That’s right Halloweeners, it’s already time for another edition of Spectacle’s storied SHRIEK SHOW MARATHON ! For the 13th almost-consecutive year in a row, we bring you ~12 hours of gut-bursting brain-splattering genre madness from around the world.

This year we’re bringing you seven (7) mystery-titles from noon-through-midnight – expect roughly 15-30 minute breaks between titles, give or take.

BYO seat cushions + barf bags, sickos !

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 – NOON THROUGH ~1:30AM

TICKETS

12PM – XXXXXX XXXXXXXX
dir. XXXXXXXX XXXXX, 1972
In Italian with English subtitles
95 min.

We kick off the Shriek Show proceedings with this gothic Italian gem that follows a group of hippies who stumble across a black mass ritual at a seemingly abandoned castle in the countryside, featuring killer synths and paint-red blood.

2PM – XX. XXXXX, XX. XXXX
dir. XXXXXXX XXXXX, 1976
In English
85 min.

Our second film of the ‘thon is an overlooked blaxploitation classic that should be mentioned in the same breath as Blacula (even if the title is a misnomer of its protagonist). To say more would give it away, but it’s worth noting that, despite some of the campy trappings, this film offers a dour look at how awful America was and continues to be.

4PM – XXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
dir. XXXXXX XXXXXX, 1980
In English
95 min.

One of the most legendary and underseen horror films of the 80s – shot on super 8mm for a reported budget of $500 by a then-teenager, this thing packs a wild amount of ambition and guts into its not so modest runtime packed with tropes and references and wild accents from a place that shall not be named lest we reveal the title.

6:00PM -XXXXXXXXXXX
dir. XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX, XXXXX XXXXXX
In Dutch with English subtitles.
60 min.

A nasty short one from the Netherlands is up next – follows a recently bereaved man as he starts seeing a woman who may or may not be a necrophiliac.

8:00PM – XXXX XXXXXXXXX
dir. XXXXXX XXXXXXXX, 1979
In Spanish with English subtitles.
86 min.

The most legitimately scary film of the day is up next – steeped in steadily building dread, this Mexican horror film from the late 70s is full of surprises, not to mention a knockout of an ending. Not to be missed.

10:00PM – XXXX XX XXX XXXXX
dir. XXXXXXX X. XXXX, 1991
78 min.
In English.

Filmed in the dusty outskirts and suburbs of Las Vegas, our 10pm feature feels like a sneakily ultra-gory after school special. The setup is simple – two kids dig up a gargoyle statue (while cutting school, no less) – a strange man appears and tells them to leave it because it contains ‘the essence of evil’, so they bring it home.

A perfect garbage gem in a sea of bland SOV offerings from the dustbin of the 90s. Do not miss this!

WARNING : BRIEF MOMENTS OF STROBE EFFECTS

MIDNIGHT – XXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX
dir. XXXX XXXXXXX, XXXX XXXXXXX, 2000
In English
70 min.

Closing out the marathon, we have an early aughts entry from one of the most prolific no-budget filmmaking duos in SOV history.

A famous horror novelist with writer’s block rents a haunted house while seeking inspiration for his newest novel – a psychotic blast of dream-fueled chaos ensues, as the filmmakers use this conceit to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the digital wall.

If this doesn’t clear out what’s left of your cranium, nothing will.

Michael J. Murphy was one of the most prolific and under-seen British genre filmmakers of the last several decades, churning out dozens of 16mm no-budget feats of ingenuity with an unabashed love for the medium.

This July, Spectacle is proud to present two of his fantasy films, AVALON and ATLANTIS, made in consecutive years with overlapping cast members (many of whom pop up across his extensive filmography).

Look out for more Michael J. Murphy miniseries in the not-too-distant future!

AVALON
dir. Michael J. Murphy, 1989
UK. 80 min.
In English.

SATURDAY, JULY 6 – 3PM
FRIDAY, JULY 12 – 7:30PM
TUESDAY, JULY 16 – 10PM
MONDAY, JULY 29 – 10PM
GET YOUR TICKETS!

A time of strength against evil.

The adventure begins when Owen, a travelling swordsman, rescues a woman from some Druids. He offers to help track down her lover who has been enslaved by the evil Morgana. They set off on their quest, accompanied by Keiran, a cowardly thief.

Set in the world of King Arthur and Merlin, AVALON is wildly ambitious and committed to its premise. Despite the clear budgetary limitations, it manages to transcend into something genuinely absorbing, many lesser parts transmuted into a greater whole through sheer passion. Featuring home-brew matte paintings, stop motion animation, and a slew of other ingenious effects, AVALON is a ride well worth taking for any fantasy fan.

ATLANTIS
dir. Michael J. Murphy, 1990
UK. 80 min.
In English.

SATURDAY, JULY 6 – 5PM
MONDAY, JULY 8 – 10PM
THURSDAY, JULY 18 – 10PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24 – 7:30PM
GET YOUR TICKETS!

When a raiding party from the city of Atlantis kidnaps a man and his two daughters for slavery, he contrives to bring about the destruction of the ruling class utilizing the powers of the mysterious crystal child.

Like AVALON but without the pre-existing mythological world of King Arthur to slot into, ATLANTIS is another wildly ambitious, if convoluted, entry in the Michael J. Murphy micro-cinematic cannon. Some might be tempted to say its reach exceeds its grasp, but this programmer would argue otherwise – the limited means combined with a flat refusal of any irony has a uniquely transportive effect.

The sets are covered in paper mache and nylon, unventilated basements turned into caverns and gladiatorial rings, the score is mostly a haunting Casio drone – what more could you want from a movie this scrappy?

Both films screened from new remasters courtesy of Powerhouse Films Ltd.

ENTROPIYA
(энтропия)
dir. Maria Saakyan, 2012
Russia. 76 min.
In Russian with English subtitles.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 – 10 PM

TICKETS HERE

Saakyan’s final film is a steep departure from her previous forays into arthouse cinema. Experimental, largely improvised and featuring a cast of Russian stars/influencers playing satirical versions of their tabloid personas, ENTROPIYA (Entropy) prophesizes the end of the world, and it will in fact be televised. Heavily influenced by Russia’s Dom-2—the self-proclaimed “longest running and most popular show in the world”—also Russia’s answer to the hit reality show Big Brother, which has been on the air longer—the film finds the young, wild cast holding out in an abandoned house and awaiting the apocalypse.

Gone is the subtlety of Maria’s past films; ENTROPIYA is at war with the Arthouse. “At some point I came to exactly this feeling…Arthouse cinema, of course, can be poetic and beautiful, but it is boring.” the late Saakyan surmised, in complete opposition to her own past work. How will this film be received in the west? “It will be incomprehensible to the European viewer.”

For context, meet the players, most of whom play themselves(?):

KSENIYA SOBCHAK is the real-life host of Dom-2, the reality show in which the film is heavily based upon. Shortly after the film’s release in 2012, she left behind host-duties of the show and began a career in politics, culminating in her presidential candidacy in 2018, wherein she opposed Vladimir Putin in the general election, garnering 1.4% of the vote.

VALERIYA GAY GERMANIKA is a director with a number of films under her belt, as well as a popular yet controversial 2010 series entitled Shkola (school), which depicts the “true nature of schooling in Russia,” to many public and political figures’ chagrin.

DIANA DELL in her own words: “I’m a risky person, I ride a motorcycle, and sometimes I shoot.” She caught the big-screen acting bug while playing a small role in an Italian film and has since found herself gracing tabloids as the mysterious star who enjoys her solitude, who believes feminism to be a “relic of the past”, and who unequivocally loves animals. In a brief aside in an interview in 2012, Masha stated “By the way, it’s been proven that if you don’t mix foods and eat in bowls, you won’t gain weight at all.”

DANILA POLYAKOV is a model who burned bright and fast in the 2000’s. Gliding across global runways, Danila’s debaucherous antics in the public eye culminated in an ebb to his career by the time ENTROPIYA was filmed. Russia’s distinct hate for anything queer also did Polyakov—who would occasionally don drag in Russian suburbs—no favors.

YEVGENI TSYGANOV, who plays “Veggie”, is an actor from Russia’s “New Generation”. Simultaneously the straight man and the most blatant character of the bunch, Tsyganov boasts one of the tamer lifestyles of the cast. All that to say, he was in a band once…

———————————

Screening as the last film in our “Post-Panic” series showcasing Saakyan’s filmography, this is one of the stranger instances of a final film. If the post-panic genre focuses on youth’s stolen future, relentlessly haunted past, and their suffocating struggle in the present, ENTROPIYA and its relation to Maria is a true praxis of revolt. It screens in Brooklyn this December at the goth bodega.

As we reach the end of the year, the days shorter, the cold seeping into your bones, there is one comfort we can always turn to – and that is, of course, slasher films.

This December, join us for a trio of under-seen winter-bound slashers, featuring everything from glam rock to parapsychologists – and most importantly, snow!

BLOOD TRACKS
dir. Mats Helge, 1985
Sweden/UK. 81 minutes.
In English

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 – MIDNIGHT

TICKETS HERE

Their beat and music knocked them dead!!

A film crew producing a rock music video decides to shoot at an abandoned factory above the snow line. When an avalanche strands them, a murderous family living in the factory attacks and kills many of them.

If you love a slasher with its own theme song – you’ve come to the right place! Sort of a brain damaged Glam Rock-ified Swedish THE HILLS HAVE EYES, BLOOD TRACKS doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but it is a bona fide good time at the movies.

FATAL EXAM
dir. Jack Snyder, 1990
United States. 112 minutes.
In English

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 – 5 PM

TICKETS HERE

A group of parapsychology students, as part of their final project, head to a secluded house where a man murdered his entire family. Soon, they discover the dark and terrible secrets that lie within.

We’d be lying if we said this wasn’t a little too long, but when there’s as much genuine sincerity and charm on display (not to mention eminently quotable and batshit dialogue) as there is in FATAL EXAM, who are we to complain?

Shot on 16mm in St Louis in 1985 but not finished til 1990 due to budget constraints, Spectacle is thrilled to present this unique supernatural slasher.

Screening from the new Vinegar Syndrome remaster, courtesy of American Genre Film Archives.

MOONSTALKER
dir. Michael S O’Rourke, 1989
United States. 92 minutes.
In English

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 – MIDNIGHT

TICKETS HERE

Campfire stories can be deadly

During the winter season, a family camping in the woods, and a group of camp counselors training in the same forest both find themselves being killed one by one by an unhinged psycho.

Take the standard 80’s slasher formula, crank it up to 11, add a massive dose of regional low-budget charm, and you’ve got yourself a MOONSTALKER(shot under the name CAMPER STAMPER!). Shot in Reno, Nevada, it was reportedly a huge labor of love for all involved, featuring almost entirely first time actors (including future TV stars Blake Gibbons, Kelly Mullis and John Marzilli), as well as one of the higher body counts in the genre. A true winter horror classic.

Screening from the new Vinegar Syndrome remaster, courtesy of American Genre Film Archives.

The last years of Soviet cinema saw a surprising return to the stylistic extravagances of prerevolutionary symbolism. The gallows humor and logorrheic tendencies of the early twentieth-century avant-garde influenced a singularly disorienting style among filmmakers in the Soviet bloc, who translated the linguistic excess of their forebears into a deliriously overcooked aesthetic that gambled coherence for the sake of immersing audiences in the lush psychoses of the late nineteenth-century aristocracy. This December, Spectacle is proud to present two seldom-screened works that best embody this decadent strain of cinema in the waning days of the Union.

DAMNED HOUSE OF HAJN
(Prokletí domu Hajnů)
Dir. Jiří Svoboda, 1989.
Czechoslovakia. 107 min.
In Czech with English subtitles.

TICKETS HERE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 5 PM

A callow social climber marries into the family of a Czech soap magnate, only to find himself navigating the florid psychosexual manifestations of his new relations. Leering over the proceedings is Uncle Cyril, a feral painter who labors in the attic of the family estate, scheming to fulfill his incestual desires while under the impression that he enjoys the cover of invisibility. Characterized by vertiginous camerawork and jaundiced color grading, Damned House of Hajn presents a uniquely claustrophobic variation on the Czech gothic horror tradition.

MISTER DESIGNER
(Господин оформитель)
Dir. Oleg Teptsov, 1987.
Soviet Union. 103 min.
In Russian with English subtitles.

TICKETS HERE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 – 10 PM

Set in the last days of tsarist Russia, Mister Designer traces the meticulously choreographed decline of a St. Petersburg aesthete determined to realize his defining masterwork while navigating an unhealthy fixation on mannequins. The execution of the film mirrors the baroque inclinations of the protagonist, lingering on meticulously composed tableaux vivant staged in lavish aristocratic interiors, frequently stalling the languid action to present confounding allegories in the form of expressionist dance interludes.