THE UNKNOWN
PROJECTED ON 16MM FILM + LIVE SCORE BY FISCAL HARM
(1927, USA, Tod Browning)
“Love. Obsession. Mutilation. Step right up.”
Before slashers, before freakshows got sanitized, there was Lon Chaney—the original master of the grotesque—and The Unknown, Tod Browning’s (Freaks) twisted masterpiece of lust, deception, and the human body pushed to the brink.
Chaney stars as Alonzo the Armless Wonder, a circus performer who throws knives with his feet and hides a terrible secret under his straitjacket. He’s in love with Nanon (a young Joan Crawford), who can’t stand the touch of men. So Alonzo makes the ultimate sacrifice… and the consequences are pure, silent-era insanity.
WEDNESDAY 25TH JUNE
7PM DOORS. 8PM FILM.
BITTER MOON
+ INTRO BY OLIVE PARKER
(1992, France/UK, Roman Polanski)
“Love dies screaming.”
When passion turns poisonous, romance becomes revenge—and no one gets out unscathed.
Strap in for a deliriously dark cruise into the abyss of obsession. On a luxury liner to Istanbul, a repressed British couple meets Oscar, a bitter American writer in a wheelchair, who begins recounting the twisted, erotic collapse of his relationship with the magnetic, mercurial Mimi.
As the tales grow more debauched—and more dangerous—Nigel, the husband, finds himself hypnotised by Mimi’s pull and Oscar’s poison. What starts as flirtation spirals into voyeurism, humiliation, and emotional annihilation.
Directed by Roman Polanski and co-written with Gérard Brach, Bitter Moon is a warped romance soaked in sensuality, sadism, and champagne—part jet-black comedy, part psycho-sexual melodrama, and entirely unforgettable.
Come for the cruise. Stay for the collapse.
THURSDAY 26TH JUNE
6PM DOORS. 7PM FILM.
MILANO CALIBRO 9
(1972, Italy, Fernando Di Leo)
“In this town, everyone’s got a number. His is on a bullet.”
Welcome to Milan—where loyalty is a lie, justice is a racket, and the streets run on paranoia.
When low-level gangster Ugo Piazza is released from prison, he swears he’s gone straight. But no one believes him—not the cops, not the mob, and definitely not The Americano, a ruthless crime boss convinced Ugo stashed a fortune before going in. As the screws tighten and the bodies drop, Ugo plays a dangerous game of double-crosses, old grudges, and brutal reckonings.
Directed by Fernando Di Leo and soaked in style, sleaze, and cynicism, Milano Calibro 9 is a hard-boiled masterpiece of the Italian poliziotteschi wave—where the jazz is slick, the suits are sharp, and the violence hits like a pipe to the ribs.
Featuring a knockout score by Luis Bacalov and Osanna, and starring Gastone Moschin in a career-defining role, this is crime cinema at its coldest, coolest, and most explosive.
There are no heroes. Just survivors.
FRIDAY 27TH JUNE
6PM DOORS. 7PM FILM.
THE BIG RACKET
(1976, Italy, Enzo G. Castellari)
“The cops are outnumbered. The law is outgunned. Time to break the rules.”
A wave of brutal extortion sweeps through Rome, as a sadistic gang terrorises shopkeepers, women, and anyone who won’t pay up. Enter Inspector Nico Palmieri—a no-bullshit cop who’s had enough of watching innocent people get steamrolled by thugs and red tape. When the law won’t back him up, he assembles his own rogue’s gallery of vigilantes: ex-cops, ex-criminals, and one very pissed-off wrestler.
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, Inglorious Bastards), The Big Racket is a bone-crunching, glass-smashing, justice-by-any-means slice of Italian poliziotteschi mayhem. With slow-motion shootouts, relentless brutality, and Fabio Testi giving the performance of his life, this is vigilante cinema turned all the way up.
It’s not a war on crime. It’s an execution.
FRIDAY 27TH JUNE
8.45PM DOORS. 9.15PM FILM.
SWEET BABY CHARLIE
AKA THE SADIST
(1963, USA, James Landis)
“His name is Charlie. His smile is sweet. His gun is loaded.”
Before Manson, before Leatherface—there was Charlie Tibbs.
Three unsuspecting schoolteachers stop to fix their car in a dusty California junkyard… and step straight into a waking nightmare. Hiding in the shadows is Charlie, a twitchy, sadistic maniac with a .45, a cheerfully deranged girlfriend, and a serious God complex. What follows is a relentless, real-time descent into terror, as Charlie toys with his captives like a cat with wounded mice—and every second ticks toward the inevitable.
Shot on a shoestring and burning with grindhouse intensity, The Sadist is a lost American horror-noir classic, loosely inspired by the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather. Featuring an unhinged, unforgettable performance by Arch Hall Jr., it’s pure drive-in terror: sweaty, cruel, and disturbingly ahead of its time.
No gore. No monsters. Just evil—up close and grinning.
SATURDAY 28TH JUNE
6PM DOORS. 7PM FILM.
SPIDER BABY
AKA THE MADDEST STORY EVER TOLD
(1967, USA, Jack Hill)
“The family that slays together, stays together.”
Welcome to the Merrye House—wipe your feet, lose your mind.
Somewhere off the highway, hidden behind overgrown hedges and half-buried warning signs, the last members of the Merrye family live in decaying splendor. They suffer from a rare genetic disorder that causes them to regress into violent, childlike savagery… and today’s the day distant relatives arrive to take over the estate.
Bad idea.
Directed by cult legend Jack Hill (Coffy, Switchblade Sisters) and starring a wonderfully off-kilter Lon Chaney Jr., Spider Baby is a twisted, gothic black comedy that plays like The Addams Family by way of Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Part haunted house, part backwoods horror, part sad little fairy tale—this is one of the strangest, most charming horror oddities of the 1960s.
SATURDAY 28TH JUNE
8.45PM DOORS. 9.15M FILM.
SLUGS
(1988, USA/Spain, Juan Piquer Simón)
“They ooze. They crawl. They kill.”
Something is squirming beneath the surface of small-town America—something slimy, hungry, and armed with thousands of microscopic teeth. When a series of grotesque deaths rock a sleepy suburban community, health inspector Mike Brady uncovers a horror no one could have predicted: a horde of toxic, carnivorous slugs, mutated by illegal chemical dumping and now devouring everything in their path… from the inside out.
From Juan Piquer Simón, the madman behind Pieces, Slugs is a gleefully disgusting eco-horror explosion packed with gory practical effects, unhinged performances, and a total disregard for good taste. Deadly salads, exploding eyeballs, melting faces—this is the squelchy stuff of midnight movie legend.
You’ll never garden again.
WHITE HEAT
(1949, USA, Raoul Walsh)
Presented on 16mm film + reel change intermission
“Made it, Ma! Top of the world!”
James Cagney explodes off the screen as Cody Jarrett, a ruthless, psychotic gangster with a mother complex and a hair-trigger temper. Fresh out of prison and hungry for more, Cody tears through the underworld with brutal efficiency—until an undercover cop infiltrates his gang and sets the stage for one of the most iconic climaxes in Hollywood history.
A blistering collision of film noir grit and gangster pulp, White Heat is the last word in classic crime cinema. Directed by Raoul Walsh and featuring one of the all-time great performances from Cagney, this is a white-knuckle ride into the mind of a killer—equal parts tragedy, tension, and firepower.
DOG GOD (AKA My Teacher Eats Biscuits)
(1997, Thailand, Ing K)
UK PREMIERE — BANNED IN THAILAND
With a special video introduction from the director
Inspired by John Waters’ ‘Pink Flamingo’, in December 1995 a gang of naïve first-time filmmakers, all outsiders, and subsequently banned by the Thai government censors (then under the police) one day before its premiere at the first Bangkok Film Festival in 1998.
Rich young American-Thai Robin imports cult investigator Victor all the way from New York to Bangkok, to rescue his young wife Cherry Pie and baby from a New Age cult. On arrival at the Ashram of Boundless Love, they discover a far darker reality than even they imagined. Even Victor himself may not escape its devious brain-washing machine. Devoted disciples worship a Thai mongrel dog believed to be divine, and 3 Gurus led by a mysterious woman named Satri, who claims to have been a male Buddhist monk in her previous incarnation, back to avenge a heartbreaking crisis of faith. The tribute to ‘Pink Flamingo’ includes a dogshit-eating scene performed by superstar Krissada Sukosol Clapp (instead of Divine) in his first film role as a desperate man trying to save his wayward wife from an evil cult. The charismatic DogGod and his 3 Gurus; their ashram’s pastel pinks in honey-coloured sunshine, all hide in plain sight the darkest reality of the nature of belief. Cartoonish but packs a punch despite or because of its disarming absurdity. So much more relevant now than in 1998 that it no longer feels like a satire, and that’s kind of scary.
TARGETS
(1968, USA, Peter Bogdanovich)
Part of our special 4th of July Triple Feature
“The most powerful horror of all comes from a man with a gun.”
As aging horror icon Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff, in one of his final and finest roles) prepares to retire from the silver screen, real-life terror begins to unfold: a clean-cut young man starts a silent killing spree across Los Angeles, armed with a rifle and a blank stare. Their paths collide at a drive-in screening in one of the most chilling finales in American cinema.
Peter Bogdanovich’s debut is a bold, unnerving meditation on violence in America, crafted in the shadow of the JFK assassination and the rise of mass shootings. Part old-Hollywood elegy, part modern horror show, Targets turns the lens on the audience and dares them not to flinch.
A film that still hits its mark—hard.
NATURAL ENEMIES
(1979, USA, Jeff Kanew)
Part of our special 4th of July Triple Feature
“In five hours, I will kill my wife. This is not a sudden impulse.”
On a cold New England morning, Paul Steward—a successful magazine editor with a beautiful home, three children, and a deeply fractured soul—decides he will murder his family by nightfall. As he moves through the day, conducting interviews, enduring marital silence, and fixating on his alienation, the film spirals into an unflinching portrait of domestic despair and male psychosis.
Rarely screened and long out of print, Natural Enemies is a devastating, dread-soaked character study, powered by a fearless performance from Hal Holbrook. With clinical detachment and quiet fury, director Jeff Kanew (Revenge of the Nerds, no joke) crafts a meditation on suicide, alienation, and the American dream corroding from within.
THE KILLING OF AMERICA
(1981, USA/Japan, Leonard Schrader & Sheldon Renan)
Part of our special 4th of July Triple Feature
“A nation born in violence… and addicted to it.”
Part documentary, part death trip, The Killing of America is a harrowing montage of real footage tracing the rise of mass murder, political assassination, serial killers, and civil unrest in the United States—from JFK to Manson to Jonestown. Originally made for Japanese television and shelved for years in the U.S., it remains one of the most disturbing, unblinking indictments of a culture in freefall.
Narrated in cold, clinical tones by Chuck Riley, and compiled with grim precision, this is not exploitation—it’s exhumation. Less a film than a warning flared across the sky, The Killing of America still shocks, still stuns, and still feels terrifyingly current.
Happy birthday, America.
IN THE COLD OF THE NIGHT
(1990, USA, Nico Mastorakis)
Part of our ‘Coordinated Intimacy’ Double Feature of Erotic Thrillers
“He dreamed her. Then she appeared. And now people are dying.”
Fashion photographer Scott Bruin has it all—money, women, a sleek bachelor pad with floor-to-ceiling neon. But when violent dreams of a mysterious woman’s murder start bleeding into his waking life, he’s drawn into a spiral of voyeurism, sex, and psychosis that threatens to consume him entirely.
A high-gloss descent into late-night paranoia, In the Cold of the Night is a neon-soaked gem from Greek exploitation auteur Nico Mastorakis (Island of Death), packed with synth scores, silk robes, and psychosexual absurdity. Equal parts Rear Window, Cinemax After Dark, and perfume commercial nightmare.
Erotic danger has never looked so well lit.
FLESHTONE
(1994, USA, Harry Hurwitz)
Part of our ‘Coordinated Intimacy’ Double Feature of Erotic Thrillers
“She’s in his paintings. She’s in his bed. But is she even real?”
Max is a brooding artist caught in a haze of lust and paranoia. When his latest muse disappears mysteriously, he plunges into a world of erotic obsession, surreal hallucinations, and dark secrets—where passion and danger are inseparable.
Directed by cult filmmaker Harry Hurwitz (The Projectionist), Fleshtone is a stylish, offbeat neo-noir thriller drenched in mood and mystery. A hypnotic mix of art, desire, and deception that lingers long after the lights go up.
Skin. Colour. Desire. Nothing is as it seems.
DAY OF ANGER
(1967, Italy, Tonino Valerii)
“Justice isn’t given. It’s taken—one shot at a time.”
Scott Mary, a quiet drifter with a shadowy past, arrives in a dusty frontier town ruled by the ruthless landowner Frank Talby. When Talby’s tyranny escalates, Scott trains under the legendary Ben to take on the corrupt forces and bring law to the lawless—gunfire, revenge, and redemption guaranteed.
Directed by Tonino Valerii (The Price of Power), and featuring a blazing score by Riz Ortolani, Day of Anger is a classic spaghetti western packed with gritty shootouts, complex characters, and moral ambiguity. It’s the perfect storm of style and substance that helped define the genre’s golden era.
This is justice, on the edge of a trigger.
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO
(1943, USA, Billy Wilder)
Presented on 16mm film
“Enemy secrets buried in the desert sands.”
Set against the sun-blasted backdrop of World War II North Africa, a weary British soldier poses as a German officer at a remote desert hotel to gather vital intelligence. But when a sultry French woman and suspicious Nazis enter the picture, loyalties blur and danger escalates with every shifting dune.
Directed by Billy Wilder before his legendary Hollywood peak, Five Graves to Cairo is a taut, atmospheric spy thriller packed with suspense, dry wit, and one of Erich von Stroheim’s final unforgettable performances.
A classic war thriller, stripped to its bare essentials—where every shadow hides a threat.
CHAMPAGNE AND BULLETS (AKA Get Even)
(1994, USA, William A. Graham)
“Smooth talk, bad acting, and bullets flying everywhere.”
Wings Hauser stars in this gloriously awful ‘90s noir knockoff where a private eye chases vengeance through a fog of terrible dialogue, wild plot twists, and more cheese than a pizza parlor. Expect over-the-top acting, laugh-out-loud moments, and all the clichés you never knew you loved.
Champagne and Bullets is so bad it’s brilliant—a cult guilty pleasure for fans of gloriously goofy crime flicks that crash and burn in the best way.
Popcorn mandatory. Enjoy the chaos.
LA PRISONNIÈRE
(1968, France, Henri-Georges Clouzot)
“A woman’s desire becomes her cage.”
When a glamorous art dealer spirals into obsession and jealousy, La Prisonnière unravels a dark tale of erotic torment and psychological intrigue set against the elegant Parisian art world. Passion turns to prison as control slips away in this haunting exploration of love, possession, and madness.
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques), this sultry psychological thriller is drenched in sensual tension and moody shadows—a stunning final masterpiece from one of French cinema’s great masters.
Beauty is captivity. Desire is the key.
CRIMES OF PASSION
(1984, USA, Ken Russell)
“Love is a dangerous game—especially when obsession takes over.”
In this lurid and stylish erotic thriller, manic fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life: by day, she rules the runway; by night, she prowls the city as a mysterious prostitute known as China Blue. When her worlds collide, secrets unravel in a violent, twisted tale of passion, betrayal, and revenge.
Directed by Ken Russell (The Devils, Altered States), Crimes of Passion mixes pulp noir aesthetics with surreal excess, delivering a provocative and unforgettable exploration of desire’s dark side.
Danger wears high heels.
BLUE SUNSHINE
(1977, USA, Jeff Lieberman)
Part of our Bad Acid Double Feature - This screening includes a video mixtape intermission and an exclusive video interview with director Jeff Lieberman.
“What if the sunshine turns your mind to poison?”
After a series of bizarre murders, a man discovers that years ago, he and others took a mysterious batch of LSD called “Blue Sunshine” — a drug that causes its users to lose their hair and descend into violent psychosis. As paranoia spirals, reality twists into a nightmare of madness and terror.
Jeff Lieberman’s Blue Sunshine is a cult horror-thriller that perfectly captures the dark side of ‘70s psychedelic experimentation, blending trippy visuals with a creeping sense of dread.
I DRINK YOUR BLOOD
(1970, USA, David E. Durston)
Part of our Bad Acid Double Feature
“Spiked meat pies. Frothing hippies. Small town carnage.”
When a rabies-infected goat’s blood contaminates a pack of Satan-worshipping hippies, the town’s about to get a whole lot nastier. A grotesque rampage of frothing, bloodthirsty maniacs fueled by rabies and revenge explodes in this psychedelic gorefest.
Directed by David E. Durston, I Drink Your Blood is an outrageously bonkers cult classic—equal parts shock, chaos, and ‘70s acid-fueled madness. You won’t forget the meat pies. Or the madness.
THE STABILIZER
(1986, Indonesia, Arizal)
Part of our Blammo! Action Triple Feature
“Gunfire, kung fu, and a one-man mission.”
When a mysterious assassin known only as The Stabilizer is hired to take down a ruthless crime syndicate, the streets explode with relentless action, explosive stunts, and non-stop martial arts mayhem. No one is safe, and no punch goes unthrown.
Directed by Arizal, The Stabilizer is a wild, high-octane Indonesian action flick packed with jaw-dropping fight scenes and over-the-top thrills. If you want pure adrenaline and no-nonsense badassery, this is your ticket.
Ready, set, BAM!
DEADBEAT AT DAWN
(1988, USA, James Melkonian)
Part of our Blammo! Action Triple Feature
“Street gangs, violence, and one man’s brutal redemption.”
When gang leader Goose battles rival crews and his own demons, the city becomes a battleground of fists, guns, and shattered loyalties. In this raw, gritty tale, survival means fighting with everything you’ve got—no matter the cost.
Directed by James Melkonian, Deadbeat at Dawn is a cult classic punk-fueled urban action film, packed with savage fights, stark emotion, and a soundtrack that hits like a punch.
Blood, sweat, and chaos—welcome to the streets.
GUNBLAST
(1989, USA, Nick Millard)
Part of our Blammo! Action Triple Feature
“Bad guys beware. One man’s got a score to settle—with bullets flying.”
After a deadly betrayal, a lone ex-cop takes on a ruthless gang in a gritty showdown packed with gunfights, explosions, and relentless action. No rules, no mercy, just a one-man war.
Directed by cult auteur Nick Millard, Gunblast is a low-budget, high-energy grindhouse
thriller that delivers non-stop shootouts and old-school tough-guy vibes. Perfect for fans of raw, no-frills action mayhem.
Lock and load.
ALL THAT JAZZ
(1979, USA, Bob Fosse)
“Life’s a show, and the spotlight never fades.”
A brilliant but self-destructive choreographer pushes the limits of his body and mind in a dazzling, darkly autobiographical musical that blurs the line between reality and performance. As his world spins out of control, the music keeps playing—and the dance goes on.
Directed by Bob Fosse, All That Jazz is a visually stunning, emotionally raw masterpiece, full of unforgettable numbers and searing insight into ambition, mortality, and the price of greatness.
PSYCHOMANIA
(1973, UK, Don Sharp)
The Dead Still Ride… the Living Howl in Terror!
A gang of young people call themselves the Living Dead. They terrorize the population from their small town. After an agreement with the devil, if they kill themselves firmly believing in it, they will survive and gain eternal life. Following their leader, they commit suicide one after the other, but things don’t necessarily turn out as expected…
THE ROAD TO SALINA
(1970, France/Italy, Georges Lautner)
“A long, lonely journey into a family’s dark secrets.”
After a chance encounter, a young drifter is drawn into an isolated, enigmatic household where love, deception, and danger intertwine beneath the scorching sun. As mysteries unravel, the line between care and control blurs in this atmospheric psychological drama.
Directed by Georges Lautner, The Road to Salina is a hypnotic and unsettling exploration of identity and survival in an unforgiving landscape.
TENEBRAE
(1982, Italy, Dario Argento)
“A killer’s game hides in plain sight.”
When a bestselling author becomes entwined in a series of brutal murders, shadows lengthen and secrets multiply. As the body count rises, nothing is what it seems, and trust becomes a deadly gamble.
Directed by Dario Argento, Tenebræ is a stylish and suspenseful giallo thriller, drenched in vivid color and tense atmosphere, where every detail could be a clue—or a trap.
IVANSXTC
(2000, USA, Bernard Rose)
Part of our Los Angeles Hates Itself Season
“Hollywood’s shadows hide more than just stars.”
In a surreal dive into the dark heart of Tinseltown, a disillusioned producer spirals through the chaos of ambition, addiction, and broken dreams. Reality blurs as decadence and desperation collide in a city that devours its own.
Directed by Bernard Rose, IvansXTC is a moody, unsettling portrait of Hollywood’s underbelly, filled with biting satire and fractured characters.
HOLLYWOOD 90028
(1977, USA, Christina Hornisher)
Part of our Los Angeles Hates Itself Season
“Neon lights, broken dreams, and streets that never sleep.”
In the underbelly of ‘70s Hollywood, a tough-as-nails private eye navigates a world of corruption, violence, and sleaze to uncover the truth behind a deadly conspiracy. Fast cars, femme fatales, and relentless danger lurk at every corner.
Directed by Christina Hornisher, Hollywood 90028 is a gritty exploitation thriller pulsing with raw energy and classic grindhouse grit.
VIDEO BAZAAR PRESENTS: PAGANINI + KINSKI VIDEO MIXTAPE
(1989, Italy/France, Klaus Kinski)
“An obsession that plays like a symphony of madness.”
Klaus Kinski directs and stars as the legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini in this audacious biopic. Blending historical fiction with surreal elements, the film delves into Paganini's turbulent life, exploring themes of genius, excess, and the fine line between brilliance and madness. Kinski's portrayal is intense and unrestrained, reflecting his own complex persona.
THE LAST HORROR FILM
(1982, USA, David Winters)
“A fan’s dark obsession becomes a deadly nightmare.”
When a fading horror star crosses paths with an obsessed fan, the lines between admiration and terror blur in this self-aware, twisted thriller. As fantasies turn fatal, nothing is safe—not even the screen.
Directed by David Winters, The Last Horror Film is a sly, meta-horror gem packed with suspense, dark humor, and a chilling performance by Joe Spinell.
THE SERVANT
(1963, UK, Joseph Losey)
Presented on 16mm film
“A masterclass in power and deception.”
In a sleek London townhouse, the delicate balance between master and servant twists into a gripping psychological battle. Loyalties shift, secrets unravel, and control becomes the ultimate weapon.
Directed by Joseph Losey and written by Harold Pinter, The Servant is a taut, unsettling exploration of class, manipulation, and identity, elevated by impeccable performances and sharp dialogue.
(1963, UK, Joseph Losey)
Presented on 16mm film
“A masterclass in power and deception.”
In a sleek London townhouse, the delicate balance between master and servant twists into a gripping psychological battle. Loyalties shift, secrets unravel, and control becomes the ultimate weapon.
Directed by Joseph Losey and written by Harold Pinter, The Servant is a taut, unsettling exploration of class, manipulation, and identity, elevated by impeccable performances and sharp dialogue.
BAD LIEUTENANT
(1992, USA, Abel Ferrara)
With an introduction by the novelist and critic Rob Doyle
“A corrupt cop walking the razor’s edge between sin and redemption.”
Harvey Keitel delivers a raw, unflinching performance as a morally bankrupt detective spiraling through addiction, guilt, and violence in a New York City that’s as grim as his soul. The line between lawman and lawbreaker blurs in this gritty urban odyssey.
Directed by Abel Ferrara, Bad Lieutenant is a harrowing dive into the darkest corners of human nature, uncompromising and unforgettable.
SHUFFLE + ELECTRIC DRAGON 90,000V
(1997 & 2001, Japan, Sogo Ishii/Gakuryū Ishii)
Two electrifying blasts of Japanese underground cinema back-to-back.
Shuffle spins a chaotic whirlwind of avant-garde animation and surreal storytelling, pushing boundaries with its vibrant, unpredictable style.
Electric Dragon 90,000V charges the screen with a frenetic, punk-fueled energy as a man transforms into a living electric shockwave, delivering a wild ride through Tokyo’s neon-lit streets.
Together, these films spark a jolt of visionary madness, showcasing the fearless creativity of two cult auteurs.
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN
(1989, Japan, Shinya Tsukamoto)
“A visceral fusion of flesh and metal.”
In a relentless assault on the senses, a man’s body begins to transform into cold, unyielding machinery, blurring the line between human and industrial nightmare. Urban decay, raw energy, and body horror collide in a nightmarish vision of modernity run amok.
Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a groundbreaking cyberpunk cult classic—gritty, chaotic, and hypnotically intense.
PETEY WHEATSTRAW
(1977, USA, Cliff Roquemore)
Part of our Bizarro Blaxploitation Double Feature
“Devil-made man with a deal to steal.”
After selling his soul to the devil, Petey Wheatstraw returns as the “Root Doctor” — part charmer, part avenger — ready to settle scores with a supernatural swagger. Equal parts comedy, horror, and funky blaxploitation flair, this cult classic mixes sharp wit with over-the-top style.
Directed by Cliff Roquemore, Petey Wheatstraw is a wild ride through magic, mischief, and ‘70s streetwise cool.
WELCOME HOME BROTHER CHARLES
(1975, USA, Jamaa Fanaka)
Part of our Bizarro Blaxploitation Double Feature
“A preacher’s return stirs up the streets—and the spirits.”
Brother Charles comes home with a mission: to cleanse his community of corruption and sin. But his righteous crusade blurs the line between salvation and vengeance, unleashing chaos in this gritty, unconventional blaxploitation drama.
Directed by Jamaa Fanaka, Welcome Home Brother Charles mixes raw emotion, social commentary, and cult weirdness into a powerful underground classic.
BLONDE DEATH
(1984, USA, James Dillinger)
Presented on VHS
“A razor-sharp cult classic made from next to nothing.”
A made for zero budget SOV (shot-on-video) masterpiece, Blonde Death is a treasure trove of brilliant, snappy dialogue and DIY creativity. This underground LA gem showcases what fearless filmmaking can do when style and wit come first, proving you don’t need money—just guts.
Shot on a shoestring, packed with attitude, and dripping with cult charisma.
HARDCORE
(1979, USA, Paul Schrader)
Part of our Los Angeles Hates Itself Season
Featuring a video interview with Legs McNeil
“A father’s desperate search through the underbelly of sin.”
When a conservative Midwestern businessman’s daughter vanishes, he plunges into the seedy world of Los Angeles’ porn industry, confronting its dark realities and moral decay. A gritty, unflinching exploration of exploitation and obsession.
Directed by Paul Schrader, Hardcore is a powerful drama that balances raw emotion with social commentary.
Featuring a special video interview with Legs McNeil, co-founder of Punk magazine and author of The Other Hollywood, offering insider perspective on underground culture and the film’s lasting impact.
THE HEARTBREAK KID
(1972, USA, Elaine May)
“A comedy of love, disaster, and unforgettable missteps.”
After a whirlwind romance, a newlywed discovers his bride isn’t quite what he expected—sending him on a hilarious and awkward journey through marriage and heartbreak. Elaine May’s sharp wit and incisive direction make this a standout dark comedy about relationships and self-discovery.
Directed by and starring Elaine May’s signature blend of humor and insight, The Heartbreak Kid remains a timeless exploration of love’s complications.
The Nickel Cinema
117-119 Clerkenwell Road
London, EC1R 5BY
A fully licensed grindhouse cinema, bar and video shop
Tues - Sat
From 3pm
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