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, 9/26-10/9):

LA’s Beyond Fest features revivals of classic genre fare (which we’ve listed in our “repertory screenings” section) mixed in with recent hits from other festivals like Anna and the Apocalypse, Jim Hosking‘s An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, and Luz. Best of all, many screenings are free. Although they rarely land debuts, this year they do have one item of some interest:

• Best F(r)iends Vol. 2 – Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero reunite for a followup to The Room; Vol. 2 is said to be weirder than last year’s Vol. 1 (which we confess we still haven’t seen). The world debut is tonight, Friday 9/28, at 7:30 PST, so it’s probably too late to get out there, but we’ll continue keeping an eye out for it.
  

Beyond Fest homepage.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

The Baby (1973): Read our review. This drive-in style item about an adult baby kept as a pet is more popular with audiences then it was with us; thus, Arrow Video’s super-deluxe Blu-ray special edition with a commentary track and numerous featurettes. Buy The Baby.

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977): Read our review. Trust the unpredictable John Boorman to make a truly absurd and deranged sequel to the original horror classic; Shout! Factory gives it a super-duper 2 Blu-ray release, with director’s and theatrical cuts each getting their own commentary tracks (from Boorman and “The Projection Booth”‘s Mike White, respectively). Buy Exorcist II: The Heretic.

Molly (2017): A pit-fighting gang hunts a girl with mysterious powers in a post-apocalytptic world. Probably a stretch for “weird,” but it’s piling up “good-considering-the-budget” reviews, and we have to admit we’re intrigued. It skipped theaters for a DVD/Blu-ray/VOD debut. Buy Molly.

Scarlet Diva (2000): Asia (daughter of Dario) Argento directs and stars as herself in this tawdry, self-indulgent, but “weirdly fascinating” (The New York Times) biopic about a lonely Italian actresses and her druggy sex life. There’s no longer any doubt that the rapist producer in the film is Harvey Weinstein, making this Blu-ray (with two Argento commentary tracks, from 2002 and 2018) a timely item. Buy Scarlet Diva.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994): Reboot/remake/rehash of the 1974 horror classic, but with Leatherface now a transvestite, and Illuminati connections. It has a poor reputation even among horror-comedy fans, but one Amazon reviewer does say it’s “soo damned weird that I find myself watching it every so often and enjoying it every time.” New to Blu-ray. Buy Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995): Black, black comedy about an obnoxious, bullied 7th grade girl. It’s in our reader-suggested review queue, and now on Blu-ray, too. Buy Welcome to the Dollhouse.

PODCASTS:

“What’s the Frequency?”: A fully-voiced “psychedelic noir” AM-radio-style audio drama set in 1940s Los Angeles, with new episodes once or twice a month. Creator James Oliva is a fan of ours, so we’re returning the favor. We recommend listening at podchaser, but you have lots of options to catch it. “What’s the Frequency? blog (with links and transcripts).

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.

• Bloomington, IN, 9/28 – Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968). At Indiana University Cinema.
• Bloomington, IN, 9/29 – Liquid Sky (1982) (“free, but ticketed”). At Indiana University Cinema.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/28 – Liquid Sky (1982), followed by a panel discussion with director Slava Tsukerman and other crew. At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/29 – Akira (1988). At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/29 – Dead Ringers (1988). At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/30 – Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), followed by a panel discussion with director Don Coscarelli and other crew. At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/30 – The Fly (1986) with Naked Lunch (1991) (double feature), with a panel discussion with director David Cronenberg and other crew between films. Sold out, standby only. At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/30 – Akira (1988) (dubbed). At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 10/1 – Existenz (1999) with Videodrome (1983) (double feature), with a panel discussion with director David Cronenberg and other crew between films. Sold out, standby only. At the Egyptian Theater.
• New York City, NY, 9/28-10/3 – Suspiria (1977). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/28-9/29 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/28-9/29 (midnights) – Barbarella (1968). At Nitehawk Theater.
• New York City, 9/29 – Altered States (1980). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/29 (midnight) – Meet the Feebles (1989). At Spectacle Theater.
• New York City, NY, 9/30-10/4 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 10/1 – Repulsion (1965). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• Pittsburgh, PA, 9/29 (midnight) – Pink Floyd the Wall (1982). At Row House Cinema.
• Silver Spring, MD, 10/4 – Phantasm (1979). At AFI Silver Theater.

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.