Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes) (2015): Young Peruvian slackers into drugs, amateur porn, Internet culture, and conspiracy theories meet online for weird times. If you visit the official site, don’t worry, it won’t actually download a virus to your computer—although if your boss looks over your shoulder they may ask why you’re surfing for furry porn on company time. (Don’t say you weren’t warned). Playing at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn, and probably nowhere else. Videophilia official site (NSFW).
SCREENINGS – (New York City, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Dec. 2):
The Black Cat (1934): Read the Certified Weird entry! Why, you might ask, is Lincoln Center screening this expressionist showdown between Bela Lugosi and Satanic architect Boris Karloff on December 4? Unexpectedly, it’s part of a huge retrospective on Chilean surrealist director Raoul Ruiz (who apparently considered this film an influence). Other screenings in the series are Ruiz’s own Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Dec. 3 & 6), Time Regained (2nd & 4th), Three Sad Tigers (2nd & 5th), Lines of Wellington (2nd only), Dialogues of the Exiles (3rd & 5th), City of Pirates (3rd & 7th), Treasure Island (3rd & 7th), The Suspended Vocation (4th & 6th), and Love Torn in a Dream (4th & 7th), with more Ruiz coming in the following week. “Life Is a Dream: The Films of Raoul Ruiz (Part 1)” at Lincoln Center.
SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Dec. 2-3):
Lost Highway (1997): Read the Certified Weird entry! As reported last week, IFC Center is rotating their unofficial “Midnight Lynch” weekend screenings. In this week: the nearly incomprehensible identity switch drama Lost Highway, taking over Wild at Heart‘s spot. Held over: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Both screen Friday and Saturday at or around midnight. Lost Highway at IFC Center.
FILM FESTIVALS – A Night of Horror (Sydney, Australia, Nov. 25 – Dec. 4):
OK, so we’re late on this one, which ran approximately contemporaneously with Melbourne’s competing “Monster Fest” on the other side of the continent. Thanks to “Lovecraft in Brooklyn” for pointing out our oversight last week. Since the festival is closing soon, we’ll just point out a couple of titles (already covered elsewhere on the site) for avant-garde Aussies to check out: the underground video montage romantic comedy She’s Allergic to Cats (Dec. 3) and December 4th’s closing night gala The Greasy Strangler (see description in DVD below).
A Night of Horror official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):
Dave Made a Maze (2017): Dave builds a pillow fort in his living room and then gets lost inside its maze of booby trapped corridors; his girlfriend assembles a team to go in and rescue him. Premiering next month/year at Slamdance. Dave Made a Maze official site.
NEW ON DVD:
The Greasy Strangler (2016): Read our festival report. This John Waters-esque story of a cranky L.A. based disco tour guide who slathers himself in grease and strangles strangers is guaranteed to be the greasiest (and grossest) movie you’ll see all year! Buy The Greasy Strangler.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Greasy Strangler (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy The Greasy Strangler [Blu-ray].
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.
Man, that Videophilia website contained negligible amount of furry porn. I’m highly disappointed.
(It’s a pretty spot-on recreation of the look of the 90s internet, though.)
Thanks for listing Night of Horror! It’s truly an underground joint, and the fact that it’s made it to 10 years is amazing and heartening. If I remember and it’s still around, I’ll put you guys in touch with the people running it next year. The shorts programs are the best place to see the truly weird.