The ninth season of BAR TRASH was CELLULOID JAM, an entirely unofficial, fan-powered celebration of 50 years of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975). Starting with two sold out / par-tic-i-pation-packed screenings of ROCKY HORROR at Genesis Cinema on 18 December 2024 and 01 January 2025 [see our galleries for the full Denton Dossier], CELLULOID JAM screened every Wednesday at Genesis and on alternate Sundays in the Members’ Bar at Finsbury Park Picturehouse and at Beer Merchants Tap from 15 January to 16 April 2025.
Going back when it all began, CELLULOID JAM swam in ROCKY HORROR’s deviant DNA, featuring everything from the B-movies referenced in ‘Science Fiction/Double Feature’ — the musical’s lusciously lip-synched opening number — to 1960s dance fads (like the Time Warp!), body building, more Tim Curry, more cross-dressing, and a whole lot more cannibalism!
Special events included a British Horror sidequest, our annual takeover for International Women’s Day, more William Castle moviehouse gimmicks, vintage projection formats — VHS and retro 3D! — and a MYSTERY FILM (that we only revealed on the night). We even managed a heart-felt tribute to David Lynch with a Saturday Special screening of DUNE (1984) to mark the great director’s passing. In words from the original theatre programme for the ROCKY HORROR stage show (that we re-created with our own DIY fanzine for the season!), there really was “something for everyone” in a programme packed with “thrills, chills and spills!”.
You can read more detailed writeups about each of these events – including audience comments from our ‘trash or treasure’ polling cards – over on LETTERBOXD (@tokenhomo).
#109 & 110: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW d. Jim Sharman (1975 / UK & USA / 100mins)
Genesis Cinema 18 DECEMBER 2024 + 01 JANUARY 2025 [full event & encore info]
Regular BAR TRASH audience member Alannah Rose (aka The Queer Book Reviewer) wrote about our screenings of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW for our fanzine to accompany the CELLULOID JAM season. Here’s the piece!
Draped in gold glitter walls and armed with pink prop bags, Bar Trash Season 9 opened on December 18th 2024 with THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. The audience arrived in their corsets and fishnets (and the odd pair of pjs because we love a cosy sleepover vibe) for Bar Trash’s fastest selling show.
Token Homo, Loose Willis, and the amazing team at Genesis pulled out all the stops for this immersive Rocky Horror experience. The night started with our hosts sharing their memories of Rocky Horror, what the film means to them, and how it shaped their lives when they saw it as queer teens.
Throughout the screening the audience sang their hearts out, squealed while protecting themselves with newspapers from water guns during “Over at the Frankenstein Place”, cheered as Frank N Furter aka Loose Willis chased event manager James (our Rocky!) around Bar Paragon for “The Sword of Damocles”, laughed as regular ‘Bar God’ Bobby (our Eddie!) tried to remember “Hot Patootie”, and danced the “Time Warp” as if they themselves were Transylvanians.
To speak on my own experience, seeing an immersive Rocky Horror screening has always been a dream of mine, and I wouldn’t want it to happen anywhere other than Bar Trash. The absolute joy my queer heart felt as the audience waved their arms and phone torches while singing “Don’t Dream It, Be It” will forever be a core memory for me.
Written by ALANNAH ROSE
#111: Opening Night: HAIRSPRAY d. John Waters (1988 / USA / 92mins)
Genesis Cinema 15 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
It has taken me a while to bring our filth elder aka the ‘Pope of Trash’ John Waters to BAR TRASH, but judging by the response — HAIRSPRAY beat ROCKY HORROR to become our fastest ever selling show, selling out in just 4 days! — it’s a match made in heaven… Of the 25 available audience review cards, the entire batch voted ‘treasure’ (“OMG absolute delight, new fav movie” / “Why haven’t I seen this? Wonderful!”), making HAIRSPRAY a resounding smash hit to open the season. For those that ask, ‘trash’ is also high praise as I don’t give a flying f*ck for critical binaries (or any other kind of polarised thinking for that matter…). And so yes, the voting is entirely rigged (go figure… ;).
#112: FLASH GORDON d. Mike Hodges (1980 / UK & USA / 111mins)
Beer Merchants Tap 19 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
FLASH GORDON was our first ‘Science Fiction/Double Feature’ film reference of the season, the rock musical’s lusciously lip-synched opening number (sung on film by Richard O’Brien with Patricia Quinn providing the lips…). For all its gender non-conforming mayhem, ROCKY HORROR has always been regarded as “a lovely juvenile distraction” by its principal creator, Richard O’Brien, which makes FLASH GORDON the perfect fit (even more so given O’Brien’s eerily familiar bit-part as a double-crossing henchman…).
Of the 25 available audience review cards, 23 voted ‘treasure’ (“f*ck yeah!”), 1 voted ‘trash’, and 1 swung both ways (“I can’t choose! but Brian Blessed is absolute gold!”). Which makes FLASH GORDON (with or without his “silver underwear”…) an absolute smash: “He truly is a miracle, king of the impossible!”.
///: FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE ds. Ford Beebe & Ray Taylor (1940 / USA / 12 chapters / c240mins)
In what can only be described as a “lovely but ill-conceived” plan to give our BAR TRASH crowds something ‘extra’ before each main show, I decided to screen all 12 weekly episodes of FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (1940) on Wednesdays at Genesis. Without subtitles… Which meant it was only so much monochrome sci-fi wallpaper as people arrived, got their drinks, chose their seats, and caught up with friends. We marvelled at the costumes, creatures, and practical FX, even if none of us could explain exactly what was happening…
Here’s the full list of chapter titles (first shown before our ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’ on Weds 22 June / last shown before DUEL OF THE TITANS on Weds 09 April).
- “The Purple Death”
- “Freezing Torture”
- “Walking Bombs”
- “The Destroying Ray”
- “The Palace of Terror”
- “Flaming Death”
- “The Land of the Dead”
- “The Fiery Abyss”
- “The Pool of Peril”
- “The Death Mist”
- “Stark Treachery”
- “Doom of the Dictator”
#113: ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’ – ROBOT MONSTER 3D d. Phil Tucker (1953 / USA / 63m) + THE INVISIBLE MAN d. James Whale (1933 / USA / 71m)
Genesis Cinema 22 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
Our very own BAR TRASH ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’ paired one of the ‘best’ sci-fi films, James Whale’s THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), with one of the ‘worst’, Phil Tucker’s ROBOT MONSTER (1953).
Of the 16 available audience review cards for ROBOT MONSTER — projected in glorious anaglyph 3D! — it was a pretty even tussle, with 7 voting ‘treasure’ (“Absolute cinema.”), 7 ‘trash’, and 2 swinging both ways (“I don’t know what to even say.”).
As you might imagine, THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) played very differently. Of the 15 audience review cards, 14 voted ‘treasure’ (“An absolute classic brilliant film”), and 1 voted ‘trash’ (“Couldn’t seem him!”). Which is a pretty transparent result…
I struggled to get my words out when introducing the film, attempting to explain the historic erasure of director James Whale from a 1930s film industry that had previously accepted him as an out, gay, successful filmmaker. I hadn’t fully comprehended my emotional state in response to the rising hate for LGBTQIA+ people in our present times, and how readily social media barons have fallen in step. Until I needed to stand on stage and talk about it… (“Awesome to hear some gay history about the creators as well.”).
#114: ‘A toast to David Lynch’ – DUNE d. David Lynch (1984 / USA / 137mins)
Genesis Cinema 25 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
Demand was huge for our instantly sold out toast to David Lynch with a screening of his most critically derided work, DUNE (1984). That alone is testimony to his enduring legacy as a much-loved master of moving image (even if I couldn’t convince everyone that DUNE is a misunderstood masterpiece of speculative fiction…). I invited audience members to use their review cards to share thanks and thoughts about Mr Lynch, and here are some of their messages:
“Thank you David for creating such amazing cinematic and TV memories.”
“David Lynch taught me to trust my dreams, they may be able to teach you something about your reality. RIP to the legend, he lives for eternity thru his art!”
“Dear David Lynch, bring me some damn good coffee from the future, and also the past. The world and I will miss you.”
“THANK YOU DAVID, LOVE YOU FOREVER.
#115: THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES d. Robert Fuest (1971 / UK / 94m)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 26 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
DR. PHIBES continued CELLULOID JAM for two main reasons. According to ‘Rocky Horror Show’ lore, Vincent Price was in the audience for the rock musical’s opening night on stage on 19 June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Also, Tim Curry had this to say about his fishnetted creation:
“When I first did the show, one of the games that the critics played was trying to decide what Frank N Furter was a combination of. The favourite one was Joan Crawford and Vincent Price.”
Tim Curry
Of the 22 audience review cards, every single one voted ‘treasure’ (“Most definitely a treasure — a beautiful, camp, extravaganza of horror!”), which makes THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES a total smash (even if I discovered relatively late in life an inability to pronounce the word ‘abominable’ with any degree of convincing consistency… no wonder the film was occasionally marketed as merely ‘DR. PHIBES’).
#116: IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE d. Jack Arnold (1953 / USA / 81m)
Genesis Cinema 29 JANUARY 2025 [full event info]
After a series of epic BAR TRASH screenings in Bar Paragon, it was great to return to taking a deeper dive into a single movie with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. Jack Arnold’s 1953 movie based on a story treatment by Ray Bradbury (“bespoke ♥︎”) and screenplay by Harry Essex (“broke ☹︎”) went down a storm, with its very practical pleasures glittering from the screen. Of the 31 available audience review cards, 100% voted ‘treasure’, which is a thrilling response to this “accepting” tale of human’s first contact with the alien other.
#117: CLUE: 40TH ANNIVERSARY d. Jonathan Lynn (1985 / USA / 94m)
Beer Merchants Tap 02 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Happy 40th anniversary CLUE!! There was a lot of love in the room for our sold out screening of Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 murder-mystery-comedy. A flop on its original release, CLUE was a smash for us. Of the 24 available audience review cards, everyone voted ‘treasure’, making CLUE (1985) our second 100% hitter in a row!
This “RIDICULOUS. Camp. Murdery. Mysterious” board game adaptation was originally released to cinemas with a number of alternative endings, and seeing Tim Curry (as butler Wadsworth) dash them all off in rapid succession in the “trilogy ending” home video edit was an absolute headblast: “It was fun to see all 3 of the endings”. I’m not the only one who got more than a little confused… “Who dunnit? I have no idea! But Communism was a red herring…” and “If you gave me a million guesses, I still wouldn’t have guessed right”.
#118: Mystery Film: MONSTER DOG aka Leviatán d. Claudio Fragasso (1984 / Spain & USA / 81m)
Genesis Cinema 05 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Our CELLULOID JAM mystery horror film at Genesis Cinema was revealed to be… 1984 Euro-trash werewolf cult rock oddity… MONSTER DOG aka Leviatán, starring none other than ‘The Godfather of Shock & Roll’, and one of Richard O’Brien’s stated inspirations for the ROCKY HORROR character Frank N Furter, Alice Cooper!! 🐺 Aroooooo 🐺!!
So, was MONSTER DOG “the dog’s bollocks (or just bollocks?)”. Of the 35 available audience review cards, 27 voted ‘treasure’, 5 voted ‘trash’ (“I’m a cat person.”), and 3 swung both ways (“Dope”), which is an unexpected smash, proving that “Westerns and werewolves do mix!”.
#119: NIGHT OF THE DEMON aka Curse of the Demon d. Jacques Tourneur (1957 / UK / 96m)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 09 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
It’s always a joy and a terror to show a film you consider to be a stone-cold classic. Of course you want to introduce the film by proselytizing its virtues, but you can’t over-sell the proposition in order to give audiences their own wriggle room. Fortunately, NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1957) comes with flex built in, and that boils down to one very simple question: DEMON or NO DEMON? We of course showed the full-fat pre-release edit which contains all the kaiju-scale demonic action the fanboys (love to…?) hate.
Of the 14 available audience review cards, everyone voted ‘treasure’, which confirms the film’s standing as a classic of British Horror Cinema (and yes, it’s important enough to merit those capital letters…). Audience comments were effusive: “Such a great classic! NIGHT OF THE DEMON is evilly good!” and “A gothic delight full of dread”. The opportunity to see the pre-release edit was also welcome: “Excellent full-length version — so much enjoyment!” and “Brilliant vintage British horror.”
#120: DOCTOR X d. Michael Curtiz (1932 / USA / 76m)
Genesis Cinema 12 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Returning yet again to films referenced in ROCKY HORROR’s opening number “Science Fiction / Double Feature”, this rare public screening of DOCTOR X (1932) was an opportunity to celebrate the sublime Fay Wray. We screened DOCTOR X from the ‘Two-strip Technicolor’ restoration by UCLA and released on disc by Warner Bros Archive.
For many, DOCTOR X “looked amazing” from a “gorgeous restoration”, and was a revelation in both movie-making technology and visual storytelling: “Astonishing to see the 1930s in colour…”, “2/3 of the colours but 10/10 film” and “DOCTOR X’s red + green walked, so WICKED’s pink + green could run.” Of the 25 audience review cards, 23 voted ‘treasure’ (“Oh my god! The colours! Simply mesmerising”) and 2 voted ‘trash’ (“Wonderfully green but upsetting no diversity”) which gives DOCTOR X a resounding win (with cautionary notes!).
#121: SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER d. Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1959 / USA / 114m)
Beer Merchants Tap 16 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Our CELLULOID JAM presentation of SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959) at Beer Merchants Tap for LGBT History Month was one of those screenings that creeps up on you [Sunday 16 February 2025]. Undersold less than a week before showtime, we ended up selling out on the night, fetching extra seats for the attending crowd. And then the film hit… I show films in bars so people can be together — in a way that much modern cinema mitigates against — and take risks with unfamiliar films. No one had seen SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER going in… and apart from one person who left 10 minutes out, I don’t think any film since the OG Godzilla has been so closely observed by our amazing audience.
Of the 22 available audience review cards, 21 voted ‘treasure’ (“(Sea)—turtley amazing!”), 1 person swung both ways (“Not problematic at all! Golden era movie stars slay like no one”), and no one voted ‘trash’. Which makes SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER an epic smash. One review card expressed a sentiment shared by many on the night: “I honestly have nothing funny to say about this film — just this — it’s incredible! One of the greatest films I’ve ever seen.” And yes, there was an enormous amount to take in: “Still thinking, thoughts will be emailed”.
#122: TARANTULA: 50TH ANNIVERSARY d. Jack Arnold (1955 / USA / 80m)
Genesis Cinema 19 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Celebrating its 70th Anniversary, TARANTULA! (1955) stomped around Bar Paragon as, once again, the lyrics to Richard O’Brien’s “Science Fiction / Double Feature” served as our (unreliable…) guide to cinema’s classic B-movies.
Monster movies — large or small — have always been popular at BAR TRASH, and this night was packed despite the many regulars who had declined the company of Jack Arnold’s big beast on the basis of their arachnophobia… A film that literally keeps bums from seats must be tapping into some deep-rooted primal terrors…
Of the 24 available audience review cards, 23 voted ‘treasure’ (“Very fun to watch”) and only one tentatively swung both ways (“?”). No one voted ‘trash’, which keeps TARANTULA! at the top of the food chain. Comments focussed on the overall quality of the film’s performances and its special/optical effects, even if the sensational plot (“A very competent cast in a very silly film”) and deeply gendered character roles (“‘Lady Scientist’ — yuck!’”) gave some people the willies.
#123: AMERICAN GOTHIC d. John Hough (1987 / UK & Canada / 90m)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 23 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
John Hough’s forgotten rural slasher AMERICAN GOTHIC (1987) continued our CELLULOID JAM season in the Members’ Bar at Finsbury Park Picturehouse. Starring Oscar-winner Rod Steiger (IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT) and TV favourite, Yvonne De Carlo (THE MUNSTERS), it’s fair to say this rarely-screened curiosity divided the room. Of the 10 available audience review cards, 5 voted ‘treasure’ (“Very, very good fun”), 3 voted ‘trash’ (“The pitchfork is blunt”), and 2 swung both ways (“More Fanny, Less Muff!”).
#124: Gimmick Show: STRAIT-JACKET d. William Castle (1964 / USA / 93m)
Genesis Cinema 26 FEBRUARY 2025 [full event info]
Part of my deviant modus operandi at BAR TRASH is to screen the films of director/screenwriter/showman William Castle whilst attempting to recreate his 1950s/60s promotional gimmicks (in a bar on a zero budget…). To date, I’ve installed seat buzzers for THE TINGLER (a 1959 gimmick called ‘Percepto!’), and made a skeleton and other props appear to fly through the screen for HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (a gimmick called ‘Emergo!’). Continuing my ROCKY HORROR celebration season, CELLULOID JAM, it was time to screen STRAIT-JACKET starring Joan Crawford, one of Tim Curry’s supposed inspos for his Frank N Furter.
By the time he released STRAIT-JACKET in 1964, Castle professed to have been done with installing theatrical thrills in cinemas showing his films. Instead, he found the perfect promotional ‘gimmicks’ for this film; a screenplay by a respected writer, Robert Bloch (PSYCHO), and a true icon of cinema, Joan Crawford (THE UNKNOWN, MILDRED PIERCE) to be his star. Crawford was contracted to tour with the film, bussed between venues to make brief but wildly popular PAs wherever STRAIT-JACKET was showing.
Attempting to recreate as much of this as possible, I invited drag artist Tonya Dreams to appear as our surprise VIP guest in the interval. ‘Miss Joan Crawford’ was escorted by paparazzi to the tiny Bar Paragon stage before performing a lip-synch routine (with added puppetry!) inspired by the Joan Crawford biopic MOMMIE DEAREST (with a few swipes of the STRAIT-JACKET axe edited in for good measure). Our crowd went wild… At the end of their performance, I presented Tonya with a bouquet of flowers before ‘Miss Joan’ tossed Pepsi-flavoured lip balms to their adoring fans… and left.
Elsewhere, we installed a massive “Good luck in STRAIT-JACKET Joan xxx” cake in front of a pastel-striped padded-cel wall for some additional audience interaction (recreating more photo references from the 1960s and giving me a once in a lifetime excuse to cut a cake with an axe — the arterial butter cream spray was an unexpected delight!). Then, Tonya dialled up the thrills one last time by rampaging through the auditorium as George Kennedy was killed on screen (wielding an icing-coated axe and a severed head as they ran screaming through the bar…). No one retreated to the ‘Cowards Corner’ (another Castle gimmick), but there were more than a few head-scratches come the film’s twist/insane ending.
What did our audience make of it all? Of the 24 available audience review cards, 23 voted ‘treasure’ (“Loved it! A very head rolling film!”), 1 swung both ways (“The performance ♥︎”), and no one voted ‘trash’. Which confirms the film’s — and most importantly, Joan Crawford’s — iconic status.
#125: FORBIDDEN PLANET d. Fred M. Wilcox (1956 / USA / 98m)
Beer Merchants Tap 02 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
One of the questions we ask when we show a classic film at BAR TRASH is… does the film still stand up, or are we now watching it with a different (queer…) eye? FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) is widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, and that is absolutely how I introduced it, adding my own cautionary caveats and a focus on the film’s production personnel (including poor Frankie Darro who got fired from the shoot after his 5-Martini lunch…).
But what did our audience make of it? Of the 15 available audience review cards, 12 voted ‘treasure’ (“A groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece”), 1 voted ‘trash’, and 2 swung both ways (“Very pretty but not much story.”). For some, FORBIDDEN PLANET’s story of how “scientific advancement trips up on psychology” remains deeply relevant today, providing a parallel commentary on the development of AI wherein humankind’s baser instincts are amplified in the name of advancement. For others, the film’s treatment of Anne Francis is evidence of the still-urgent need to keep our Trumpian Ids in check.
#126: CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL d. Trey Parker (1993 / USA / 95m)
Genesis Cinema 05 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
Whatever backdrop there is to our (queer) relationship with SOUTH PARK creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the film’s opening number “Shpadoinkle” is enough to lighten any mood, and never has the phrase ‘baked potato’ brought such lyrical joy. What did our audience make of it? Of the 27 available audience review cards, 24 voted ‘treasure’ (“Banger after banger. Brilliant performances from everyone”), 1 voted ‘trash’ (“In the best way”), and 2 swung both ways (“Great songs. Less good racism.”). Which crowns CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL with something of a gold rush.
#127: IWD x FIST CLUB Takeover: PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN from vintage VHS d. George Butler (1985 / USA / 107m)
Genesis Cinema 08 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
Our International Women’s Day Takeover Weekender was our most successful fundraiser ever, collecting £504 in donations for our chosen charity, period equity campaigners BLOODY GOOD PERIOD. The weekend started with PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN (1985) hosted by queer wrestling collective FIST CLUB at Genesis Cinema.
Of the 15 available review cards, everyone voted ‘treasure’. Which comes as no surprise judging by the heat in our room… So let’s focus on the audience’s comments: “This genuinely changed my life. I am hitting the weights and fake tan ASAP! Muscle mommies UNITE ♥︎!” and (with Rita Slayworth’s permission…) “Respectfully, I need Bev to crush my head like a watermelon between her thighs…”. Finally: “Amazing watch! More WOMEN please! ♥︎♥︎” To which the answer is always an unequivocal YES.
#128: IWD x CATEGORY H Takeover: VAMPYRES aka Daughters of Darkness d. José Ramón Larraz (1974 / UK & Spain / 87m)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 09 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
Our BAR TRASH International Women’s Day Takeover Weekender continued with VAMPYRES aka Daughters Of Darkness (1974) hosted by horror-centred film club CATEGORY H… and it’s fair to say this “strangely fantastical & odd” film divided the audience… Of the 24 available review cards, 13 voted ‘treasure’ (“Gore and nudity soaked vampire classic. Loved it.”), 7 voted ‘trash’ — and some of them really meant that unironically — (“Like a Jean Rollin movie without any of the poetry. Insufferable.”), and 4 swung both ways (“the fact that the final girl was a pathetic 40 yr old man…”). Which gives VAMPYRES a modest but notable win!
#129: ‘Midnight Mayhem / Double Feature’: REEFER MADNESS aka Tell Your Children d. Louis J. Gasnier (1936 / USA / 66m) + FREAKS d. Tod Browning (1932 / USA / 64m)
Genesis Cinema 12 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
Our CELLULOID JAM ‘Midnight Mayhem / Double Feature’ screened two films that, like THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, found loyal returning audiences on the NYC midnight movie circuit. REEFER MADNESS (1936) and FREAKS (1932) had both been significantly altered from their directors’ original visions — in radically different ways — and both films achieved long-lasting notoriety due, in part, to the showmanship of one man: director, producer and exhibitor, Dwain Esper (1894-1982) aka “the father of modern exploitation” cinema.
The review cards are complicated… Of the 8 for REEFER MADNESS, 5 voted ‘treasure’ (“Unhinged!”) and 3 swung both ways (“Hectic, crazy and a complete exaggeration. But how would I know…?”). Of the 12 for FREAKS, everyone voted ‘treasure’ (“Just brilliant! Thank you for this!”). Of the 5 cards covering both films, 4 voted ‘treasure’ (“Both treasures in wildly different ways”) and 1 swung both ways (“One of the worst AND one of the best films BAR TRASH has ever shown.”). Which makes the night a brilliant success, even if not everyone was convinced by REEFER MADNESS (explained well by this comment: “Part of the group of many films which are fun at the time but don’t scream for a rewatch.”).
#130: CHOPPING MALL d. Jim Wynorski (1986 / USA / 77m)
Beer Merchants Tap 16 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
We’d had some seriously powerful nights at BAR TRASH, so it was great to spin the dial all the way back to ‘stupid’ for CHOPPING MALL (aka Killbots, 1986), one of the most ridiculously entertaining movies ever shot in a shopping centre and the happy home to cinema’s ‘second best’ exploding head shot. What did our audience make of it? Of the 23 available audience review cards, 20 voted ‘treasure’ (“10/10, The best movie I’d never heard of”), 1 ‘trash’ (“A harrowing comment on our consumerist society”), and 2 swung both ways (“It was amazing and awful. Loved it!”). Which looks like a win for Britain’s favourite pastime, which used to be shopping, but the cost-of-living crisis might have crushed that…
#131: THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS d. Steve Sekely (1963 / UK / 93m)
Genesis Cinema 19 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
I pitched THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1963) as a ‘classic’ slice of science fiction filmmaking referenced in ROCKY HORROR’s nostalgic opening number, “Science Fiction/Double Feature”. Not that I believe Steve Sekely’s monster movie is a masterpiece of speculative fiction — far from it — but it has all the traditional ingredients of a heritage brand, like ‘classic’ cola: a reasonable production budget, recognisable star power (Howard Keel, Nicole Maurey, Janette Scott), lush cinematography (it was shot in Cinemascope / Eastman colour), competent practical FX, and a killer title based on a massively successful novel by a much-loved British author, John Wyndham. Which makes it a serious shame the film hasn’t been given an HD makeover in the modern boutique era of home cinema distribution.
I had to scour the internet for different SD/DVD releases (6 in total), all of which had different shortcomings (excessive digital noise, cropped images, non-anamorphic widescreens, no subtitles etc). The DVD version we ended up showing arrived in the post on the day of the screening, meaning we had to do the tech test with our audience already seating…
What did our audience make of it? Of the 16 available audience review cards, 13 voted ‘treasure’ (“tentative ✔️”), 1 voted ‘trash’ (“Storytelling was a bit all over the place, and the 2 plots felt completely disconnected”), and 2 swung both ways (“Amazing + dreadful. I love that Tania from DRACULA [Janina Faye] and Susan from DOCTOR WHO [Carole Ann Ford] appeared!!”). Which is a considerably more convincing win than I’d feared (and definitely worth the effort)!
#132: THE DEVIL RIDES OUT d. Terence Fisher (1968 / UK / 96m)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 23 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
Adapted from Dennis Wheatley’s 1934 novel by Richard Matheson, and directed by Terrence Fisher, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT aka The Devil’s Bride pursues a very patriarchal plot, as if two independently wealthy gay uncles (Christopher Lee and Leon Greene) have discovered their transmasc twinkboy nephew (Patrick Mower) has succumbed to chem sex parties and decide to stage an intervention… Of course, it’s not really about that, but once you’ve seen the narrative resemblance, you really can’t shift it… ;).
What did our audience make of this wild romp through the English countryside, pursued by devil goats and giant spiders? Of the 19 available audience review cards, 18 voted ‘treasure’ (“Baphomet Approves”), and 1 voted ‘trash’ (“Straight garbage baby!!!”), and no one was undecided, which probably just goes to show you can’t please everyone, but marks THE DEVIL RIDES OUT as an enduring classic ;).
#133: THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE d. Philippe Mora (1982 / Australia / 96m)
Genesis Cinema 26 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
I hadn’t planned to get all raw, ragged and ranty about the terrifying contemporary rise of Nazism and the scourge of anti-semitism in my intro to Philippe Mora’s anti-fascist experimental exploitation film masquerading as a Jewish superhero comedy movie musical, but sometimes you’ve just got to say what’s in your heart…
Of the 25 available audience review cards for THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE (1982), 20 voted ‘treasure’ (“Really goofy but really fun”), 2 voted ‘trash’ (“It had its moments, but overall it was shit IMHO. But… Richard knows how to polish a turd, so I still had fun!”), and 3 swung both ways (“To quote John Hurt ‘Terrible… but never did I think I would see great!’”). Which awards THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE a win on points if not a definitive knockout. Even if you didn’t like it, we still had a “fantastic evening” together in the darkness!
#134: WEIRD SCIENCE: 40TH ANNIVERSARY d. John Hughes (1985 / USA / 94m)
Beer Merchants Tap 30 MARCH 2025 [full event info]
As cinema-going took a backseat to a tsunami of other wonders — Eid, Mother’s Day, sunshine! — we had a small but perfectly formed audience for WEIRD SCIENCE, our first ever entry in BAR TRASH by teen-pic maestro, John Hughes. Of the 8 available review cards, 7 voted ‘treasure’ (“So 80s. Lots of teenage memories, deeper than I thought.”) and 1 ‘trash’ (“So 80s in so many bad ways.”), which I’m pretty sure gives “John Hughes’ wet fever dream” a higher score than it would receive from a bigger crowd…
#135: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE d. Rudolph Maté (1951 / USA / 83m)
Genesis Cinema 02 APRIL 2025 [full event info]
We completed our exploitation of films referenced in “Science Fiction/Double Feature” with another serving of 1950s sci-fi from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Of the 18 available audience review cards, 17 voted ‘treasure’ (“Very entertaining”) and 1 voted ‘trash’ (“What would happen if Trump succeeds!”), and no-one was undecided. Which gives George Pal and Rudolph Maté’s WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE a cumulative call-back “boom!” worthy of several decades of ROCKY HORROR fandom.
#136: GOTHIC d. Ken Russell (1986 / UK / 87mins)
Finsbury Park Picturehouse 06 APRIL 2025 [full event info]
There simply was no other way to introduce GOTHIC than to warn people the film they are about to see wasn’t going to make a whole deal of sense. Like his contemporaries Peter Greenaway and my personal godhead of moving pictures, Derek Jarman, Ken Russell’s cinema is principally one of visual poetry. GOTHIC is as full-fat an introduction to the art of visual storytelling as you can find. It’s also the most gorgeously, chaotically camp/self-indulgent Hammer Horror film Hammer never made, taking its regal place in our ROCKY HORROR season closing throuple (alongside Russell’s own TOMMY and SHOCK TREATMENT) like an opiate-ravaged dowager duchess.
What did our audience make of the mayhem? Of the 25 available audience review cards, 22 voted ‘treasure’ (“That’s our Ken!”), 2 ‘trash’ (“The real villain is Timothy Spall’s long fingernail — hate!”), and, like our cast, 1 reviewer swung both ways (“Every Timothy Spall reaction shot was the best moment of my life.”). Which gives GOTHIC a resounding thunderclap of success. Even if it did leave more than a few people baffled (“I will think of that goat often”), and several more overwhelmed by its opulence: “The budget on veils! So many veils!”.
#137: DUEL OF THE TITANS aka Romolo e Remo d. Sergio Corbucci (1968 / Italy / 88m)
Genesis Cinema 09 APRIL 2025 [full event info]
Our chaos cup runneth over as we undressed our BAR TRASH event manager James Hayes one final time before he leaves Genesis Cinema for good. Body oil, posing pouches, willing acolytes, competitive posing, tiny waists, muscle mayhem… and that was just our intro! After a toga-clad James and I chatted about the history of antiquity on film and his personal love of muscle culture, he stripped down to his Rocky Horror pants to demonstrate a few poses with the lubricating assistance of a member of the audience and some cooking oil stolen from the pizza kitchen… As a result, we overran terribly (sorry folks!) but I was determined to give my wingman his moment.
What did our audience make of Reeves and Scott grappling in their brotherly underpants? Given our timing issues — we were literally kicking people out just before the venue’s shutters came down — we only received a fistful of completed review cards…. Of the 13 available, 10 voted ‘treasure’ (“Absolute treasure!”), 3 ‘trash’ (“Delightfully trashy!”), and one remained undecided… Which gives DUEL OF THE TITANS a win on technicalities…
#138: TOMMY: 50TH ANNIVERSARY d. Ken Russell (1975 / UK / 111mins)
Beer Merchants Tap 13 APRIL 2025 [full event info]
I’m not sure I’ve ever shown a film that stunned an audience as much as TOMMY (1975) and I’m still undecided about whether or not that counts as a success!? There was definitely shock… but was there any awe? Of the 9 available review cards, 8 voted ‘treasure’, 1 swung both ways, and no one voted ‘trash’ (although more than a few review cards were left sopping up beer at the end of the night… which might tell us something!?). That makes a guarded win for TOMMY, and I’m hedging those bets based on the audience’s somewhat cautious applause…
#139: Closing Night: SHOCK TREATMENT d. Jim Sharman (1981 / USA / 94m)
Genesis Cinema 16 APRIL 2025 [full event info]
CELLULOID JAM came to an epic climax with a sold out screening of SHOCK TREATMENT (1981) and an emotional farewell to our event manager of the last three years, James Hayes. Our season finales are always special occasions, and this was no different. With an opening acoustic sing-along led by James to “Science Fiction / Double Feature”, a two-tiered “Don’t Dream It / Be It” cake created by member of the trash, Tanya, a surprise appearance by friend of the show, legendary drag king Loose Willis, and the title announcement for Season 10 (WE ARE TRASH!), there was a lot of emotion in the room. Which is why James’ touching farewell rendition of the “Science Fiction / Double Feature (Reprise)” was the perfect way to close our night and our season.
But what did our capacity crowd make of Richard O’Brien’s “delightfully odd”, “pastel extravaganza of crazy”, and ‘non-sequel’ to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW? Of the 33 audience review cards, 26 voted ‘treasure’ (“Bitchin’!”), 4 ‘trash’ (“Really wasn’t feeling the film, but what a great night!”), and 2 swung both ways (“I just came to tell you I’m fabulous”). 1 spoilt their ballot by scrawling “WE LOVE YOU TOKEN HOMO!!” in large letters (which is clearly against the rules… ;). Altogether, that looks like we’ve saved SHOCK TREATMENT from its bargain bin (dis)reputation!