Continuing our cherry picked selections from the extensive catalogue of Michael J Murphy films, Spectacle is proud to present this trio of horror films from the early to mid 80s.
The two short films were shot on 16mm, while the feature (which was heavily inspired by Murphy’s experience trying to get the shorts distributed) was shot on 8mm, they’re all unique and strange films from a director working on very much his own wavelength.
BLOODSTREAM
dir. Michael J. Murphy, 1985
UK. 80 min.
In English.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 – 7:30PM
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 – 7:30PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 – 7:30PM
After a low-budget horror filmmaker is swindled by a home video distributor, he decides to make a snuff film where he murders all those who have wronged him.
Shot on Super 8 for a reported budget of £400, BLOODSTREAM is simultaneously a howl of rage at the cutthroat nature of the film industry and a biting satire of the then-developing national “crisis” over Video Nasties. It’s also reportedly semi-autobiographical, inspired by his own experience with a scummy video producer while trying to get distribution for THE LAST NIGHT and INVITATION TO HELL.
Murphy reportedly never sought active distribution for BLOODSTREAM because he wasn’t comfortable with how angry the movie feels, but it’s pretty clear that it’s meant in good fun, and it never gives the impression that the filmmakers think horror movies have anything to do with driving people to literal violence – a conversation that was heavily present in British media in particular at the time.
THE LAST NIGHT
dir. Michael J. Murphy, 1982
UK. 52 min.
In English.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 – 10PM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 – 7:30PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 – 5PM
Impaling, strangulation, hanging, stabbing, implied necrophilia – all in the name of entertainment!
As a small local theater and its players prepare for the final performance of a mystery thriller play, they find themselves held hostage by two escaped convicts who have chosen the theater as a hideout.
Clearly conceived around an available location with a limited budget in mind, Murphy does a surprising amount with very little in this short and nasty little slasher-thriller, set in a local theater dynamic he was clearly familiar with.
PLAYING WITH
INVITATION TO HELL
dir. Michael J. Murphy, 1982
UK. 44 min.
In English.
Your nightmares will never be the same again.
When a young girl visiting a friend’s mansion in the English countryside is suddenly taken prisoner after a costume party, she realizes that darker forces may be preventing her from leaving.
Similar in execution to THE LAST NIGHT (mostly one location, cast of friends + locals), INVITATION TO HELL has a decidedly different feel – much dreamier and stranger, and features a fantastic drone-y synth score.
All screening from Powerhouse’s remastered releases.