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 on the official site links.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Cheatin’ (est. 2013): Certified Weird director/animator Bill Plympton (Idiots and Angels) is hard at work on a new feature; all that he’s revealed about the plot is that it’s about a love affair gone bad, but with Plympton, the chances for weirdness are high. He’s also regularly posting a video production blog where he takes viewers through the process of character design, storyboarding, ect. Cheatin’ production blog.
NEW ON DVD:
Adventures in Plymptoons (2011): Speaking of Bill Plympton, this week sees the release of a new documentary on the crosshatching cult animator. Plympton has enough fans that this went out-of-stock at Amazon almost immediately on release (though hopefully they’ll be restocked by the time you read this). Buy Adventures in Plymptoons!
After the Triumph of Your Birth (2012): A surreal, noirish spiritual road trip movie about a world-weary forty year old man searching for meaning in existence. A self-released independent movie that’s also listed as out-of-stock at this writing. Buy After the Triumph of Your Birth
Black Sunday (1960): A witch executed centuries ago possesses a woman who is her exact double and wreaks revenge on the descendents of those who condemned her. Not super-weird but arguably horror icon Mario Bava’s best movie; it launched the career of cult actress Barbara Steele, and the plot was ripped off dozens of times. This edition is remastered by Kino. Buy Black Sunday
The Cabin in the Woods (2012): Read our capsule review. In our judgment it falls just short of weird, but this twisty deconstruction of slasher movie tropes is still the cult horror event of the year. Buy The Cabin In The Woods
End of the Road (1970): A man (Stacy Keach) is taken to a bizarre insane asylum run by “Doctor D” (James Earl Jones) and cured, then let back in society as an English teacher. It’s virtually a lost absurdist anti-establishment hippie flick, with a screenplay co-written by Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove, Barbarella) from a novel by John Barth. Buy End of the Road
“Get a Life” (1990-1992): A surreal cult sitcom starring Chris Elliott (coming off a stint as a writer for “Late Night with David Letterman”) as a thirty year-old paperboy who lives with his parents; the character met aliens and died in twelve of the episodes. Charlie Kaufman was among the writers in this series that, amazingly, managed to avoid cancellation for thirty-five glorious episodes. Buy “Get A Life: The Complete Series”
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970): A strange early giallo from Mario Bava about a man who kills brides, until one of his victims returns to haunt him. This is Redmption’s answer to this week’s Bava releases from Kino. Buy Hatchet For The Honeymoon
King of Thorn (2009): DVD not sold separately; see description in Blu-ray below.
Lisa and the Devil (1974)/The House of Exorcism (1975): Lisa (Elke Sommer) seeks shelter in a spooky mansion managed by a Satanic steward (played by none other than Telly Savalas). More restored Bava from Kino; this release includes the alternate cut The House of Exorcism, which included newly shot possession scenes and was released intended to capitalize on the success of The Exorcist. Buy Lisa and the Devil/The House of Exorcism
The Woman in the Fifth (2011): Psychological thriller about a down-on-his-luck writer (Ethan Hawke) who meets a mysterious woman while trying to reconnect with his young daughter after a divorce. A thread on Woman‘s IMDB page pleads, “can anyone explain this film?,” which is a promising endorsement. Buy The Woman in the Fifth
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Black Sunday (1960): See description in DVD above. Buy Black Sunday [Blu-ray]
The Cabin in the Woods (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy The Cabin In The Woods [Blu-ray]
Ed Wood (1994): Read our review. Tim Burton‘s loving and hilarious tribute to the can-do spirit of everyone’s favorite transvestite auteur is a very welcome addition to the Blu-ray ranks. Buy Ed Wood [Blu-ray]
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970): See description in DVD above. Buy Hatchet For The Honeymoon [Blu-ray]
King of Thorn (2009): Four people are cryogenically frozen until a cure for a petrifying virus can be found, but they wake to a world overrun by monsters. Supposedly a visually spectacular but scarcely coherent anime adaptation of a popular manga. A DVD version is included in this package, but not sold separately. Buy King of Thorn [Blu-ray/DVD Combo]
Lisa and the Devil (1974)/The House of Exorcism (1975): See description in DVD above. Buy Lisa and The Devil/The House of Exorcism [Blu-ray]
Love Exposure (2008): Shion Sono’s 4 hour (!) comedy epic involves Roman Catholicism, candid panty photos, and a butt-kicking, man-hating schoolgirl. This one is in our reader-suggested review queue. Buy Love Exposure [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Killer Condom (1996): Just what the title suggests: the story of a homicidal prophylactic that bites off guy’s you-know-whats so that they bleed to death. Part of the recent Troma drop. Watch Killer Condom free on YouTube.
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.