We know it’s already April, but we’re too in love with alliteration to change the tournament title. At any rate, we’ve now distilled the original 366 candidates to sixteen strange movies, which will face off each other in this round to see who has the stuff to be named one of the Eerie Eight.

Here are the official Strange 16, along with the path they took to make it this far:

Spirited Away (2001): defeated Vampyr (1932), 107-68; defeated Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983), 95-58; defeated Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), 122-33; defeated The City of Lost Children [La cité des enfants perdus] (1995), 86-73.

The Holy Mountain (1973): defeated Playtime (1967), 135-33; defeated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), 105-36; defeated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 108-45; defeated Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), 107-46.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): defeated Dementia [Daughter of Horror] (1955), 125-18; defeated Lost Highway (1997), 99-52; defeated Enter the Void (2009), 107-42; defeated Santa Sangre (1989), 109-51.

Repo Man (1984): advanced through play-in round; defeated Altered States (1980), 78-76; defeated Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990), 88-44; defeated Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), 99-52; defeated Repulsion (1965), 78-75.

Suspiria (1977): defeated Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968), 87-24; defeated Vertigo (1958), 123-39; defeated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), 96-68; defeated The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973), 109-36.

Donnie Darko (2001): defeated The Phantom of Liberty (1974), 68-33; defeated Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), 78-75; defeated Come and See (1985), 93-51; defeated Wild at Heart (1990), 83-77.

Under the Skin (2013): advanced through play-in round; defeated The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), 69-21; defeated Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973), 75-64; defeated mother! (2017), 89-63; defeated Dark City (1998), 99-52.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989): advanced through play-in round; defeated Phantom of the Paradise (1974), 64-36; defeated After Hours (1985), 79-44; defeated The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989), 89-49; defeated Barton Fink (1991), 89-68.

Naked Lunch (1991): defeated Time Bandits (1981), 94-44; defeated Glen or Glenda (1953), 103-16; defeated Don’t Look Now (1973), 94-52; defeated Dogtooth [Kynodontas] (2009), 98-55.

Possession (1981): defeated You, the Living [Du Levande] (2007), 103-20; defeated Alice [Neco Z Alenky] (1988), 66-58; defeated Being John Malkovich (1999), 80-73; defeated Pink Flamingos (1972), 87-61.

Un Chien Andalou (1929): defeated Forbidden Zone (1982), 76-49; defeated The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), 76-39; defeated Daisies [Sedmikrásky] (1966), 77-61; defeated Akira (1988), 83-71.

El Topo (1970): Defeated Lucifer Rising (1981), 104-19; defeated Metropolis (1927), 66-44; defeated Perfect Blue (1997), 93-65; defeated INLAND EMPIRE (2006), 87-62.

Mulholland Drive (2001): defeated Society (1989), 111-22; defeated Orpheus (1950), 97-27; defeated Brazil (1985), 91-69; defeated The Lobster (2015), 111-43.

House [Hausu] (1977): defeated Cemetery Man [Dellamorte Dellamore] (1994), 94-27; defeated Audition [Ôdishon] (1999), 91-30; defeated Videodrome (1983), 85-84; defeated Blue Velvet (1986), 98-56.

Häxan [Witchcraft Through the Ages] (1922): advanced through play-in round; defeated The Triplets of Belleville (2003), 75-35; defeated Underground (1995), 81-25; defeated Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), 79-58; defeated The Saragossa Manuscript (1965), 81-46.

Eraserhead (1977): defeated Evil Dead II (1987), 99-29; defeated A Clockwork Orange (1971), 102-33; defeated The Exterminating Angel [El àngel exterminador] (1962), 117-30; defeated The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), 112-41.

You can see the full results and progress of the entire tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 8.

Get to voting below! (No wagering, please.)

Continue reading MARCH MAD MOVIE MADNESS TOURNAMENT: THE STRANGE 16 →

Time for another giveaway contest! This one is simple. We will have two prize options; just certify you meet the eligibility rules and then enter the name of the one you want in the comments. We’ll select two winners (one for each prize, naturally) randomly at the end of the week from all eligible entries.

Eligibility rules:

• You must comment on this post confirming you meet the eligibility requirements and specifying which prize option you want. Each individual may only enter the drawing for Prize Option 1 or Prize Option 2, not both.
• Due to the nature of the prizes, you must be over 18 years of age to participate.
• To receive the prize, you must supply us with a mailing address in the United States. (Don’t publish your address in your comment! We’ll contact the winners through email).
• You are not eligible for this prize if you have won a contest here in the previous six months. 366 contributors are not eligible for the prize.

We’ll stop accepting entries Monday, April 8, at midnight EST. If the winner does not respond to our request for a mailing address within 48 hours we’ll email a runner-up, and so forth, until the prize is given away.

Both prizes are new, previously unviewed discs.

Prize Option 1: Blue Movie (1971, Dutch), Blu-ray + DVD, courtesy Cult Epics:

In his review, Giles Edwards said “Blue Movie made quite a splash at the time of its release, resulting in a lot of hand-wringing on the part of more upright Dutch (and international) citizens. Large chunks of the movie are, indeed, akin to softcore pornography, but as much as possible, the sex is handled not just tastefully, but also with a refreshing sense of joie-de-vivre… a nice reminder that good movies can have good sex.”

Blue Movie trailer (NSFW)

Prize Option 2: The House + Do It Yourself (2 DVDs), courtesy Artsploitation Films:

The House (2016, Norway): “Arthouse meets horror meets Nazis in this creepy Norwegian ghost tale. Set in WWII, two German soldier escort a POW though a Scandinavian forest in wintertime. Freezing, they seek refuge in a seemingly empty house. What began as welcoming turns much more sinister and deadlier as they wonder if they have somehow stepped into a sort of psychological Hell from which there may be no escape.” (Box cover description.)

and Do It Yourself (2017, Greece): “This action thriller/black comedy brims with hi-octane excitement. A small-time crook, holed up in a labyrinthine porn studio, finds that he is being hunted down by a double-crossing crime boss. He has only one option—to escape from the other crooks. An inventive, funny and fast-paced crime yarn filled with gun-packing thugs, a dangerously high body count and one man determined to escape alive.” (Box cover description.)

Get to it! Remember to specify which prize option you are entering the contest for. No other skill necessary!

Late, but actually available a month earlier than last year’s edition. As always, the recycled ad copy speaks for itself:

Covering everything weird, from art house surrealism to next-generation cult movies to so-bad-they’re-weird B-movie atrocities, 366 Weird Movies has been meeting all of your weird movie needs since 2009 with a combination of sly humor and serious insight. This is our annual Yearbook covering all the weird movies released and re-released in 2018, from “All You Can Eat Buddha” to “Zen Dog”, with 40+ full-length reviews, extensive capsules and supplemental listings, and exclusive interviews with director Panos Cosmatos (“Mandy”) and others. If it’s weird, it’s a movie, it’s from 2018, and 366 Weird Movies covered it, you’ll find it here.

The print version of the Yearbook requires additional formatting and proofing and should be available for sale in a couple of weeks.

Buy the 2018 Kindle edition of the 366 Weird Movies Yearbook here (please). Or wait for print…

The March Mad Movie Madness elimination tournament heats up for real! This round will take 32 survivors—better than the top 10% of the original field of 366—and whittle it down to the Strange Sixteen.

Some matches of interest: the classic anime Akira faces the only short left in the field, Un Chien Andalou. Possession vs. Pink Flamingos is the high art/low art clash of the round. And we predict the winner of the Mulholland Drive/The Lobster heavyweight bout can do some real damage in the rest of the tournament.

You can see the results and progress of the tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 3. (We know the March tourney is going well into April, but we like alliteration too much).

Get to voting below!

Continue reading MARCH MAD MOVIE MADNESS, ROUND OF 32 →

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 (WIDE RELEASE):

The Beach Bum (2019): Harmony Korine‘s first feature film since 2012’s Spring Breakers stars Matthew McConaughey as a comic hippy beach bum sentenced by a judge to finish his novel. Looks fairly conventional by Korine standards. The Beach Bum official site.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

The Burial of Kojo (2019): A Ghanaian girl recalls her childhood, focusing on a conflict between her father and uncle. Visually experimental magical realism that’s making an awards-qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles this week; the rest of his will likely have to catch it when it debuts on Netflix on the 31st of March. The Burial of Kojo official site.

The Field Guide to Evil (2018): Short horror films based on folktales, legends and myths. It’s an anthology horror film, so who knows? But it features directors who’ve gone weird in the past like Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Calvin Reeder. It’s getting a very limited release (primarily at Alamo Drafthouse franchises) and a simultaneous VOD release. The Field Guide to Evil official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT (crowdfunding):

Sister Tempest (est. 2019): The next project from Joe Badon (confessed 366 fan) describes itself as Mulholland Drive meets The Holy Mountain meets Zardoz (!) It’s the story of an art teacher who’s abducted by aliens and forced to confront her relationship with her sister (who’s also mysteriously missing). There’s also a giant astronaut stomping around. The producers are looking for $25,000 and have raised at this writing a little over $7,000. (Badon made The God Inside My Ear for under $10,000). Check out the Kickstarter for rewards.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Against the Clock (2019): A CIA agent in a coma dreams while his wife fights with the agency to learn the truth. Among the one-star audience reviews, one simply titled “So so so bad and weird” caught our eye, and further investigation suggests this might be a bona fide strange film. Buy Against the Clock.

MFKZ (2017): In the urban dystopia of “Dead Meat City,” meek Angelino and his roommate (a flaming skull) uncover a conspiracy that brings them into contact with tentacled aliens and a secret society of luchadores. This gritty and absurd adaptation of a French graphic novel has an anime-meets-postmodern-hip-hop-wannabe-underground-comic feel; now on DVD, Blu-ray, limited VOD platforms. Buy MFKZ.

Perfect Blue (1997): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Shout! Factory’s new edition of Satoshi Kon‘s animated psychological thriller about a J-pop idol losing her sense of self is newly remastered for HD and comes with a few new featurettes (lectures by the late Kon and new interviews from others) along with some extras recycled from previous editions. In a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack (we gather the DVD hosts an SD version of the film). Buy Perfect Blue.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Baltimore, MD, 3/31-4/2 – Mandy (2018). At the Senator.
• Chicago, IL, 4/2 – The Trial (1962). At Gene Siskel Film Center.
• Cleveland, OH, 3/29-3/30 – Audition [Ôdishon] (1999). At the Cleveland Institute of Art.
• Jersey City, NJ, 3/29 – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At the Lowe’s Jersey Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 3/29 (midnight) – Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010). At the Nuart Theatre.
• New York City, NY, 3/29-3/30 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 3/29-3/30 (midnights) – Mulholland Drive (2001). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 3/29-3/31 – Weekend (1967). At IFC Center.
• Portland, OR, 3/29 – The Company of Wolves (1984). At the Hollywood Theatre.
• Portland, OR, 3/30 – Audition [Ôdishon] (1999). At the Hollywood Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA, 4/3 – Vertigo (1958) with Dark Passage (1947) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA,  4/4 – Pal Joey (1957) with Vertigo (1958) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• Toronto, Ont., Canada – Stalker (1979). At the Royal.

YOU LINK US! YOU REALLY LINK US!:

The Best Psychedelic Movies Ever Made – Cinema Dailies compiled a meta-list of movies considered “psychedelic,” using us as one of the input sources. Obviously, you are going to see a good number of familiar titles pop up. Light up a “J” (IF IT IS LEGAL IN YOUR JURISDICTION!) and pop on over to check it out.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week we continue our March Mad Movie Madness tournament (yes, we know we’ll be out of March) with the announcement of the round of 32 and the official Strange Sixteen. We’ll also announce a giveaway contest to disgorge a few of the promotional DVDs we’ve got lying around. And we’re hoping to have another exciting administrative announcement very soon…

In terms of new reviews, we will have something, but we’re not going to say exactly what just yet (this is getting to be a trend, we know).

The big news will be the return of cranky Alfred Eaker, who’s back to these pages after a long post-#366 sabbatical. Welcome back Al! Onward and weirdward!

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.