There have been some great Bar Trash special events as we gather together on special occasions to watch films (and have a few drinks!). If you’d like to talk about bringing the trash to your event or venue, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
#021: Xmas Special: CHRISTMAS EVIL d. Lewis Jackson (1980 / USA / 100mins)
Rule Zero 21 DEC 2022 [full event info]
A deranged department-store Santa becomes a cold-blooded killer in this taut psycho-thriller that spends time looking back at the poor fellow’s life.
“Forget WHITE CHRISTMAS, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and all the other hackneyed trash. Go for the best seasonal film of all-time, CHRISTMAS EVIL.”
John Waters aka ‘The Pope of Trash’
I complemented CHRISTMAS EVIL with a ‘Naughty or Nice’ Confessional, inviting audience members to step onto the stage to explain themselves. The revelations were mind-blowing… but what happens in Bar Trash, stays in Bar Trash.
#047: Queer Fest Special: KENNETH ANGER’S MAGICK LANTERN SHORTS d. Kenneth Anger (1947-65 / USA / various)
Genesis Cinema 15 JUL 2023 [full event info]
Kenneth Anger’s enormously influential short films serve up a mind-bending cocktail of homoeroticism, symbolism and occultism, mixed with a pioneering use of pop and classical music. His controversial life and career – Anger also wrote trash-talking dumpster fire, Hollywood Babylon – are spiked with falsehoods, radicalism, censorship (leading to a landmark civil rights judgement), violence, and scandal.
#076: VHS Collecting Day: THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE from VHS 📼 d. Amy Holden Jones (1982 / USA / 77mins) + SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE 2 from VHS 📼 d. Deborah Brock (1987 / USA / 77mins)
Genesis Cinema 23 MARCH 2024 [full event info]
Responding to audiences’ love of this legacy format, we organised our first VHS Collecting Day featuring a VHS Collecting Workshop and a Vintage VHS Double-Bill, co-hosted by the incredible tapehead, Gemma Gore!
The workshop looked at everything VHS, from buying, selling, and getting help with valuations, to tape preservation, storage and maintenance (including a live demonstration of mould removal!). After that, Gemma screened two films from her personal tape collection, both written and directed by women: Amy Holden Jones’ THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982, aka ‘Slumber Party Murders’ in the UK), and Deborah Brock’s SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE 2 (1987).
#094: CREATURE DOUBLE FEATURE: REVENGE OF THE CREATURE d. Jack Arnold (1955 / USA / 82mins) + THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US d. John Sherwood (1956 / USA / 78mins)
Genesis Cinema 07 SEPTEMBER 2024 [full event info]
A victory lap!? As a special treat for everyone’s support for all seasons of Bar Trash, and suitably enough for an ENCORE!!! season, we came back for one final show, a rare public screening of the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON sequels.
It was a joy to introduce these wayward and too often overlooked films: one that mirrors the original – REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1955) – and one that dares to be (too?) different – THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US (1956). As it was the end of the season, I’d run out of time and audience review cards, but the general consensus was clear: whatever was done to the Gill-Man, there remains a huge amount of love for him in our room.
#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 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…). Rather than review the film, I invited audience members to use their feedback 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.
“The most epic intro I have ever seen or heard in my life! Token Homo’s film club is the best + Richard you are a legend!!!”