SILENT RAGE (1982) from vintage VHS

• Director: Michael Miller
• Cast: Chuck Norris, Ron Silver, Steven Keats
• Film: 97mins | USA | No Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: Doors 6pm | Intro + Film 6:30pm – 9pm [18+]

A sheriff tries to stop the killing spree of a silent maniacal murderer who, as the result of secret genetic experimentation by an unethical scientist, has the ability to self-heal.

“SCIENCE CREATED HIM. NOW CHUCK NORRIS MUST DESTROY HIM!”

BAR TRASH continues our 12th sensational season — SATANIC PANIC! — with six-time World Karate Champion and 1980s action star Chuck Norris battling a bionic killing machine in SILENT RAGE (1982). What’s Chuck Norris doing here? It’s complicated… 

In the 1980s, a series of unfounded accusations of abuse were levied against childcare workers across America. Amplified by irresponsible press reporting, entitled policing, and coercive interview techniques — and entrenched by an unquestioning position of ‘we believe the children’ — dark and entirely fictitious conspiracies of child abuse, Satanic sacrifice and cannibalism sent innocent kindergarten workers to prison and destroyed lives.

The epicentre of the furore was the McMartin Preschool in California which saw members of the owning / operating family falsely accused in 1983 of hundreds of acts of abuse against children in their care. By the time the case collapsed in 1990 without a single conviction, it became the longest and most expensive series of criminal trials in American history, a destructive wildfire akin to the Salem witch trials three centuries prior.

Allegations ranged from the deeply disturbing to the frankly preposterous, with co-operative children claiming to have seen witches fly, travelled in a hot-air balloon, and abducted through underground tunnels. When shown a series of photographs by defence lawyers, one child identified actor Chuck Norris as one of the abusers. Obviously, this was another falsehood, but the accusation still made the national news headlines. We told you it was complicated!

Polite notice: Our VHS presentations do not have subtitles or captions and may encounter technical problems during playback (we have a digital backup if needed). Please approach the technical quality of the vintage source material with love, awe and empathy!

/// 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 from £6 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. More info at tokenhomo.com ///