366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

Movies from Hell on X (Twitter) and BlueSky

Movies from Hell Patreon

Movies from Hell Website

Movies from Hell interview with Greg and Giles

Adult Swim Yule Log (2022): Read the Apocryphally Weird review! Crack open a Nurse Nutmeg and dig into this limited edition with a lenticular cover, two audio commentaries, and more. These 2000 units are available currently only from Vinegar Syndrome and their select retail partners. We’d expect a standard edition soon enough.

Bug (2006): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. William Friedkin‘s paranoid psychothriller comes to 4K UHD/Blu-ray next week (when Pod 366 will be off for Thanksgiving). Pre-order Bug.

“CC40”: A box set of 40 Criterion Collection titles, chosen because they were the films most often picked by visitors to the Criterion Closet. The Canonically Weird films making the cut are 8 1/2 , Repo Man , Weekend, Night of the Hunter, 3 Women , House [Hausu], and Persona, alongside the Apocryphally Weird Mirror [Zerkalo].  “Buy CC40.”

The Dark Crystal (1982): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s uncanny valley puppet fantasy on 4K UHD (and Blu-ray) in a big, fancy box with lots of stuff, including a replica crystal shard. Simultaneously, it’s also being released in a more modest but still collectible UHD+Blu-ray Steelbook exclusive to Walmart. Buy The Dark Crystal (Limited Collector’s Edition).

Labyrinth (1986): Read Gregory J, Smalley’s review. Jim Henson goes it alone for this fairy-tale fantasy that mixes Muppets-style creatures with live actors Jennifer Connelly and Goblin King David Bowie. A companion to the Dark Crystal box above, but this one comes with a glass-etched crystal ball (and a juggling tutorial as one of the many video extras). As with it’s companion feature, you can also get the Steelbook via Walmart. Buy Labyrinth (Limited Collector’s Edition).

The Reflecting Skin (1990): Read the Canonically Weird entry! This appears to be a re-release of Film Movement’s 2019 Blu-ray, with one new advertised feature (an essay by film writers Travis Crawford and Heather Hyche), but, thankfully, retaining the “Angels & Atom Bombs” extra (preserving 366 Weird Movies’ cameo appearance). Pre-order The Reflecting Skin.

“Seven Chances” (1925)/Sherlock Jr.” (1924): Read Alfred Eaker’s reviews of “Seven Chances” and “Sherlock Jr.”. A pair of innovatice Buster Keaton silent comedies that have been issued many times; this Kino double feature seems like a decent bargain, and includes extras like audio commentaries and a Three Stooges short (!)  Buy “Seven Chances” (1925)/Sherlock Jr.” (1924).

Street Trash (2024): Ryan Kruger remakes the grossout classick about hobos melted by rotgut liquor, relocating it to Cape Town and adding a more political slant. Matt Donato of Daily Dead called it “a cacophony of fever-dream nonsense” (though he didn’t mean it as a compliment). Playing in theaters somewhere or other, but it’s simultaneously premiering on VOD.  Street Trash official Facebook page.

Tomie (1998): This adaptation of an “opaque” Junjo Ito manga series deals with a spate of murders by a beautiful girl (or girls) named Tomie, and adds a subplot about another girl suffering from amnesia. Tomie was a recurring character and Ito wrote a lot of other stories (inspiring seven more feature films); one short was included in Netflix’s “Jungo Ito Maniac” series. The Arrow disc marks the film’s Blu-ray debut in the US and is, of course, loaded with extras. Buy Tomie.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

No Pod 366 next week as we’ll be taking a Thanksgiving break; we’ll be back Dec. 6. We’ll still have a slate of print reviews for you to devour, however, as Shane Wilson uncovers Tetsuya Nakashima‘s Confessions (2010); Giles Edwards celebrates Corey Feldman‘s The Birthday (2004); and it’s been done before, but, dammit, Gregory J. Smalley considers Toby Dammit (1968). Onward and weirdward!

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

“All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror, Vol. 2”: Another astounding collection of rarities, including two Canonically Weird movies in the set: the surreal stop-motion fairy tale Blood Tea and Red String (2006) and the bleak Estonian pagan fable November (2017).  Pre-order All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror, Vol. 2.”

Dream Team (2024): A spoof of softcore cable TV erotica of the 1990s, with a plot involving psychic coral. The promotional material proudly proclaims it is “beautifully weird,” I Saw the TV Glow‘s Jane Schoenbrun is a producer, and it debuts at NYC’s Metrograph this week (distribution plans past that are unclear at this time).  Dream Team official site.

Ghost Cat Anzu (2024): Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. From GKids, so this kid-friendly, Spirited Away-adjacent anime fantasy will be getting decent theatrical distribution. Ghost Cat Anzu U.S. distributor site.

“Golden Harvest Volume 1: Supernatural Shockers”: A misleadingly titled box set from Shout! Factory: with Hong Kong New Wave features Sex and Zen; Erotic Ghost Story I, II, & III; Dr. Vampire; and Robotrix, this should have been titled “Sexy Supernatural Shockers.”  All are Cat III features full of nudity and violence, including Sex and Zen‘s infamous “organ” transplant scene. Buy “Golden Harvest Volume 1: Supernatural Shockers.”

Häxan (1922): Read the Canonically Weird review! Radiance out-criterions the Criterion collection with this lavish limited edition of the witchcraft documentary that contains four different cuts of the film in addition to its many other extras. The Amazon listing says that it is an all-region Blu-ray.  Buy Häxan.

Maniac (1934): Read the Canonically Weird entry for Maniac! In conjunction with Something Weird, Kino releases the maniacal 1934 shocker with a commentary track and some rare Dwain Esper shorts as “Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture Vol. 17.” The cats eat the rats, the rats eat the cats, and you get the Blu-ray. Buy Maniac.

Megalopolis (2024): Read Gregory J. Smalley, Giles Edwards, and El Rob Hubbard’s Apocrypha Candidate review. We’ve talked for a year now about Francis Ford Coppola‘s glorious folly, and now it’s rentable (at premium pricing) on VOD for those who missed it in theaters. We also have a Pod 366 episode (with featured extra Nadia Robertson) almost entirely dedicated to this one. Rent Megalopolis.

Pedro Páramo (2024): Adaptation of a classical magical realist novel about a dusty Mexican town where the living may be the dead, this is the directing debut of award-winning cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. Pedro Páramo on Netflix.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

Next week’s guests on Pod 366 will be Bradley Kornish and Dan Pullen of Movies from Hell (a reciprocal appearance after Giles and Greg guested on their podcast back in early October.) In written reviews, Shane Wilson goes outside the reader-suggestion queue for a second look at Beau Is Afraid (you can probably guess what that means); Giles Edwards addresses the dreaminess of Dream Team (see above); and Gregory J. Smalley plans to knock our both a new release and a reader suggestion with the Pharrell Williams Lego autobiography Piece by Piece. Onward and weirdward!

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

A Different Man (2024): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. A man has miracle surgery to correct his facial disfigurement, then regrets his decision when a pseudo-doppelganger of his old self steals the role he was born to play. A24 puts out this excellent, if decidedly noncommercial, film on VOD this week; as always with A24, it’s offered at a premium on release, so if you’re a renter you may want to wait for the price to come down. Buy or rent A Different Man.

Don Hertzfeldt projects: We’re a little behind on officially announcing the debut of a new Hertzfeldt short (although we did promote it on social media). It’s called “Me,” it’s a musical (recut from a different musical that fell apart), and it features his usual blend of stick figures, witty existentialism, and psychedelic visuals. It’s available to rent (and will probably eventually appear on some physical media compilation.) In other Hertzfeld news, he has his first true feature-length project (called Antarctica) in the works, and he’ll be collaborating with other animators for the first time. Antarctica has been in development for decades, but Ari Aster now is on board as producer, so it’s about to get real. Learn more in this new, long interview with Sam Adams of Slate.

Hippo (2023): Read Giles Edwards’ Hippo Apocrypha candidate review and interview with star Kimball Farley and DP William Babcock. The black comedy about siblings home-schooled by a UFO believer gets a limited theatrical release this week in NY, with LA dates next week; VOD announcements expected  to come son. The Myspace-style official site is interesting.

Once Within a Time (2023): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s Apocrypha Candidate review. Our editor’s choice for Weirdest Film of 2023, Godfrey Reggio‘s 45-minute surrealist romp is an apocalyptic-yet-hopeful dream that almost no one had seen—until now. It releases on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD this week, so hearken to the call of its oddly recognizable tattooed saxophonist. Buy Once Within a Time.

Suspiria (2018): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. OK, this is the (interesting in itself) remake, not the Canonically Weird original. But it’s one hell of a limited edition set from Australia’s Imprint label: a 4K UHD disc, an (all-region) Blu-ray housing the movie, a new commentary track (from author Miranda Corcoran), and a third Blu-ray housing nothing but special feature after special feature. Buy Suspiria (2018).

Wizard of Oz (1939): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. OK, you’ve seen this (if you haven’t, rush to see it now, youngster) and it’s been re-released on home video a billion times already. This is the current “ultimate” edition: a 4K UHD disc plus a Blu-ray with lots of extras (most of which we believe have been seen before). The selling point on this one (besides the 4K disc) are the steelbook format and the physical collectibles: 12 lobby cards/posters and reproductions of the original invitation, recreation of an original program, and a replica ticket from Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Wizheads take note! Buy Wizard of Oz (4K Steelbook).

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

We’ll be back with Pod 366 next week, although as mentioned potential guests and co-hosts are still up in the air. Things are more settled in terms of written review, as Shane Wilson braves one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue in Nicolas Winding Refn‘s mall-cop mystery Fear X (2003); Giles Edwards enters the Solar System by Slinghsot (2024); and Gregroy J. Smalley heads to Africa (virtually) to investigate The Omen (2023). Onward and weirdward!

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Discussed in this episode:

Brick (2005): Read Shane Wilson’s review. Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in Rian Johnson‘s debut, playing a hard-boiled teen detective who talks like someone out of Mike Hammer story. Buy Brick.

Caligula: the Ultimate Cut (1979/2023): Various versions of the refashioned Caligula keep tricking out like blood from a decapitation machine. This week, it’s on VOD; there is likely another 4K UHD release (an American version to match Umbrella’s already-available Australian 4K) coming eventually (there’s a Canadian 4K releasing next week from Unobstructed View). We’re going to assume you’re up to speed now and stop talking about Caligula Ultimate Cut releases for the time being.  Buy or rent Caligula: The Ultimate Cut on VOD.

Demon Pond (1979): A traveler investigates a mysterious pond which holds numerous spirits who control the lives of a nearby town. The Criterion Collection found and restored this seldom-seen Japanese fantasy, which to our knowledge has never been released in the U.S. on home video before. Buy Demon Pond.

Once Again (For the Very First Time) (2024): An experimental/impressionistic love story of a street dancer and a poet/rapper. Dubbed a “hip-hop fantasia,” as the trailer will confirm. Once Again (For the Very First Time) official site.

Resurrection (2025?): Bi Gan‘s new project, which has already been in production for over a year, has garnered more international funding and will continue shooting this year. The plot, which involves a woman trapped in a dreamscape while undergoing a medical procedure who tells stories to an android corpse, sounds terrifically weird, and may help solidify Gan as the Chinese Tarkovsky. Read more at Variety.

Rumours (2024): Guy Maddin‘s latest (with collaborators Galen and Evan Johnson) has big name stars Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander as G7 leaders who encounter a sudden apocalyptic crisis (and find zombies and a giant brain). While this did not make as big a splash as we hoped on the festival circuit, reviewers have been kind, calling it “odd,” “surreal,” and yes, “weird.” Rumours official site.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

Next week’s Pod 366 guest will be Paolo Zelati, author of the book “American Nightmares“, which collects his interviews with horror directors like Jack Hill, David Cronenberg, and Don Coscarelli. In other video content, Pete Trbovich brings us a special “Halloweird” edition of Weird View Crew with 1984’s Dreamscape (and possibly more video surprises to come). In  written reviews, Shane Wilson tackles the Halloween sign-language oddity Deafula (1975), Giles Edwards is confounded by the Buñuelian scenario of Mother, Couch (2023), and rumor has it Gregory J. Smalley will be headed to the theater to catch Rumours (see above). Onward and weirdward!

Onward and weirdward!