RED SONJA (1985)

• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Cast: Brigitte Nielsen, Sandahl Bergman, Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Film: 89mins | USA | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: Doors 6pm | Intro + Film 6:30pm – 9pm [18+]

The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family’s murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.

“A WOMAN AND A WARRIOR THAT BECAME A LEGEND.”

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues our 12^th sensational season — SATANIC PANIC! — with fantasy action epic RED SONJA (1985), co-hosted by Loose Willis and Token Homo for International Women’s Day.

Dungeons & Dragons emerged from the nether worlds of “wargaming, Tolkien fandom and medievalist role-playing” (Gavin Baddeley, ‘Dicing With the Devil’) in 1974 to become a cultural phenomenon less than a decade later. That success put it in the firing line of the ongoing ‘Satanic Panic’ culture war that saw moral campaigners label the game as anti-religious, responsible for promoting demon worship, and worse… The 1979 disappearance and subsequent death of teenager James Dallas Egbert III was inaccurately blamed on the corrupting power of D&D, but in fact Egbert lost his own personal battle against queerphobia, family pressure to achieve at college, and drugs.

With decent big-screen D&D adaptations rarer than the Brass Horn of Valhalla, we’re throwing ourselves deep into the practical magic of 1980s sword-and-sorcery epics with Richard Fleischer’s RED SONJA, the third in a series of adaptations of Robert E. Howard’s work by mega-producer Dino De Laurentiis (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s CONAN films came first). Danish model Brigitte Nielsen was cast as Red Sonja after a ‘down to the wire’ hunt to find a suitably ‘Amazonian’ performer, joining Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, and Kathleen Turner as one of the era’s few female action cinema leads.

Now splendid in a 4K Restoration, RED SONJA was a critical and commercial failure, grossing a third of its production budget and nominated for multiple Golden Raspberry Awards (Nielsen won for ‘Worst New Star’). The film was criticised for depicting an evil lesbian queen (Sandahl Bergman having a splendid time…), and abandoned by its biggest star: “It’s the worst film I have ever made” said Schwarzenegger, “Now I tell my kids that, if they get out of line, they’ll be forced to watch RED SONJA ten times in a row. It must be working, because I’ve never had much trouble with any of them”. As you know, these are perfect ingredients for our signature BAR TRASH cocktail of mayhem.

Join Loose Willis and Token Homo on International Women’s Day to raise funds for volunteer-operated support line, Strut Safe. They are a vital source of kindness and reassurance to anyone who needs it during their travels and for anyone concerned about making their journeys alone. Call 0333 335 0026 (Thursday to Sunday nights) to be directed to a volunteer on your journey and they will stay on the phone with you until you arrive safely at your destination. Find out more: strutsafe.org

Polite notice: We are projecting RED SONJA with subtitles from the best available digital source. Certificated ‘15’ by the BBFC, RED SONJA contains “strong violence, sexual violence, nudity” and an evil lesbian villain.

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets £8 / £5 for PH members. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. More info at tokenhomo.com ///