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):

I Am Not a Witch (2017): A Zambian girl is accused of witchcraft and sent to a witches camp. Critics praised its “light surrealism.” I Am Not a Witch official site.

FILM FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada, 9/6-9/16):

In the past few years, TIFF has risen from a scrappy underdog to an awards-season kingmaker.As their profile has risen, the number of smaller, scrappier, weirder films debuting here has fallen. Still, the slate is so massive there’s bound to be something strange showing up there. Some we’ve already heard of, like Gaspar Noé‘s LSD-in-the-punchbowl feature Climax. Here’s a few new ones we’ll be keeping an eye out for:

• “Accidence” – a ten-minute “Hitchcockian” mystery short from Guy Maddin and collaborators Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. Screens as part of the “Short Cuts Programme 08” on Sep. 11, 12 & 16.
• Angel – Dreamlike movie from Koen Mortier about a vacationing Belgian cyclist falls in love with a Senegalese prostitute. Sep. 11, 13, or 15.
• “Blue” – A new dreamy short from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. In the “Wavelengths One: Earth, Wind & Fire” short program, tonight, Sep. 7 only.
• Diamantino – A Portuguese soccer star adopts an African lesbian immigrant, while his twin sisters are conducting secret genetic experiments, in this bonkers-sounding comedy. September 15 & 16, in the “Midnight Madness” category.
• Fausto – Non-narrative experiment described as an “avant-garde ghost story.” Screening Sep. 9, 11, 15.
• Freaks – A girl leaves her house while her father is asleep and discovers a strange and unsettling world, with the help of a sinister ice cream man (Bruce Dern). Sep. 8, 10, or 16.
• The Great Darkened Days – A Quebecois actor finds himself stranded in a cruel Fascist version of the USA. Sep 10, 12, 16.
• The Image Book – Jean-Luc Godard‘s latest visual essay. See it Sep. 13, 15 or 16.
• In Fabric – Peter Strickland‘s latest is a surreal horror about a haunted dress. Plays Sep 14-16 in the “Midnight Madness” category.
• Jessica Forever – A woman adopts violent misfit orphans in a dystopian world in this directorial début programmers describe as “at-times bizarre film that is utterly fearless in the risks it takes.” See it Sep. 12 (with a Q&A), 13 or 16.
• Jinpa – A Tibetan delivery driver meets a man bent on avenging his father’s death in a story that “blur[s] the boundaries between reality and dreams.” Screening Sep. 11, 13-14.
• Long Day’s Journey Into Night – Experimental sophomore drama from Gan Bi; if I’m reading this right, the second half of the film retells the first half—in a single take, in 3D. Find out Sep. 11, 13 or 15.

Toronto International Film Festival home page.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Deep Red [Profondo Rosso] (1975): Read our review of the film. Dario Argento‘s warm-up for Suspiria (1977) is an engaging giallo in its own right; newly restored by Arrow Video for Blu-ray with a wealth of extra features, both new and recycled from previous releases. Buy Deep Red.

Hereditary (2018): Read Ryan Aarset’s review. “Like a coffin descending into a fresh grave, Hereditary sinks into a subconscious nightmare that feels extremely real.” Now available on DVD, Blu-ray or VOD (or 4K). Buy Hereditary.

SYMPOSIUMS (Los Angeles, CA, 9/13):

“Live from Miskatonic: Don Coscarelli in Conversation”: A three-hour conversation with three-time Certified Weird director Don Coscarelli (who has a new memoir coming out in October), sponsored by the (no kidding) Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. Hosted at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles. Live from Miskatonic: Don Coscarelli.

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.

Multiple cities: 9/10 – Perfect Blue (1997) (dubbed). Check the GKids site for locations near you.

• Austin, TX, 9/11 – Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977). At the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar).
• Boston, MA, 9/7 (midnight) – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971). At the Coolidge Corner Theater.
• Chicago, IL, 9/7-9/8, 9/12 – Persona (1966). At the Gene Siskel Film Center.
• Columbus, OH, 9/12 – Der Samurai (2014). At Gateway Film Center.
• Dallas, TX, 9/7, 9/9 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At the Texas Theater.
• Dallas, TX, 9/13 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Texas Theater.
• New York City, NY, 9/7-9/8 (midnights) – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/7-9/13 – Suspiria (1977). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/7-9/13 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/7, 9/11-912 – Akira (1988). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/8 – Funeral Parade of Roses [Bara no sôretsu] (1969) with Dialogue with Che (1968) (double feature). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/8 – WR: Mysteries of the Organism (1971) with Last Summer Won’t Happen (1968) (double feature). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/8-9/9 – Belle de Jour (1967). At the Nitehawk Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 9/9 – Daisies [Sedmikrásky] (1966) with Kusama’s Self-Obliteration (1968). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/12 – Stalker (1979), with new live score by the Reel Orchestrette. At the Nitehawk Cinema.
• Portland, OR, 9/8 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971). At the NW Film Center.
• San Francisco, CA, 9/7-9/8, 9/11 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Roxie.

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.