we’re strongly considering removing this section as a regular weekly feature (we’ll still highlight major events, and come up with an alternative for readers to track their local theaters). Tracking these movies has been fun, and suggests a wider community of weird film lovers and promoters; but it’s time-consuming, and we’re skeptical about its utility for the average reader. But do let us know if you like the feature, maybe we could be talked out of it.
Cube (1997): Read the canonically weird entry! It seems like we’ve been here before: this existential sci-fi thriller was listed on Tubi’s “leaving soon” list before, and now it is once again. At any rate, you can catch it for free (again) for a limited. Watch Cube free on Tubi.tv.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Join us tomorrow night for June’s Weird Netflix Party, Synchronic (2018) (an upset winner over heavily favored Jiu Jitsu), screening at 10:15 PM ET. The link to join will appear here, on Facebook, or on Twitter around 10 PM ET.
In upcoming reviews, next week Giles Edwards clocks in with the vampire opus Ten Minutes to Midnight (2020), while Gregory J. Smalley gazes aghast at the “homemade horror” of Winterbeast (1991). 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 June’s Netflix Weird Watch Party, which will start on Saturday, June 5 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 movie 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 Tuesday, June 1. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).
Evil Dead Rise (202?): After a failed reboot and a more successful TV spinoff, the deadites will be taking another trip to the big screen, this time in an urban setting with two female leads. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell return, but only as producers; writing and directing duties will be covered by sophomore director Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground). We’re not too hopefully for this one, as the Evil Dead series’ weirdness has typically been marginal, and reversion towards the conventional zombie mean seems like the safest bet. But it is something to keep an eye on. Read the press release at Fangoria.
IN DEVELOPMENT (in production):
“The Sandman” (202?): Netflix plans to turn Neil Gaiman‘s DC comics series about an “Endless” named Dream who enters the modern world after having been imprisoned for eons by a spell and deals with other pseudo-deities like Despair, Desire, Death, etc. and into a limited series. If it stays true to the original, it should have weird parts, while still remaining accessible to mainstream fantasy viewers. The ensemble appears to be complete, with David Thewlis, Patton Oswalt and Stephen Fry joining a large cast of fresh faces. Several episodes are already in the can, so there shouldn’t be too much longer to wait on this one. More info and complete cast at Gizmodo.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
12 Monkeys [Twelve Monkeys] (1995): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Own Terry Gilliam‘s tight time-travel fantasia in a limited-edition steelbook, with an exclusive booklet and other (previously issued) extra features. Buy 12 Monkeys.
“Altered Innocence Vol. 1”: An anthology of short films from LGBT-themed distributor Altered Innocence. Some are just music videos, while others are described as “surreal”: notable contributors include Yann Gonzalez, Bertrand Mandico, and Peter Strickland. Blu-ray, DVD or VOD. Buy “Altered Innocence: Vol. 1”.
The Birds (1963): Read our review. Hitchcock‘s enigmatic fable about killer birds has been re-released many times; this version includes a 4K disc, a Blu-ray, and a digital copy, along with the numerous extras to be found on Universal’s previous reissues. Buy The Birds.
Don’t Look Now (1973): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Looks like the rights to Nicolas Roeg‘s guilt-and-grief-ridden pseudo-giallo have reverted from Criterion back to Paramount. All the special features stay with the Collection, but at least this Blu-ray will be much cheaper, if you only want the movie. Buy Don’t Look Now.
The City of Lost Children (1995): Read the canonically weird entry! A mad scientist steals children’s dreams in a steampunk city, and that’s just the start of the weirdness going on in this undefinable, baroque French fantasy. Now listed as “leaving soon.” Watch The City of Lost Children on Tubi.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: First off, we’re still looking for one more RSVP and preferably two more screening suggestions for June 5th’s Weird Netflix Watch Party. Pitch in here.
And speaking of Netflix, next week Giles Edwards will be reviewing Super Me, a Chinese dream thriller screening exclusively on that platform. Gregory J. Smalley will also contribute a review, but he’s not yet ready to announce precisely what (he’s waiting to hear back about a screener offer for a new release).
And as these words go to press, we’re happy to announce that 99.5% of the entries for the book version of the 366 Weird Movies guide have been completed (and that number will hopefully be 100% by the time you read this). That does not mean that the book is close to being in your sweaty little palms, since there’s still some supplementary material to write, formatting to do, and the minor issue of finding a publisher to take it on. But it is a milestone reached. 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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
