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):

Greener Grass (2019): An absurdist suburban satire expanded from an award-winning short. We’ve been waiting on a theatrical release for this one since we noted it at Sundance; reviews are universally positive so far (so we know Rex Reed hasn’t seen it). In select theaters on the coasts, and more widely available on-demand; we should review this one soon. Greener Grass official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT (pre-production):

“Consumed”: Jordan Ruimy reports that David Cronenberg is planning to emerge from semi-retirement to pen and direct a mini-series for Netflix based on his 2014 novel “Consumed.” Cronenberg’s late film work hasn’t been his weirdest, but the novel synopsis sounds promising, with cannibalism. rare STDs, and a global conspiracy all playing a part. Read the report at World of Reel.

IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):

Lection (est. 2020): A small-town post-apocalyptic political thriller set in a world where elections are decided by gladiatorial combat. Made for $25,000, they are seeking an extra $5,000 (at this writing more like $3,500) for post-production costs. How can we resist plugging a project that ends its pitch with “Help us show you our weird little movie”? Lection at Indiegogo.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Genius Party (2007)/Genius Party Beyond (2008): The original is an anime anthology of seven short films, some weirder than others, with Masaaki Yuasa the most notable participant; the shorter sequel adds five more films. Shout! Factory fit both collections on a single Blu-ray disc. Buy Genius Party/Genius Party Beyond.

Häxan (1922) : Read the Certified Weird entry! The Criterion Collection celebrates Halloween with a Blu-ray upgrade of the  silent witchcraft narrative/documentary blend; the William S. Burroughs-narrated Witchcraft Through the Ages cut is included, of course. Buy Häxan.

Killer Nun (1979): A convent sister (played by nun-other than Anita Ekberg) descends into degeneracy and murder. This giallo-nunsploitation madness, which also features cult fave Joe Dallesandro, has been sitting in our reader-suggested review queue for some time.  Arrow Video releases a Special Edition Blu-ray with the usual metric ton of special features. Buy Killer Nun.

The Lingering (2018): This weird Hong Kong horror film is in two parts: in the first a mother and son wait for the father to return home on New Year’s Eve, while the second concerns a man caring for parents with dementia. In one of the only available English-language reviews Jeffery Kaufman says that the second part is “very odd, and the final few minutes are actually admittedly quite touching in their own weird way, but the rest of this film is frankly a mess.” On DVD, Blu-ray or DVD. Buy The Lingering.

Sensual Psychedelia (2019): The copy explains that the movie is about three women on their way to a rave who encounter a UFO that leads to psychedelic sex orgies. The box cover suggests that the director (who also produced a short called “The Breast Around: Electric Boobaloo”) is interested in filming a very specific type of woman (think Russ Meyer, then add a couple of cup sizes). Don’t say we didn’t warn you. On DVD, Blu-ray, or VOD. Buy Sensual Psychedelia.

“Twin Peaks: The Television Collection”: A collection of all of the televised episodes of “Twin Peaks,” from the ABC series to Showtime’s “The Return.” None of the special features seem to be unique to this set. If you didn’t buy the TV seasons separately, and already owned (or for some reason didn’t want) Fire Walk with Me from “The Entire Mystery” set, or if you wanted the entire television run on DVD rather than Blu-ray (you have the option of either format here), then perhaps this release makes sense. It’s good to have a lot of different “Peaks” purchase options, at least. Buy “Twin Peaks: The Television Collection”.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We’ll only list irregularly scheduled one-time screenings of this audience-participation classic below. You can use this page to find a regular weekly screening near you.

• Bloomington, IN
  • Indiana University Cinema – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (free but ticketed) (10/22)
• Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Institute of Art – Blue Velvet (1986) (10/18-19)
• Dallas, TX
  • Texas Theatre – The Wicker Man (1973) (10/20)
• Denver, CO
  • Alamo Drafthouse – Natural Born Killers (1994) (10/19)
• Kitchener, ON
  • The Apollo – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), with original live score by the Invisible Czars (10/19)
• Los Angeles, CA
  • The New Beverly – Eyes Without a Face [Les Yeux sans Visage] (1965) (10/23)
• Memphis, TN
  • The Crosstown – Häxan (1922) with Deep Red (1975) (double feature) (10/24)
• New York City, NY
  • Cobble Hill Cinema  – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) with live score by The Flushing Remonstrance (part of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival) (10/18)
  • The Metrograph
    • Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) (10/22)
    • Mulholland Drive (2001)(10/18, 24)
    • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) (10/24)
  • Spectacle – Reflections of Evil (2002) (10/18)
• Oakland, CA
  • The New Parkway – The Wicker Man (1973) (10/19)
• Omaha, NB
  • Alamo Drafthouse
    • Rosemary’s Baby (1968) with The Tenant (1976) (double feature) (10/18)
    • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), with original live score by the Invisible Czars (10/19)
• Pittsburgh, PA
  • Row House Cinema
    • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) (10/22)
    • Häxan (1922) (10/22)
    • The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Haunted House (1921), The Phantom Carriage (1921 ), The Haunted Castle (1921), Nosferatu (1922), Häxan (1922) (pass for all seven available for $20) (10/20)
    • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (10/19, midnight)
• San Francisco, CA
  • • Alamo Drafthouse – The Black Cat (1934) (preceded by performance from Media Meltdown) (10/19)
    • The Castro – Night Tide (1961), with Carnival of Souls (1962)(double feature) (10/21)
• Santa Ana, CA
  • The Frida – Suspiria (1977) (10/18, 20)
• Seattle, WA
  • Central Cinema
    • Blood Diner (1987), with director Jackie Kong in attendance (10/21)
    • House [Hausu] (1977) (10/18-23)
• Toronto, ON
  • The Royal – Night of the Hunter (1955) (10/22)

YOU LINK US! YOU REALLY LINK US!: The University of Stirling’s student newspaper suggests five “odd” movies to its readers (including three canonically weird ones) and lists us as a source of further “snack-bites.” Read their article, “Five odd movies for those ‘too-average’ days,” to find out what weirdness Scottish university students are getting into these days.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Due to personal late-week commitments, this column is being composed well ahead of the deadline (instead of at the last possible minute, as it usually is). Therefore, we’re not entirely sure what we’ll be publishing next week, but we can tell you that Giles Edwards gets into the Halloween spirit with a review of Jim Jarmusch‘s zombie opus, The Dead Don’t Die. There will be more, probably, but that’s the only thing we can confirm at this early date. For more info, check in next week! 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.