CHOPPING MALL (1986) 

• Director: Jim Wynorski
• Cast: Kelli Maroney, Tony O’Dell, Russell Todd, Barbara Crampton 
• Film: 77mins | USA | Subtitles + Intermission
• Doors: 6pm | Intro + Film: 6:30pm – 9:30pm [18+]

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues at Beer Merchants Tap with CELLULOID JAM!, an unofficial celebration of 50 years of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975).

“WHERE SHOPPING COSTS YOU AND ARM AND A LEG!”

A group of young shopping mall employees stay behind for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock-down, the robot security system malfunctions, and goes on a killing spree.

The line ”See androids fighting, Brad and Janet” from ROCKY HORROR’s opening number,  ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’, is a mercurial distillation of all the magical mayhem found in Hollywood’s B-Movies, from the 1920s/50s Poverty Row productions onwards. 

Putting some rendered flesh into this fantasy, we’re screening Jim Wynorski’s CHOPPING MALL (1986), an insane techno-slasher about the evils of excessive consumerism as young retail workers flee murderous killbots in the mall after dark. Produced by Julie Corman for Roger Corman’s Concorde Pictures, the fact that CHOPPING MALL features a cameo from perennial BAR TRASH sweethearts Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel just makes us love it even more.

“The robots, not unlike every villain in an 80s horror film, hate teens, drinking and pre-marital sex, and so when they discover the teens are doing all of that, it’s an all-out war, with lasers and tasers, so much drama!”

Rachel Pullen, UK Film Review

Polite notice: We are showing CHOPPING MALL with subtitles from the best available digital source.

// Part of BAR TRASH: CELLULOID JAM, a fan-powered celebration of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo (creator of BAR TRASH and QUEER HORROR NIGHTS), all films screen with an introduction, intermission, and subtitles/captions (where possible!). Tickets £6. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for news and updates. //