We will schedule oursecond October Weird Watch Party for Saturday, October 29 at 10:15 PM (unless someone requests an afternoon screening instead, in which case, majority decides).
Currently, we can confidently stream movies from subscription sites Netflix (through the Teleparty app), Amazon Prime, or, (technically) Hulu for our watch parties. We are also willing to experiment with streaming Tubi content via Discord. Since we’ve never tried this option before, we’re not sure how well it will work, but demand for Tubi’s content is wide and Discord seems to be one of the few possible options.
If you’d like to attend our watch party, then the important thing is to RSVP in the comments, where you can make a screening suggestion, or just say you plan to be there. When making your nomination, simply comment with “I think we should watch Weird Movie on Netflix” or “How about Weird Movie 2: Electric Boogaloo on Prime?” You can also pitch in as to whether you prefer the afternoon or evening time slot.
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)
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):
Masking Threshold: An IT professional investigates the sounds of everyday objects around him, hoping to find a cure for his oppressive tinnitus. An experimental horror film narrated in the protagonist’s monologue, with lots of extreme close-ups and immersive sound design. Playing somewhere, and available in the future on Vimeo On Demand. Masking Threshold official site.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon: A single-mom stripper teams up with an escaped mental patient with supernatural powers for an old-fashioned New Orleans crime spree. Ana Lily Amirpour makes her third movie after a six-year hiatus, and it sounds both weird and good. Simultaneously on VOD. No official site found.
Taming the Garden: Documentary about a Georgina (European, that is) billionaire uprooting massive trees and transplanting them to his estate. More than one reviewer dropped the word “surreal” to describe it (though we know that word is used far too often and far too imprecisely). Taming the Garden official site.
STREAMING DEBUTS (Netflix):
Blonde (2022): Already the most controversial movie of the year, this NC-17 biopic reportedly includes some surreal scenes. Is it weird? Probably not—though based on a Joyce Carol Oates story, it’s still an Oscar bait biopic at heart—but there’s only one way to find out for sure. Blonde on Netflix.
IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):
And (202?): Just announced: Yorgos Lanthimos will once again team up with screenwriter Efthymis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, and most recently 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer) on a new film (plot unknown). It has a sweet lineup of acting talent, though: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, and Margaret Qualley. The director’s Poor Things, about a woman who has a fetus’ brain implanted in her head, stars much of the same cast (minus Plemmons) and is in post-production now. Read more at Variety.
The Cornshukker (1997): Forgotten shot-on-video movie (made for $6000) about the mysterious title creature and its battles with encroaching civilization. The few critics who’ve seen it suggest it was influenced by Eraserhead. Blu-ray only, courtesy of a company going by the name “VHShitfest” (!) Buy The Cornshukker.
Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (1992): A female projectionist struggles with her double-life as a stomach-extracting serial killer. No relation to The Evil Dead, or even to the first Evil Dead Trap. Blu-ray or DVD. Buy Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki.
“The Films of Doris Wishman: The Moonlight Years”: This Blu-ray set from American Genre Film Archives covers maverick sexploitation director Wishman‘s productive “roughie” period, from 1965-1969. Includes The Sex Perils Of Paulette; Bad Girls Go to Hell; The Hot Month of August; Another Day, Another Man; My Brother’s Wife; A Taste of Flesh; Indecent Desires; Too Much Too Often!; and Passion Fever. Buy “The Films of Doris Wishman: The Moonlight Years.”
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time, however.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Tomorrow night’s (first?) October Weird Watch Party is Matteo Garrone‘sPinocchio (2019) on Amazon Prime (subscription or purchase required). The link to join will drop here, on Facebook, and on Twitter around 10 PM. Please join us!
In reviews next week, Giles Edwards freaks out to the deviltry of Gaspar Noé‘s recently Blu-rayed LuxÆterna, Shane Wilson takes on a couple of animated shorts from the reader-suggested review queue in “Harpya” (1979) and “Bobby Yeah” (2011), and Gregory J. Smalley looks at the Criterion Collection release of the visually splendiferous opera adaptation Tales of Hoffman (1951). 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.
FILM FESTIVALS –(Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Brooklyn, NY, 10/13-20):
Situated firmly in the Halloween corridor, Brooklyn Horror is an up and coming film festival going into its 8th year of operation, now back live following a two-year Covid pause. The weirder offerings on its slate are all ones we’ve noted from other festivals: All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, the hallucinatory Italian horror-drama Flowing, Aaron Moorhead andJustin Benson‘s conspiracy minded Something in the Dirt, queer horror Swallowed, and the anthology V/H/S/99 (with a Flying Lotus contribution). Brooklyn is also offering revivals of Calvaire (as part of a focus on the “New French Extremity” movement), a Lucio Fulci series, and, most notably to our readers, the canonically weird body horror satire Society (1989).
Petrov’s Flu (2021): Petrov catches the flu and hallucinates his way through contemporary Russia in a movie that’s a literal fever dream. Haven’t seen any early reviewers toss around the “w” word yet, but some have described it as “baffling” and “mindblowing.” Opening in New York City this week, future plans unknown at this time. Petrov’s Flu official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):
Kung Fury 2 (est. 2022): A feature-length “sequel” to the absurdist 80s action short film parody described as having “no real connection” to the original “other than the lead character.” Michael Fassbender and Arnold Schwarzenegger will appear (it sounds like the former will have a substantial role; the latter will portray the President). Kung Fury 2 official Facebook page.
https://youtu.be/A08bLWi4A_0
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Dreamchild (1985): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. This dark take on the “real life” story of the relationship between Lewis Carroll and “Alice in Wonderland” inspiration Alice Lidell, with Jim Henson puppetry, arrives on Blu-ray for the first time ever. Buy Dreamchild.
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time, however. Like the notice bleow:
September + October, multiple cities and venues: Nosferatu with live score from the Invincible Czars.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
We’re still looking for RSVPs and suggestions for an October 1 Weird Watch Party. Current suggestions are Matteo Garrone‘s dark (and authentic) version of Pinocchio or the Aubrey Plaza mindbending drama Black Bear (both on Amazon Prime). A single vote could decide the screener, or a new suggestion could muddy the waters even further. Add your thoughts here.
In reviews next week, Shane Wilson will undertake The Adventures of Picasso (1978), Giles Edwards watches the new-release The Razing, and Gregory J. Smalley covers the expressionistic 1967 Russian Civil War epic The Red and the White. 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.
FILM FESTIVALS –(Beyond Fest, Los Angeles, CA, 9/27-10/23):
L.A.’s Beyond Fest, running for almost a month with a mix of new films and revivals (and many free screenings), bills itself as the “best-attended” genre festival in the United States. Some events are already sold out, two weeks before the festival begins, so Los Angelinos may want to get to reserving their spots. Beyond Fest entries playing at other festivals we’ve noted (or covered) include Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle, Give Me Pity!, Polaris, Something in the Dirt, V/H/S/99, A Wounded Fawn, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (which already seems destined for a cult following), and a thematic revival of UHF. While big title this year may be the premiere of Halloween Ends (and to a lesser extent the star-studded horror The Menu), we’re more interested in these new-to-us titles:
Enys Men – A woman observing a flower on an isolated island hallucinates; promisingly, weird-positive distributor Neon picked it up.
Feed Me – A cannibal tries to convince a suicidal man to off himself. World premiere; programmers used the word “bizarre” twice and “weird” once in a single synopsis sentence.
Good Boy [Meg, deg & Frank] – To be with the man of her dreams, a young student must accept the fact that he rooms with a human dog.
The People’s Joker – Maybe. This queered-up satirical variation on the notorious villain was pulled from the TIFF lineup after one showing after complaints from DC lawyers; still listed on Beyond’s website for a free screening on October 4.
Land of Dreams: In the near future census takers will interview Americans about their dreams, or so says this light satire co-written by the legendary Jean-Claude Carrière and featuring a cast that includes Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon and Isabella Rossellini. It’s playing in a few theaters this week; it’s also on VOD. No official site located.
NEW STREAMING SERVICES; CINEVERSE:
All free (ad-supported), with much cult content, pulling form the libraries of players like Asiancrush, Scream Box, Midnight Pulp, and, notably, some selections from the Fandor catalog (including A Field in England). It has a Tubi-like interface. You should be able to find some late-night viewing here, even if it’s just Bob Ross reruns. Visit Cineverse.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
The Amusement Park (1973/2019): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. George Romero‘s recently unearthed short feature—a curious allegory about aging and elderly abuse—is a surprise entry to the Blu-ray ranks. Includes various interviews and bonus features to fill out the run time (the film itself runs just under an hour). Buy The Amusement Park.
Cool World (1992): An underground cartoonist finds his sexiest character wants to become a real live girl in Ralph Bakshi‘s spin on Roger Rabbit. A “Collector’s Edition” from Shout! Factory; this one has not previously been issued on Blu-ray. Buy Cool World.
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955): A would-be serial killer fantasizes about murdering women, but never succeeds. A semi-surreal effort from Luis Buñuel‘s Mexican period, this Blu-ray is surprisingly released not by the Criterion Collection, but by VCI (usually purveyors of fine El Santo films). Buy The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz.
Tin Can (2020): Read Giles Edwards’ festival review. Claustrophobic sci-fi about a pathologist finds herself imprisoned in a canister while a pandemic rages outside, now on Blu-ray. Buy Tin Can.
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time, however. Like these:
We’re now open for suggestions and RSVPs for an October 1 Weird Watch Party: contribute here.
In reviews next week, Shane Wilson discusses Dusan Makavejev‘s capitalist satire The Coca-Cola Kid, and the reader review queue gets some further pruning as Giles Edwards deals with the 80s parody Kung Fury. Then, Gregory J. Smalley takes a bite out of the new release pile with a taste of the amnesia-themed Apples.
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!
