Episode 51 - Timesweep (1987)

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V/H/S 2 (2013)

Since 'The Blair Witch Project' broke box office records back in 1999 it seems like everyone under the sun has tried to put their own spin on the found footage sub-genre. From zombies and ghosts to Sasquatch and Nessie; pretty much every producer could put in a little financial backing and receive a pretty solid ROI.  The truth is that most of these films were shoddily put together with little foundation of creating an entertaining film.

Last year, horror website Bloody Disgusting ventured into the original film department with their horror anthology release, 'V/H/S'. The film fared rather well in terms of audiences and critics, so inevitably a sequel would manifest itself in no time. I enjoy the first film immensely as it was a fresh take on the tired found footage formula, but I did have my issues with the film. The wraparound story of the group of men trying to search for a wanted tape was the first films biggest downfall, as the acting and characters weren't anything to envelop the stories in-between. The other issue, as with any anthology movie, is that you're going to be left with films you really like, maybe some you're impartial to, and others that you just didn't care for at all. A lot of people didn't seem to enjoy the Ti West offering in the last installment, but I enjoy a slow burn.

As with the previous 'VHS' film, the sequel starts off with a wraparound story to envelop the found footage horrors. This time round we follow a group of private investigators who are sent to find a woman's missing son. As they enter the apartment, they find TV sets stacked in a wall with dozens of VCRs and tapes haphazardly strewn about the room. As one investigator goes searching through the house, the other starts looking through the man's tape collection.

Now here is where I should provide details of all the tapes that are viewed, but that would take away from the fun of the film. Each of the four stories are so different, but compliment each other rather smoothly. The basic premise for the films are: Ghosts ('Clinical Trials'), Zombies ('A Ride in the Park'), a cult ('Safe Haven') and an alien abduction ('Slumber Party Alien Abduction'). Whereas the first film had a few mediocre segments this sequel finds all the right beats from the first one, and amplifies them to the umptenth degree. Laughs, gore and atmosphere are all present in each segment, and the crowd I saw it with was laughing and screaming the entire time.

Honestly, I'm pretty hard pressed to find any issues with 'VHS 2'. It was exactly what I wanted from a sequel, and had a great sense of fun with each offering. The directors involved all did a wonderful job of staying within the horror genre, but allowing for comedic elements to ring throughout to offset the violence and scares. I don't even have a favorite segment, but if there was one that the audience seemed to respond to the most it was Gareth Evans 'Safe Haven'. This is the gentlemen who directed last years fantastic 'The Raid'.

While found footage may not have been reinvented with 'VHS 2', it certainly was well crafted in how to entertain an audience. For whatever faults there may have been in the previous installment, all have been eradicated with this new outing. The best thing about a budding franchise like 'VHS' is that it's a venue for up and coming directors to showcase their talents in a condensed form. They can churn out one a year like any other horror franchise, but the difference here is that we'll never see the same movie twice.

'VHS 2' will be released by Magnet Releasing on VOD July 6th with a limited theatrical run July 12th.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags

The Battery (2013)

bat·ter·y  

/ˈbatərē/ : A container consisting of one or more cells carrying an electric charge and used as a source of power.

Independent horror fare is a dime a gross. More often than not someone (like yours truly) thinks that they can grab a camera, and make the next 'Night of the Living Dead' or 'Blair Witch Project'. The sad truth is that most of these productions lack competency, but they still find their audience. Those examples stated above are the obscurity. The odd balls. Thankfully, I've never (successfully) attempted to make a film.

'The Battery' is a project where determination and passion outweighs any financial hurdles most films run into. The production was made for $6,000 and was shot in a staggering 15 days. Those figures alone should make any Hollywood production flip their respective shits. Through friends, co-workers and family the film was financed, filmed and edited.

'The Battery' is the story of two baseball players, Ben (Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim) who are traveling across New England aimlessly. The only problem is that there are zombies at every turn, so the two men decide to venture in the woods for fear of overrun cities. In their journey through a deserted neighborhood, the two men come upon a pair of two-way radios, and find a conversation amongst two survivors: Annie and Frank. The two are discussing items for Annie's "shopping list" which happens to include a copy of the movie 'Tremors' for a child's birthday at The Orchard. Mickey attempts to communicate, but is told by Frank to never use this channel again. 

Ben and Mickey begin to travel further into the wilderness, but tempers between the two rise. Ben, the realist of the two, pushes Mickey to accept the reality that the vision of things going back to normal won't happen. Mickey represents the romantic of the group. Hiding away in his headphones, he refuses to acknowledge the hand that has been dealt, and hopes and dreams for the world as he knew it to return. Ben and Mickey are the two ends of a battery, a term used to describe their relation as pitcher and catcher, but also their positions in life.

Jeremy Gardner's 'The Battery' is a crowning achievement in simplicity.  Keeping the cast and locations limited allows for the dialogue between the two protagonists to shine. The conversations between Ben and Mickey flow with ease between the two leads, and it feels like both Gardner and Cronheim have been acting for years. The supporting cast, while limited to only a handful, is present in the screenplay to serve as plot devices to further our look into the relationship between Ben and Mickey. With outstanding acting, the film moves at a rather excellent clip.

The cinematography is another highlight of 'The Battery' as the vivid New England landscape is captured in its rawest form by Christian Stella. The beauty of nature plays just as important of a character as Ben and Mickey by being the one constant in the world of the walking dead. Finally, the soundtrack is one of the best you'll hear in years with artists like Wise Blood and Rock Plaza Central are used to heighten the emotional journey between Ben and Mickey.

'The Battery' is a film that is simply a must-see. Whether you're a horror fan or just a fan of movies in general there is a lot of positives find in 'The Battery'. From an emotional character arc for each of the protagonists to gorgeous cinematography plus a fantastic soundtrack, Jeremy Gardner is a name to watch for in the upcoming years. It all starts here.

'The Battery' will be hitting VOD this June with a physical release later in the year.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags

The Battery Facebook Page

The Battery Official Page

C.H.U.D. (1984)

I've only been to New York City once in my life , but if movies have taught me anything it's that NYC is far and away the most dangerous city in the world. Monster and alien attacks, terrorists, serial killers. To quote The Ramones, "New York City really has it all."

If such hideous events unfold on the surface of the Big Apple, then what terrors lay beneath the asphalt? 'C.H.U.D.' is a film that gets better with each viewing. While it's not the most gorgeous looking film, or even the most well constructed it features a solid cast, and reaches into the fear of genetic mutation.

A woman walks her dog down a dark street at night. Right off the bat you know something is going to go wrong. While walking past a manhole she drops her purse, and BAM! A monster claw comes out of the sewer to drag her and the little dog to the hell below.

George Cooper (John Heard; aka the dad from 'Home Alone') is a former fashion photographer in New York who happens to also live with his beautiful model girlfriend, Lauren Daniels (Kim Greist). George has grown tired of the fashion world, and has started writing his own articles; one about a society of homeless living under the streets. The award goes onto heavy acclaim, and George gets constant pressure from his agent for new material. George tells him to fuck off.

Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) leads a precinct in New York City where a large number of missing persons have been reported. One of these reports comes from A.J. "The Reverend" Shepherd (Daniel Stern; aka Marv from 'Home Alone'), who runs the local homeless shelter. Apparently a lot of the "under-grounders" have not been showing up as of late. Then A.J. drops the bomb.

A test done by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been going on down in the sewers; stirring up his customers. It normally runs 2 weeks, but A.J. says it's been going on for 4, and still going on. That's when A.J. shows Bosch some "lost" equipment from the tests; a work boot and a Geiger Counter. Bosch and A.J. travel down to the spot in the sewer where A.J. found the equipment. They happen to turn on the Geiger Counter, and that's when the thing goes off the charts. Then a monstrous roar is heard. It's the C.H.U.D.'s!

So, dedicated reader, I bet you're asking yourself "Hey, Chris? What in the world does C.H.U.D. stand for anyways?" Well, it just so happens that the acronym has two meanings! The first, which is what the movie means is 'Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.' However, turns out the government has been dumping chemicals under the city for years; 'Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal.'

Being a monster movie the costumes are pretty outlandish with glowing eyes, slimy razor claws and necks that get erections! Apparently this wasn't the original design, which was supposed to be much more zombie like. I enjoy the design as it sets the film apart from other movies of the time. With that, the film features some fantastic gore effects from the creature mayhem. Decapitations, disemboweling, limbs severed. Fun for the whole family!

The dialogue and acting are both fantastic. Actors Christopher Curry and Daniel Stern took a turn at re-writing the script and really fleshed out the story. This is a Monster/Sci-Fi movie after all, so obviously my using of the phrase "fantastic" is up to reader discretion. The supporting cast is full of actors you've seen in many other places, and with bigger roles. The best supporting role in the film is that of John Goodman playing a cop who gets slaughtered in a diner. Side note; all three leads have played roles in the 'Home Alone' franchise. John Heard and Daniel Stern in parts 1 and 2, and Christopher Curry in Part 3. 'C.H.U.D.' starts futures people.

'C.H.U.D', to me, is like a fine wine that you have a rather large bottle of. You enjoy it every now and then, appreciating how well aspects of it have aged. For the first time I watched the film with the commentary featuring Daniel Stern, John Heard, Christopher Curry, Director Douglas Cheek and Writer Shepard Abbott. Easily one of the best commentaries you'll find on a movie, it features a cast and crew who are also friends. It's insightful, but it's also fucking hysterical.

'C.H.U.D.' is a B-Movie masterpiece with an original story, a wonderful cast and brutal special effects. With actual locations, and detailed sets that allow the film to offer a real world feel. It is currently available on DVD from Anchor Bay.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags

IMDB Page

Wikipedia Page

Amazon Page

The Beyond (1981)

While 'Cannibal Holocaust' might have been one of the first movies to get me interested in Gore, Lucio Fulci was the one who showed me the beauty in the carnage. The Italian director is known for his surrealistic films, and brutal violence. The first film I saw by Fulci was 'Gates of Hell' which was when I was searching out any zombie related film. From there I saw 'Zombi 2', and then I found what many consider to be his masterpiece, 'The Beyond'.

One of the best things about 'The Beyond' is that it combines elements from so many different genres. Part haunted house flick, half zombie gore; 'The Beyond' offers something for almost any horror fan. For this viewing of Fulci's 'The Beyond' Jason and I were able to catch a 35mm print at The Coolidge Corner Theater. This was a film that I was very excited to cross off my list of movies to see on the big screen.

In 1927 Louisiana a lynch mob descends on the Seven Doors Hotel. A painter by the name of Schweik works on his macabre creation, inspired by the mystic book Eibon, in his hotel room, number 36. The mob enters the building, and breaks into Schweik's room; assaulting him in the face with a metal chain, and accusing him of being a warlock. The mob then drags him down into the basement where they nail his wrists to the wall, and pour quicklime on his face.

Present Day (1981) a woman by the name of Liza (Catrina MacColl) has inherited the hotel, and is fixing it up to re-open. Unfortunately, the house was built on one of the Seven Doors to Hell, and her renovations have awoken Satan himself. When construction workers start dying horrible deaths, a mysterious blind woman named Emily (Cinzia Monreale) warns Liza to abandon the hotel. Doctor John McCabe (David Warbeck)tells Liza that there's nothing to worry about, and to continue renovations. However when the body of Schweik shows up in the basement, John starts seeing the symbols of Eibon. Soon the forces of Hell spew forth the dead, and John and Liza must fight to stay alive.

The first thing that I enjoyed about the film was of course the special effects. Italian genre films from the late '70s and '80s have some of the best gore effects in cinema history. Germano Natali has done some great effects for films like 'Suspiria', and 'Deep Red' but 'The Beyond' has some of the best violence of all time. We see heads exploding, spiders devouring a face, eyes gouges, and the aforementioned death of Schweik. For those gore-hounds looking to wet their appetite look no further than 'The Beyond'.

The score by Fabio Frizzi is one of my favorites of all time. The choir and piano main theme is very atmospheric, and the score helps elevate the direction of cinematographer Sergio Salvati. Salvati has done all of Fulci's big horror titles, but I really think that his best work is with 'The Beyond'. The scenes down the flooded basement ooze with dread, and with the score by Frizzi, the direction of Lucio Fulci really shines through. Though, while able to raise your fears through the use of camera trickery and brilliant composers, he orchestrates the violence to shock and gross you out. This technique allows for you never to get settled in what you're watching, and should keep you glued to what's happening.

The only negative criticism I could give this Horror Classic is that the English dubbing is just awful. I would love to see a subtitled release at some point, but that is more than likely on any of the DVD releases by Anchor Bay. By all means 'The Beyond' is not a film for everyone. While enjoyable by a Horror fan for the effects, and atmosphere it is pretty damned out there. A lot of the happenings you just have to accept as going on, as we're never really clued into what exactly the powers of Eibon can be. The best bet is to turn off your mind, and enjoy the surrealistic elements of the story and the fantastic gore effects on the screen.

'The Beyond' has a few releases with Anchor Bay, and the rights are currently held with Grindhouse Releasing.

A random trivia fact you probably don't care about!

Did you know that 'The Beyond' is one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies? So much in fact that he was one of the primary reasons for an unrated release of the film, and the 35mm print that tours the country!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags

IMDB Page

Wikipedia Page

Amazon Page

Interview: Coolidge Corner's Mark Anastasio

Despite the comforts of home, there's nothing like watching a cult movie in the theater. The crowd is supportive of the absurd plot lines, and thin acting. They cheer, laugh and in some instances throw things. Slowly, this is becoming a lost experience as most theaters will a) not show cult movies, and b) not show 35mm. I understand the want to go digital. It's cheaper, allowing for more copies to be released for a fraction of the cost. All the while providing audiences with the most advanced picture and audio. That's a bunch of horse-shit.

Thankfully, there are places like The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. From foreign films to current art-house the Coolidge caters to a diverse crowd of viewers. Before a viewing of the cult classic 'Street Trash' (read the review here), Trash Pile contributor Jason and I were able to get some time to talk with assistant program manger Mark Anastasio.

Chris: Describe what you do on a daily basis to find these films.

Mark: Well, the programing process happens between me and a couple of other guys in this office. Program Manager Jessie Hassinger and the Operations Director Andrew Thompson and I sort of sit here and fire ideas back and forth. It works really well to have checks and balances, so if I yell out something stupid those guys are quick to tell me that it's a great film, but might not draw a crowd. We have to strike that balance between playing something awesome, but also play something that keeps the series going as far as our audience is concerned.

Then it's a little bit of investigative work to actually track down prints. A lot of these old cult movies that we love so much don't exist anymore on film. A lot of them have been junked, or no one thought to preserve them because they were considered "crap" movies by a mainstream sense. It can be tough. We work with a network of private collectors that have their own 35mm archives, and those guys are really instrumental in bringing these films to us on film. Sometimes I know right where to go. I know this person has a print of 'Hellraiser', or this person has 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. We call them up, and ask if we can borrow it. Then we go about about getting the rights, if there are rights. So it's two different things; you have to spend a lot of time tracking down who owns the rights, and who owns a copy of the print.

In this case for 'Street Trash' I didn't see any copies of a print available with any of our collectors that we knew of. Then I saw that Synapse films, they put out a lot of cool cult DVDs, they had done a double-disc edition that they had struck from the original negative. I called up the president of Synapse and asked him straight up where he got the print to do that, or if he knew of a print holder. He said that the writer/producer Roy Frumkes has the rights, and has one of the only existing prints. He gave me that contact info, and it took awhile to hear back from him because he was in Germany touring 'Document of the Dead', so he wasn't there to get emails or check his home phone. I didn't think I'd hear back form him, but when he got back he called me and said he was stoked that Boston would be interested in the print. He wanted to know about the venue in general. How many kids we get coming out to make sure it was a worth while thing, and that we were a reputable house that would take care of his film. We do run reel to reel here, and our projectionists are highly skilled, some of the best in the business. Roy was cool with loaning us the print, and that's how we tracked down 'Street Trash'. When it arrived the print was actually kind of shoddy condition. Whoever had shown it last did not give it any kind of love, which is surprising. It came in, our head projectionist graded it at maybe a C, and by the time it leaves here it's gonna be in better shape than it came in.

Chris: Does that happen often?

Mark: No, it's not a normal thing but it's also not unusual for something to come in sort of messed up. A lot of places are going to digital, 2k and 4k projection, so the art of 35mm projection is unfortunately a dying one.

Chris: And it's only places like this, the Brattle, small indie theaters that will really do it anymore.

Mark: Lowe's, Boston Common we just heard this week...

Chris: Yeah they're all digital.

Mark: Yeah they phased out 35mm completely, and that's going be coming more and more the norm over the next couple of years. That's how we tracked down that particular print. That's pretty much average. Investigative...

Chris: All the legal work.

Mark: Yeah, the toughest one we came across this year was, I really wanted to do 'Sleepaway Camp' on film. We spent six months trying to get a print of 'Sleepaway Camp', and it just didn't work out. Once we found the rights holder, it's with the director.

Chris: Robert Hiltzik, right?

Mark: Yeah, we got in touch with Hiltzik. At first we tried his old law firms. Just googling the guy, finding his linked in. Calling places where he used to be a lawyer, getting forwarding numbers. Someone suggested that we try, I think his name is Jeff, that runs the Sleepaway Camp fansite. That's where most of the screenings, if you don't have the backing of that website your screening really can't happen. So we had to reach out to that guy, and when we finally got a hold of everything we were gonna play it the some month that we did 'The Burning'. We were told the film was booked in Cleavland for the the entire summer. That was a disappointing one, so it can be tough.

Chris: What is the personal favorite film you've been able to get?

Mark: Tonight ('Street Trash') is one of them. This is one that everyone was immediately behind. It was one of those where in talking about what to book we were all excited, but we didn't think the audience would be there. We've been in a place where we're getting good numbers every weekend for the last few months, and we've been sort of building a following, so we were able to say let's take a hit in order to play 'Street Trash'. I was actually surprised by the turn out last night. It was well over one hundred, and that really excited me and I stayed to watch the film, and I'm going to stay and watch it again tonight. It's really great on the big screen.

Let's see, what's another one. 'Night of the Creeps' was one I was really stoked to get for the Halloween marathon in 2009. That's probably one of my proudest programming moments. The sign is back there.

Chris: I see 'The Blob' on there too. The Chuck Russell version is so underrated.

Mark: Yeah, that's the one we did, and I got resistance!

Chris: That's bullshit! That's some of the best special effects next to 'The Thing', in terms of practical effects.

Mark: Dude gets pulled down a drain.

Chris: The fucking kid getting killed, you never see that.

Jason: That VHS cover was terrifying.

Mark: Oh, with the guy just getting pulled back surrounded by...

Jason: The pink ooze around him. Terrifying.

Mark: The best experience I've seen an audience have with one of the titles we've programmed, and I always talk about this as now it's rule in our programming. I forget what year it was, might have been the year before 'Night of the Creeps' and 'The Blob'. We did a double feature of 'Pumpkinhead' and 'Prom Night', and one of the secret films, I mean, for the remainder of the marathon we don't tell people what we're playing, so we don't have to get rights to show those films. Cause no one has bought a ticket thinking they're seeing that, so no one can get upset at us for cheating them.

Chris: Loopholes are fucking awesome.

Mark: Right, so we book rights for two and do the double feature, and the rest are all secrets. The best secret title we ever did was Lamberto Bava's 'Demons'. We got 'Demons' on film, and I was unfamiliar with it. All I knew was that I wanted to play it, and I love the trailer and I've never seen it. Watching it in an audience, I mean you're familiar with it, the demons breakout in a movie theater. Watching that, in a movie theater while people were delirious and in a marathon setting, the crowd was just so wild, and throwing shit and freaking out. From then on out we instituted something called 'Demons' rule. Whereas that was the high water mark. That's where the bar got set for how to give an audience a good time. You give them gore, actual scares and shit to laugh at. Trying to give them the perfect...

Chris: The perfect cult experience.

Mark: The perfect cult film experience, yeah. We do hard horror sometimes...

Chris: We came for 'Dream Home'.

Jason: That was really cool.

Mark: We try to do new stuff. We're branching out into different little sub-tags for our series. 'Dream Home' was under our Fresh Blood banner. Coolidge Cult Cuts is a series that we do for things like 'Street Trash' where it was a hard to find print, and it's something that is on film that is kinda rare that people should come out for. Those are some of my favorites.

Chris: Besides 'Sleepaway Camp' what are some other titles you've had a real hard time getting?

Mark: I mean 'Sleepaway Camp' was the toughest. There's always rights issues up in the air for things like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Chris: Yeah, that's passed through so many different companies.

Mark: Yeah

Chris: Isn't it at Lionsgate now?

Mark: No one really has it now. A company called MCI I thought had it, but they actually don't know where the rights are at. It's owned by a lawyer at this point, and when that happens you don't play it. Another print that's been hard to find has been Argento's 'Suspiria'.

Chris: We caught the print last year at the Brattle.

Mark: Was that just last year?

(Hindsight: it was actually two years ago.)

Chris: Yeah, we went out for my birthday. It was a print by some U.K. collector.

Mark: Yeah they got it from the U.K., so I called that guy who said the print was booked for Halloween. He was really nice, and said any other time. That's one where it seems to me that are probably only two to three prints of that film left in existence. That print was no dice, found a collector who wasn't willing to lend, and then we tracked a print to Criterion in the US.

Chris: Oh wow, they have a print?

Mark: Yeah, but they had decommissioned it and it can't run. Then I tracked a print to Fox Canada, which normally we don't do because we deal with American distributors. We called them, and there initial response was no. We wrote back, and they said no. This week we tried again asking why, and they said we can have it. So the headliner for this year's marathon is Argento's 'Suspiria', and a new print of 'Return of the Living Dead'.

Chris: That's awesome.

Mark: Usually we do six films, but this year we're going to try to do seven because everything is about ninety minutes.

Chris: What are some titles that you have no interest in going after.

Mark: Well, I had a conversation last night with our projectionist Thomas, and Thomas is always on me to show 'Leprechaun', Leprechaun in Da Hood', and things like 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space'.

Chris: You don't like 'Killer Klowns'.

Mark: I got something against 'Killer Klowns'. I don't know what it is. I've only seen it once or twice.

Jason: I feel like people would come out to see that.

Mark: People probably would, but for some reason those types of movies turn me off.

Jason: No 'Rumpelstiltskin'?

Mark: Yeah, shit like 'Rumpelstiltskin'. I guess it's little humanoid creatures that smile real big just don't scare me, so I'm not interested in playing it. 'Critters' on the other hand we're doing this weekend. I'd do 'Critters', I'd do stuff like 'Child's Play' but yeah, 'Killer Klowns' I would stay away from. 'Leprechaun' I'm resistant to. I don't know, I think that stuff is kinda easy. There are lots of theaters when March roles around, and gets to be St. Patty's Day and someone is doing a midnight screening of 'Leprechaun'. It just seems kinda uninspired.

Jason: That movie also isn't even that old.

Mark: It's few and far between that we play shit from the '90s in this series, so yeah the goofier shit I stay away from.

Chris: What movie started your interest in the genre?

Mark: My interest was sparked by my cousin Joan, who passed away young. She was my babysitter when I was kid, and we weren't too far apart I was probably twelve to her sixteen. While babysitting us, and I can't fucking remember specifics, and even when I was younger I must have been like seven or eight, she was probably too young to be watching us. I remember a horror show hosted by Gilbert Godfrey.

Chris: Yeah, one of the USA ones.

Mark: Yeah! Is that what it was?

Chris: Yeah, it was USA Up All Night.

Mark: Yes!

Jason: Yeah they used to play Troma.

Mark: Right, and that's exactly where I was going with it. It was USA Up All Night hosted by Gilbert Godfrey, and it was 'Class of Nuke 'Em High'. That's what I trace it all back to.

Chris: Yeah, we're big Troma enthusiasts.

Jason: I remember seeing Toxie, and getting a copy of Toxie II on tape that I got at Ames.

Mark: She used to let me watch that, and it would scar me for life. And I remember when I used to go to her house she had an original 'Nightmare on Elm St.' poster on her wall. Also, there was this video store called Video Express in my hometown, and it's not there anymore, of course. But they had an iguana in the display case, and it was real gross and I used to get my comic books there. Anyways it must have been when 'Texas Chainsaw II' came out they had a stand-up that was 6' tall, and in the doorway. I remember when my dad would return tapes I would stand there looking up at this thing peeing my pants, and I just had to see it. So the images of Leatherface, and Freddy, and sitting there watching 'Class of Nuke 'em High' and having fun with a fucking disgusting film like that is what got me into this, and it stuck.

Chris: What recent film do you feel captured the essence of the video boom?

Mark: Not so much 'Machete', not even 'Grindhouse'. I think the best of these recent exploitation, neo-grindhouse films is 'Hobo With a Shotgun', I think it's the better of the three.

Chris: I fucking love that movie.

Mark: It doesn't ever wink at you. It's fucking balls to the walls.

Chris: It is an exploitation movie.

Mark: It's got something to say, and I think it right on par with the old shit. that movies right on my shelf next to some of those perfect video titles next to 'Class of Nuke 'em High' and 'Toxic Avenger'.

Chris: I wish someone like Gorgon, who released 'House of the Devil' on VHS. I wish they'd do one for 'Hobo'. It's screaming for a VHS release.

Mark: That would be really sweet. Some places have be re-releasing them.

Chris: Yeah, Mondo just did 'Things' and 'Sledgehammer'. They're always on sale mid pay-week, and then...

Mark: They're gone. There's been talk of us getting a VHS series off the ground.

Chris: If you need any help I have hundreds of VHS tapes.

Mark: Do you really? Oh Chris, you're going to help us curate a series.

Chris: I'd love to help! There's one film I'd love to have people see on the big screen which is 'TerrorVision' (read the review here).

Mark: 'TerrorVision' rules, my projectionist, he wanted me to find a print of it.

Chris: It's hard as hell to find one apparently.

Mark: Yeah, I couldn't do it. I don't get stumped that often. I didn't give up on 'Suspiria', I didn't give up on fucking 'Sleepaway Camp', but 'TerrorVision' is proving to be too elusive. But that would be a perfect screening. We're gonna host a series, set up a VCR and do video on the big screen and see if kids will come out.

Chris: I think they will. There's a big market for video collectors; being one myself I have to put up with a lot of assholes on eBay. Only got a couple more questions here. What is the rarest 35mm film you've shown?

Mark: (pause) I don't know. I never really know how few prints are left of any given thing. I was talking to guys last night who seem to think that multiple prints of 'Street Trash' are available. I'm not so sure that's the case. I think that Roy has one, and director Jim Muro might have one but that's it. That's two prints. There are none on a collector's level at all. I can tell you for a fact that 'Sleepaway Camp' only has the one print available.

Jason: Now do you think you'd be able to acquire it at some time down the line?

Mark: I'll probably do it next summer. I wanna do it on film, and I want to do it when it's appropriate. We've been doing this summer camp series in June for few years. But that's probably the rarest. I know that certain shit is gone. I know that there's no 35mm copies of 'Predator'.

Chris: Such a waste. Last two, pretty quick. Favorite directors?

Mark: Carpenter. Definitely John Carpenter. I mean, I don't know where else to go from there.

Chris: He's one of my favorites too.

Mark: 'The Thing' is probably my favorite film, and that's one that I've played before.

Chris: I was here one of the last times you did it. Looked awesome.

Mark: Yeah, in my five years here I think I've played it three times. Between 'The Thing' and 'Halloween' those two are such milestone films. I'm pretty big on Cronenberg too.

Chris: Besides 'The Thing' any other favorite movies?

Mark: 'The Thing' is my favorite. I just love everything so much I never know where to go with this question. I love zombie films. You look at my horror shelves, and there's like two full shelves of just zombies films. 'Day of the Dead'.

Chris: Such an underrated movie. My favorite of the series.

Mark: 'The Thing' is my all time favorite film in any genre.

Jason: What did you think of the remake/prequel trailer?

Mark: I'm not too pissed yet.

Jason: Trailer looks all right.

Chris: From what I hear it's 70% practical effects.

Mark: As long as that's true, I'm fine. I've said that the first scene of shitty CGI will kill it for me, being such a fan of 'The Thing' I always wanted to know what happened at that Norwegian camp.

Chris: I'm a big fan of the Howard Hawks version as well.

Mark: And 'The Thing' itself is a remake, so we can't be too upset about doing a prequel to a remake. I'm pretty easy. I don't get too pissed over these sorts of things.

I want to thank Mark for taking time out of his schedule to give us the background on how much work goes into tracking down these prints. Please visit The Coolidge Corner Theater, and any local theater that is willing to show films that are a little outside the norm.

Coolidge Corner Theater

Trash Pile Love Notes: Independent Theaters

If there's one thing I wish I owned it would be a time machine. Most people seem to think that the advantage of owning a device that can transport you through time is financial. While yes, I would obviously exploit the future there is a bigger appeal in enjoying the culture of the past. With my preference to older movies I would be at the cinema almost every weekend seeing my favorites. Travel back to the late '70s to see all the schlock on display on 42nd St. in New York, visiting the Combat Zone in Boston, and probably any premier at Grauman's Chinese Theater would be pretty cool. Alas, my faith in technology has been shattered. Automatic toilets, and no way to travel back in time? For shame, science, for shame.

One benefit of living in the city of Boston is that we have a large amount of independent theaters, and many of which who are able to show 35mm versions of great cult films. For most movie viewers seeing the original print really doesn't matter to them, but for an anal-retentive nerd like myself it's pretty cool to say I've seen the original print of 'Suspiria', 'Escape from New York', and even 'Nightmare City'. Theaters in and around Boston have started to really push the demand for classic original prints on the big screen, and every year there are new prints discovered to be shown to audiences.

The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA is one of these theaters that really shows their love for cult genres. Every weekend could contain Italian gore, '70s exploitation, slashers, and classic comedies. The program is called Coolidge @fter Midnight, and I must say the people who run this are able to secure some great films. I've been going to this theater now for about 5 years, and they have been getting a better variety every year. I've seen 'Friday the 13th 3D', 'The Thing', 'Dream House' and many more. So far this year we've seen films like 'Hobo With a Shotgun', 'Jaws 3D', 'Rolling Thunder', and 'The Burning' just to name a few. Later this year we'll get the epic melt movie 'Street Trash', the Fulci masterpiece 'The Beyond', 'The Warriors', 'Critters', and even the Alicia Sliverstone...uhh...classic, 'Clueless'. If you're in the Boston region I suggest check these guys out as they really put a lot of time and love in getting such amazing films for their audience. This weekend I will be catching their showing of Peter Jackson's 'Dead-Alive' which is one to cross off the list.

Another great theater is in Harvard square, and it is The Brattle Theater. The Brattle opened its doors in '54, and is a non-profit organization. This is another theater I've visited numerous times over the years, and I love the experience. It's a one screen theater, but has a phenomenal balcony. I've seen films like 'The Great Escape', 'Escape from New York', 'The TrollHunter', 'Suspiria', 'Nightmare City', and even 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' in 3D! That was one of the best experiences I've had going to this theater as the Creature has always been my favorite Universal Monster. Later this month at The Brattle you can catch the recent Grindhouse saga including Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 'Grindhouse','Machete', and the fucking epic 'Hobo With a Shotgun'. You can also check out some classic Hitchcock like 'North by Northwest' in their celebration of the great composer Bernard Herrmann (also showing is the classic Ray Harryhausen films 'Jason and the Argonauts' and 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'.)


The Strand in Clinton, MA is another theater that takes a lot of time in making time for the classics of cinema. The first time I went there was to see 'Ghostbusters', and that was one of the best movie going experiences of my life. Granted, I was quoting most of the movie (I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie around 75 times), but the excitement of seeing it not only on the big screen but also the original print was fantastic. Every year The Strand shows the Steven Spielberg classic 'Jaws', and that is also something pretty fantastic. The Strand was built in 1924 as a Vaudeville and movie theater up until the last '70s. Every year there is "The Classics" series in which many films are shown over the summer weeks including 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail', 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and 'The Sting'. If you're only searching out the cult and exploitation movies I'd look elsewhere though. The Strand is pretty family friendly, but will get recent R rated hits in (primarily comedies and dramas)

One of the last theaters that I'll take the time to promote is the Somerville Theater in Somerville, MA. The Somerville Theater was built in 1914, and much like The Strand was a place for Vaudeville acts to shine. The one thing to really love about this theater is that they show current movies, and at a very affordable price. However they will also show classics like the theaters mentioned above. 'Jaws', 'The Goonies', 'A Clockwork Orange', and 'The Princess Bride' are just some of the films that will show this summer alone. You can find some great cult and horror films come October. Last year the theater saw the J.Cannibal's Feast of Flesh in which the fantastic Fred Dekker film, 'Night of The Creeps' played.

These are just some of the theaters that I've been to in the Boston area, and I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface. At some point I need to take a road trip to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to catch the amazing films they show every month. I'm sure I'm not the only who appreciates the effort that is given to find these prints of rare films, and I hope now some of you will visit these and other theaters.