ANNOUNCEMENT: New Bar Trash season – VHS USA – launches at Genesis Cinema on 17 Jan 2024!

“The most warm + inclusive place to watch the most charming + deranged nonsense.” – Audience review

Cult film fanatic Token Homo (Queer Horror Nights!) returns to Genesis Cinema’s Bar Paragon with his sixth sensational season of Bar Trash, “London’s most fun & informative film night” (Sean McGeady).

VHS USA celebrates 1980s video culture, from shot-on-video ‘trashterpieces’ right out of the American Genre Film Archive, to legendary rentals from Empire Pictures, video nasties and screenings from vintage VHS. The 12-week season will run every Wednesday night from 17 January to 03 April 2024 and as usual, tickets are just £3. Disrupting proceedings, queer wrestling collective Fist Club will be taking over the bar for International Women’s Day and the first ever screening of a documentary at Bar Trash, GLOW: THE STORY OF THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING (2012) on 06 March (tickets on sale in February).

VHS USA launches on Wednesday 17 January at 8:45pm in Genesis Cinema’s Bar Paragon with Sam Raimi’s THE EVIL DEAD (1981) which will be shown from Token Homo’s own vintage, pre-certifcate VHS.

This is the legendary 1983 Palace Video release of THE EVIL DEAD that was banned and withdrawn after The Video Recordings Act 1984 which followed the ‘Video Nasties’ hysteria. The original UK home video release features 49 seconds of cuts, the same version as the BBFC’s X-rated 1982 cinema release of the film. As well as discussing the censorship of Sam Raimi’s controversial cult classic, Token Homo will introduce the full VHS USA film programme.

“My EVIL DEAD tape represents my entire cultural life in a plastic clamshell. Not only does it hail from the turbulent decade when I came of age, it’s a time capsule of my film crushes, including the quintessential DIY horror film and trailers for BASKET CASE, FEMALE TROUBLE, and ERASERHEAD (there’s a surprise trailer that plays out after the film too!). I bought the tape almost 40 years ago when my local VHS library was emptying its shelves following the ‘video nasties’ furore. I can’t wait to play this highly coveted cassette publicly for the first time.”

Token Homo

VHS USA continues with John Wintergate’s 1982 psychic-slasher BOARDINGHOUSE (screening on Weds 24 Jan) – the first shot-on-video horror film that was then blown up to 35mm and given a theatrical release in the USA – and a vintage VHS screening of the film that launched and made Charles Band’s Empire Pictures a rental legend, GHOULIES (screening on Weds 31 Jan). Tickets on sale now!

VHS USA – new season shows!

• Opening Night: THE EVIL DEAD from VHS 📼 + Season launch dir Sam Raimi, 1981 (Wednesday 17 January 8:45pm)
• Shot-on-video: BOARDINGHOUSE dir John Wintergate, 1982 (Wednesday 24 January 8:45pm)
• Empire: GHOULIES from VHS 📼 dir Luca Bercovici, 1985 (Wednesday 31 January 8:45pm)
• Empire: ELIMINATORS dir Peter Manoogian, 1986 from 📼 (Wednesday 07 February 8:45pm)
• Empire: TERRORVISION dir Ted Nicolaou, 1986 (Wednesday 14 February 8:45pm)
• MYSTERY FILM? (tbc) (Wednesday 21 February 8:45pm)
• Shot-on-video: BLOOD LAKE dir Tim Boggs, 1987 📹 (Wednesday 28 February 8:45pm)
• Fist Club takeover for International Women’s Day: GLOW dir Brett Whitcomb, 2012 (Wednesday 06 March 8:45pm)
• Empire: DOLLS dir Stuart Gordon, 1986 from 📼 (Wednesday 13 March 8:45pm)
• Shot-on-video: Double-Bill – THE MCPHERSON TAPE dir Dean Alioto , 1989 + HALLUCINATIONS dirs John Polonia & Mark Polonia ,1987 (Wednesday 20 March 8:45pm)
• Empire: ARENA dir Peter Manoogian, 1989 from 📼 (Wednesday 27 March 8:45pm)
• Closing Night: THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE dir Tobe Hooper, 1974 from 📼 (Wednesday 03 April 8:45pm)

We won’t say any more about the MYSTERY FILM? other than Token Homo will only reveal the title when we press play on the night. It’s a beautiful oddity, and a very rare UK screening…

Bar Trash is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic, Token Homo. Films are served with themed drinks, introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles/captions where possible. Tickets from £3.