The Nickel | Independent Cinema in Clerkenwell, London

Please note we are unable to offer refunds or exchanges on tickets. No late admissions from 15 minutes after showtime.

LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET

(1977, USA, Roger Watkins)

After being expelled from film school, a disgruntled young man stages a series of increasingly brutal snuff-style murders to exact revenge on a society he despises. Filmed with a raw, guerrilla aesthetic, the killings blur the line between fiction and reality as he drags the audience into his dark, obsessive vision.

A grim and controversial exploitation film, Last House on Dead End Street combines amateurish grit with shocking violence, creating a disturbing, unforgettable descent into revenge, nihilism, and obsession.

THE NINTH CONFIGURATION

(1980, USA, William Peter Blatty)

In a secluded military psychiatric hospital, soldiers tormented by wartime trauma are evaluated under the care of a maverick psychiatrist whose methods challenge both protocol and belief. When a cynical New York surgeon is drafted in to assess a delusional patient claiming that alien forces influence government policy, professional skepticism collides with existential inquiry. As the institution’s internal logic spirals between rapture and disorder, questions of faith, madness, and redemption loom large.

Adapted from Blatty’s own novel, The Ninth Configuration defies easy categorisation — part psychological drama, part dark comedy, and part metaphysical fable. The film uses its isolated enclave as a crucible for probing the limits of belief and the human response to uncertainty, crafting a narrative that is as much about the search for meaning as it is about the fractures of the psyche.

THE STUFF

(1985, USA, Larry Cohen)

A mysterious, sweet, and seemingly irresistible dessert called “The Stuff” begins to sweep the nation, quickly becoming a popular treat. When a former FBI agent discovers that it is alive and parasitic, feeding off its consumers, he sets out to warn the public. Corporate interests and government officials, however, are more concerned with profit than safety, creating obstacles that heighten the tension.

Blending satirical humor with horror and science fiction, The Stuff critiques consumer culture, corporate greed, and blind enthusiasm for fads. Its mix of absurdity and suspense gives the film both a playful edge and an underlying sense of danger, making it a cult favorite for its commentary as well as its inventive premise.

CUT-THROATS NINE

(1971, USA, Ken Hughes)

Set in the Old West, the film follows a small group of outlaws and bounty hunters who converge on a remote desert town in search of stolen gold. As greed and paranoia mount, alliances shift and betrayals become inevitable, turning the harsh landscape into a deadly trap. Survival depends on cunning, timing, and ruthlessness, with trust proving as scarce as water in the desert.

Cut Throats Nine combines gritty Western action with a tense, suspenseful atmosphere. The story emphasizes moral ambiguity, the brutality of frontier life, and the destructive nature of avarice, delivering a raw, unflinching vision of violence and human desperation in a lawless world.

SAINT JACK

(1979, USA, Peter Bogdanovich)

Adrift in the margins of Singapore’s underworld, an American hustler scrapes by on charm, improvisation, and an unshakable belief in his own luck. Moving between brothels, bars, and backroom deals, he dreams of one big score that will finally deliver independence and control. But as alliances shift and expectations close in, survival becomes a daily negotiation, and freedom proves far more elusive than he imagined.

Loose, atmospheric, and quietly unsettling, Saint Jack captures a world defined by transience and moral ambiguity. Bogdanovich lets the city breathe, using its rhythms to mirror a life built on drift rather than direction. Ben Gazzara gives a deeply lived-in performance, blending swagger with vulnerability to create a portrait of a man clinging to autonomy in a system designed to consume him.

TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS

(1981, Italy, Marco Ferreri)

Based on the writings of Charles Bukowski, the film follows Charles, a hard-drinking, disillusioned writer navigating the seedy underbelly of urban life. He drifts through bars, casual relationships, and encounters with marginalized characters, exploring the raw, often grotesque realities of sex, addiction, and human desire. Charles’s life is a series of excesses and misadventures, punctuated by moments of introspection and fleeting connection.

Ferreri’s adaptation emphasizes unflinching realism and dark humor, blending eroticism, social critique, and absurdity. Tales of Ordinary Madness paints a stark portrait of alienation, the pursuit of pleasure, and the contradictions of modern life, capturing Bukowski’s uncompromising voice in cinematic form.

DEEP END

(1970, United Kingdom, Jerzy Skolimowski)

Set in a crowded London public bathhouse, the film follows Mike, a teenage boy working a summer job, who becomes infatuated with Susan, a confident and enigmatic older woman. As he navigates desire, jealousy, and confusion, his obsession grows, leading him into increasingly risky and morally ambiguous situations. The confined, steamy environment heightens tension, reflecting the intensity and awkwardness of youthful obsession.

Deep End blends psychological drama with sensual tension and dark humor, using bold visual composition and a moody soundtrack to amplify the protagonist’s inner turmoil. The film explores themes of sexual awakening, obsession, and the vulnerability of adolescence, offering a sharp, sometimes unsettling look at the collision between desire and experience.

DAS MILLIONENSPIEL

(1970, West Germany, Tom Toelle)

In a near-future Germany, a televised game show pits contestants’ lives against deadly stakes for the chance to win a massive cash prize. George, the chosen participant, becomes the target of relentless hunters while cameras broadcast his every move to a captivated audience. As he navigates traps, public scrutiny, and moral dilemmas, the line between entertainment and real-life violence becomes increasingly blurred.

Das Millionenspiel is a prescient thriller that satirizes media sensationalism, voyeurism, and the ethics of televised spectacle. Its tense pacing, social critique, and darkly ironic tone explore how society consumes danger as entertainment, making it an early and influential commentary on reality-based programming.

PACIFIC HEIGHTS

(1990, USA, John Schlesinger)

Two insufferably loved-up yuppies decide there's only one thing lacking from their perfect lives: property ownership. They finally consummate their relationship by buying a big Victorian fixer-upper in one of San Francisco's poshest neighbourhoods. And their bank balance grows when they let out its two flats to affluent renters, one of whom is a slick, overconfident businessman who, to absolutely no one's surprise, turns out to be the psychopathic tenant from hell.

Schlesinger's renter-revenge thriller is a tightly-constructed Hitchcockian homage, one underlined by clever cameos for both Tippi Hedren and Schlesinger himself. Hedren's daughter, Melanie Griffith, easily takes the lead off the Ken-doll boyfriend played by Matthew Modine. But it's a mid-Batman Michael Keaton, tackling his first villainous role, who gleefully steals the film as their artful lodger.

Screening as part of The Consummate Professional: John Schlesinger at 100: https://schlesinger-100.webflow.io/

Runtime: 102 mins

Certificate: 15

Wednesday 15/4

Bar 5:30pm

Film 6pm

Digital

Book here

THE BELIEVERS

(1987, USA, John Schlesinger)

The life of police psychologist Cal Jamison is turned inside-out after the shocking death of his wife. Moving to Manhattan to escape his traumas, he is instead immediately drawn into a series of grisly ritual murders. Forced to do battle with NYPD incompetence, he uncovers a hidden battle between practitioners of santería and brujería, which quickly poses a threat not only to Jamison himself, but to his wider family.

Part of the late-'80s cycle of occult thrillers that included The Serpent and the Rainbow and Angel Heart, Schlesinger's deepest venture into horror was the feature debut for screenwriter Mark Frost, written while he and David Lynch were developing Twin Peaks. It was also Schlesinger's third and final New York film, delving into even darker territory than its two iconic predecessors, Midnight Cowboy and Marathon Man.

Screening as part of The Consummate Professional: John Schlesinger at 100.

Runtime: 114 mins

Certificate: 15

Wednesday 15/4

Bar 8:15pm

Film 8:45pm

Digital

Book here

EATEN ALIVE

(1976, USA, Tobe Hooper)

In Eaten Alive, a deranged hotel owner named Judd lures unsuspecting guests to his remote East Texas establishment, where they quickly discover that his hospitality masks a horrifying secret. A man‑eating crocodile lurks in the nearby swamp, and Judd delights in orchestrating gruesome encounters for his victims, watching them fight for survival as the creature attacks. The hotel, dilapidated and isolated, becomes a nightmarish trap where escape seems impossible.

Known for its tense atmosphere, graphic violence, and Hooper’s signature surreal horror touches, Eaten Alive combines backwoods terror with grotesque suspense. The film explores human cruelty alongside natural predation, creating a claustrophobic and relentless experience that heightens both shock and dread as the line between predator and prey blurs in the swamp’s shadowy depths.

DISCREET CINE PRESENTS: AN UNMARRIED WOMAN

(1978, United States, Paul Mazursky)

In An Unmarried Woman, Erica Miller is forced to reassess her life after her husband unexpectedly leaves her for a younger woman. Suddenly navigating divorce, singlehood, and her own emotional turmoil, Erica moves into a new apartment in New York City and attempts to rebuild her sense of self apart from the identity she once shared with her spouse. As she tentatively re‑enters the world of dating, nurtures friendships, and explores her passion for art, Erica oscillates between vulnerability and newfound independence.

The film is an intimate character study that explores personal growth, resilience, and the evolving definition of love and fulfillment. Through Erica’s ups and downs, An Unmarried Woman captures both the pain of loss and the quiet exhilaration of carving out a life on one’s own terms, offering a poignant reflection on identity, autonomy, and the shifting landscape of relationships in late‑20th‑century America.

Introduced by programmer, Agne Qami

PSYCHOMANIA

(1973, United Kingdom, Don Sharp)

A British biker gang, led by the charismatic and eccentric Tom, develops a macabre obsession with death and immortality. After a fatal accident, Tom returns from the grave, terrifying both rivals and the local community while blurring the line between life and the supernatural. The gang’s fascination with mortality fuels increasingly bizarre and dangerous behavior as they experiment with the limits of life and consequence.

Psychomania combines horror, dark comedy, and cult biker rebellion, using over-the-top imagery and fantastical elements to create a surreal, nightmarish tone. The film explores themes of mortality, obsession, and the allure of outlaw culture, cementing its status as a unique entry in 1970s British genre cinema.

THE APPOINTMENT

(1981, United Kingdom, Lindsey C. Vickers)

A quiet British suburb is rocked when a teenage girl’s violin recital looms at the same time her father must travel for work. That night, the family is beset by unsettling nightmares and visions that seem to foreshadow a tragic turn of events. In the background lurks the unresolved disappearance of another young girl from the same community, and an eerie presence appears to weave dread through ordinary moments and everyday objects.

The film unfolds as a slow‑burn supernatural thriller that blends psychological unease with hints of folk horror. Rather than relying on overt shocks, it uses atmosphere, haunting imagery, and creeping tension to blur the line between subconscious fear and inexplicable forces at work, inviting the audience to wonder whether the horrors are external realities or manifestations of guilt and anxiety.

MYSTERY MOVIE

Not for the easily offended, and strictly programmed for adult audiences only - our mystery films are eye-popping forays into the bold and bonkers world of psychotronic cinema. Expect the unacceptable.

Please consider yourself forewarned that these films may (and probably will) contain offensive and upsetting content. Do not attend if you are of a sensitive disposition.

SECRET CEREMONY

(1968, United Kingdom, Joseph Losey)

In postwar London, a fragile, emotionally scarred woman, Leonora, becomes entwined with Cenci, a rebellious and unpredictable young woman who seeks comfort and guidance after a personal tragedy. Their complex relationship blurs the boundaries between maternal care, manipulation, and desire, as each struggles with grief, loneliness, and the need for connection. Psychological tension escalates as their interactions grow increasingly intense and unstable.

Secret Ceremony blends psychological drama with elements of gothic suspense, exploring themes of identity, dependency, and the fragility of human relationships. With restrained performances and a meticulously composed visual style, the film examines the dangerous interplay between vulnerability and control, creating a haunting and emotionally charged narrative.

BOOM!

(1968, United Kingdom, Joseph Losey)

Set on a secluded Mediterranean island, the film follows Flora, a wealthy and eccentric widow, whose isolated world is disrupted by the arrival of a charming young con artist posing as a nobleman. Their interactions unfold as a surreal and often absurd exploration of desire, manipulation, and mortality, with Flora oscillating between vulnerability, obsession, and defiance.

Boom! blends dark comedy, surrealism, and psychological drama, emphasizing stylistic visuals and heightened performances. The film examines themes of power, seduction, and the human fascination with death, creating an offbeat, theatrical atmosphere that reflects both the absurdity and melancholy of its characters’ lives.

DERANGED (ON VHS)

(1987, 1987, Chuck Vincent)

Alone in her apartment while her husband is away, Joyce is attacked by a masked intruder and kills him in self‑defense. Traumatized by the incident and already struggling with unresolved psychological wounds, she begins to withdraw into her own mind. Hallucinations, fragmented memories, and imagined conversations with figures from her past start to blur the line between reality and fear. As her isolation deepens, she becomes increasingly convinced that anyone who enters her life poses a threat, driving her toward increasingly desperate and violent acts.

Deranged unfolds almost entirely within the confines of Joyce’s apartment, using her growing paranoia to sustain tension and unease. The film merges psychological thriller elements with horror, focusing on the deterioration of its central character’s psyche and the unsettling interplay between trauma, fear, and perception.

THE MYSTERY DOJO: MYSTERY ACTION FILM

A mystery action film obtained from the depth's of the Nickel Mystery Dojo...

Not for the easily offended, and strictly programmed for adult audiences only, our mystery films are eye-popping forays into the bold and bonkers world of psychotronic cinema. Expect the unacceptable.

WILD STYLE

(1983, USA, Charlie Ahearn)

Set in the Bronx, Wild Style follows a young graffiti artist navigating the early hip-hop scene of New York City. As he balances his creative ambitions with the pressures of street life, the film explores the interconnected worlds of breakdancing, DJing, rapping, and tagging. Rivalries, collaborations, and the pursuit of recognition drive the narrative, showcasing the energy and inventiveness of a burgeoning cultural movement.

Blending documentary-style realism with dramatized storytelling, Wild Style captures the vibrancy and raw creativity of early 1980s hip-hop. Its emphasis on street art, music, and community highlights the social and cultural roots of the movement, making it both a time capsule and an influential chronicle of urban youth expression.

VIDEO BAZAAR PRESENTS: PRIVILEGE

(1967, United Kingdom, Peter Watkins)

In a near-future Britain, Steven Shorter, played by Paul Jones, is the most famous pop star in the country, adored by millions of screaming fans. Behind the scenes, however, his carefully orchestrated career is controlled by powerful figures in government, business, and the media, who use his image and performances to channel public emotion and maintain social conformity. As Shorter’s popularity grows into a national obsession, he becomes less a person than a symbolic figure deployed to pacify and unite the population.

When a young artist, played by Jean Shrimpton, begins to question the machinery surrounding him, Shorter starts to realize the extent to which his identity and fame have been manipulated. Privilege unfolds as a chilling satire about celebrity culture, propaganda, and mass psychology, presenting a vision of pop stardom transformed into a tool of political and cultural control. Shot in a semi-documentary style, the film blurs fiction and reportage to create an unsettling portrait of how media spectacle can shape belief, loyalty, and obedience.

THE BABY

(1973, USA, Ted Post)

Set in Los Angeles, The Baby follows Ann Gentry, a social worker assigned to investigate the unusual Wadsworth household. Living there is a fully grown man known only as “Baby,” who is treated by his domineering mother and manipulative sisters as if he were still an infant. He is kept in a crib, dressed in diapers, and discouraged from developing beyond a childlike state. As Ann spends more time with the family, she becomes increasingly disturbed by the strange dynamics and psychological control that keep Baby trapped in permanent infancy.

Blending psychological horror with dark melodrama, The Baby explores themes of power, dependency, and manipulation within a deeply dysfunctional family. As Ann attempts to intervene and free Baby from his abusive environment, hidden motives and unsettling secrets begin to surface. The story builds toward a shocking twist that forces the audience to reconsider the characters and their intentions, leaving the boundaries between victim and perpetrator disturbingly unclear.

Introduced by programmer, Maria De Paula-Vázquez

THE MAFU CAGE

(1978, USA, Karen Arthur)

The Mafu Cage centers on Ellen, a quiet and emotionally fragile woman who lives in a large house filled with exotic animals collected during her late anthropologist father’s travels. She shares the home with her ambitious sister Cissy, whose successful public life contrasts sharply with Ellen’s withdrawn and increasingly erratic behavior. As Ellen spends more time isolated among the animals in a room she calls the “mafu cage,” her attachment to them becomes unsettling and obsessive.

Blending psychological drama with elements of horror, The Mafu Cage explores repression, jealousy, and the destructive tensions within a strained sibling relationship. Ellen’s fragile mental state and resentment toward Cissy gradually intensify, turning the household into a space of mounting unease. As buried emotions surface and the sisters’ bond deteriorates, the story moves toward a disturbing climax that exposes the consequences of long suppressed anger and isolation.

Introduced by programmer, Maria De Paula-Vázquez

EURODITTY PRESENTS: GOLEM

(1980, Poland, Piotr Szulkin)

In a grim future world ravaged by nuclear war, society has collapsed into a rigid technocratic order where scientists attempt to “improve” humanity through genetic engineering and social reform. Pernat, a manufactured human being shaped by these experiments, awakens without memory in this bleak dystopia and is monitored constantly as he tries to navigate his environment. When he begins to chafe under the watchful eyes of his creators and question the purpose of his existence, his rebellion sparks a chain of events that lead him into conflict with those who engineered him and the fractured society they control.

Taking inspiration from Jewish folklore and the novel Golem by Gustav Meyrink, Golem reframes the mythical creature as a genetically engineered man seeking autonomy in a world that treats him as both product and experiment. Pernat’s struggle to break free from societal constraints becomes a stark allegory about agency, identity, and the dehumanising forces of authoritarian control. As he oscillates between compliance and revolt, the film probes the uneasy line between creation and domination in a future shaped by fear, conformity, and the remnants of human ambition.

MADAME WANG'S (VHS SCREENING)

(1981, USA, Paul Morrissey)

PART OF OUR PUNK AT 50! SEASON

Adrift between ideology and fantasy, a young East German arrives in Los Angeles with an unusual political mission. Convinced that American actress and activist Jane Fonda can help spark a revolutionary movement, he travels to California hoping to recruit her to the communist cause. Instead, he finds himself stranded without papers or clear direction, wandering through a chaotic landscape of fringe characters, street hustlers, and outsiders living on the margins of the city.

As his revolutionary ambitions begin to fade, he drifts into the underground punk scene surrounding a restaurant and music venue run by the eccentric Madame Wang. Immersed in a world of flea markets, improvised performances, and unlikely companions, the visitor gradually abandons his original political purpose and becomes entangled in the strange rhythms of American counterculture.

Written and directed by Paul Morrissey, Madame Wang’s presents an offbeat satire of Cold War politics and American consumer culture, blending absurd humor with a portrait of Los Angeles subcultures in the early 1980s.

Introduced by programmer and filmmaker, Craig Williams

DELETED SCENES PRESENTS: CECIL B. DEMENTED

(2000, USA, John Waters)

Cecil B. Demented follows an underground filmmaker who leads a radical group of devoted cinephiles determined to wage war against mainstream Hollywood. During a movie premiere, the group kidnaps a famous but frustrated actress and forces her to star in their guerrilla film, which they shoot illegally across the city while evading the authorities and studio security.

Blending dark comedy with anarchic satire, Cecil B. Demented celebrates rebellious filmmaking and critiques the commercialization of cinema. The film portrays its band of self proclaimed film terrorists as both fanatics and passionate artists, using outrageous stunts, confrontations, and film culture references to champion independent creativity over corporate entertainment.

DELETED SCENES PRESENTS: POLYESTER

(1981, USA, John Waters)

Francine Fishpaw appears to live a comfortable suburban life, but her world is quietly collapsing. Her husband runs an adult theater and openly cheats on her, her daughter is rebellious and frequently in trouble with the law, and her son has developed a disturbing obsession with women’s feet. Overwhelmed by scandal, humiliation, and loneliness, Francine turns to alcohol while trying to maintain a sense of dignity amid the chaos surrounding her family.

Blending outrageous comedy with melodramatic parody, Polyester exaggerates the conventions of domestic drama to explore hypocrisy, morality, and suburban excess. As Francine’s life spirals further into absurdity, the film embraces camp spectacle and bad taste humor while poking fun at middle class respectability and the sensationalism of tabloid culture.

GUN CRAZY

(1950, USA, Joseph H. Lewis)

An aimless young man, driven by a singular obsession with firearms, crosses paths with a charismatic woman whose own restless impulses make her ripe for danger. United by a mutual fascination with guns, they embark on a crime spree that escalates from small-time heists to high-stakes robbery, their volatile chemistry fuelling increasingly reckless violence. As law enforcement closes in, their seductive bond — forged in adrenaline and transgression — becomes both catalyst and undoing.

A landmark of film noir and crime cinema, Gun Crazy combines tight, kinetic direction with a psychological intensity that interrogates obsession, agency, and moral collapse. Joseph H. Lewis’s inventive use of long takes and dynamic camerawork heightens both the film’s romantic fatalism and its mounting tension, crafting a timeless tale of lovers on the edge of ruin.

COSMIK DEBRIS PRESENTS: THE LAST SEDUCTION

(1994, USA, John Dahl)

After stealing a large sum of money from a drug deal arranged by her husband, Bridget Gregory abruptly leaves New York and disappears into a small town in upstate New York. There she assumes a lower profile while waiting for the situation to cool down, quickly adapting to her new surroundings and manipulating those around her to maintain control of the stolen cash.

In town she meets Mike Swale, a naive local man who becomes infatuated with her and gradually drawn into her schemes. As Bridget plays different people against each other to protect herself from her pursuing husband and other threats, her calculated charm and ruthlessness create a dangerous series of deceptions that grow increasingly difficult to contain.

Directed by John Dahl, The Last Seduction is a neo noir crime thriller centered on one of the genre’s most striking modern femme fatales, combining sharp dialogue and dark humor with a story of greed, manipulation, and betrayal.

Introduced by programmer and filmmaker, Craig Williams

COSMIK DEBRIS PRESENTS: ONE FALSE MOVE

(1992, USA, Carl Franklin)

Three criminals flee Los Angeles after a violent drug related robbery that leaves several people dead. Hoping to lie low before continuing their escape, the group heads toward a small town in rural Arkansas connected to one of their past associates. As the fugitives travel across the country, local law enforcement in the town begins preparing for their arrival, alerted by investigators who believe the suspects may be heading there next.
Dale “Hurricane” Dixon, the town’s eager but inexperienced police chief, becomes determined to take part in the investigation despite having little exposure to serious crime. As outside detectives arrive and the manhunt intensifies, Dixon’s expectations of heroism collide with the harsh reality of violence when the fugitives finally reach the quiet community.

Introduced by writer and producer, Julien Allen

EXISTENZ

(1999, Canada, David Cronenberg)

Game design as body horror; virtual reality as wetware infection. David Cronenberg’s late-century provocation drops us into a near-future where entertainment isn’t streamed or projected but surgically plugged into the spine. Organic consoles pulse like exposed organs, bio-ports gape in the lower back, and reality itself flickers under interrogation.

This is conspiracy thriller reduced to viscera: guns grown from bone, fast-food mutations, corporate espionage played out in abattoirs and back rooms. Jennifer Jason Leigh’s celebrity game designer navigates shifting layers of simulation with manic conviction, while Jude Law plays the neophyte dragged — willingly or not — into recursive worlds where authorship, agency, and even identity are up for grabs.

Cronenberg treats technology not as sleek futurism but as penetrative biology. Every interface is sexual, every system unstable. eXistenZ doesn’t ask whether we’re inside a game; it suggests the question is already obsolete.

THE LADY IN RED

(1979, USA, Lewis Teague)

Set against the backdrop of Depression-era America, The Lady in Red follows Polly Franklin, a young farm woman who flees small-town confinement for the promise of excitement and independence in Chicago. Drawn into the orbit of gangsters and nightclub glamour, she reinvents herself amid speakeasies, crime syndicates, and shifting loyalties. Her relationship with the notorious outlaw John Dillinger places her at the center of a world where danger and desire are tightly intertwined.

Starring Pamela Sue Martin as Polly and Robert Conrad as Dillinger, the film blends crime drama with pulp romance. Produced by Roger Corman, it balances period detail with exploitation-inflected energy, presenting Polly not only as a witness to criminal legend but as a woman navigating ambition, survival, and betrayal in a violent, male-dominated underworld.

MYSTERY MOVIE

WHITE STAR

(1983, West Germany, Roland Klick)

White Star follows Kenneth Barlow, an ambitious but volatile music producer, played by Dennis Hopper, determined to turn an eccentric young man named Moody into the next electronic pop sensation. Moody possesses a striking stage presence and a talent for performance, but his erratic personality and fragile mental state make him difficult to control. As Kenneth pushes relentlessly for success, he begins shaping Moody’s image and behavior with increasingly manipulative intensity.

Set within the emerging world of early electronic pop music, the film examines the pressures of fame, artistic ambition, and the commodification of identity. Kenneth’s obsessive drive for recognition gradually destabilises both men, turning their partnership into a tense struggle over control, authenticity, and the cost of stardom.

STAR 80

(1983, USA, Bob Fosse)

The rise of Dorothy Stratten, a young Playboy model, is captured in sharp and tragic detail. She quickly attracts the attention of Hugh Hefner and the entertainment industry, navigating the glittering world of modeling and fame. But her life is shadowed by Paul Snider, her controlling husband, whose obsession with her career and personal life grows increasingly dangerous.

Star 80 chronicles ambition, desire, and the destructive consequences of obsession. As Dorothy’s star ascends, the pressures of fame and the possessive influence of Paul converge, driving the story toward a shocking and fatal climax that exposes the dark side of celebrity culture.

STAR TIME

(1992, USA, Alexander Cassini)

Henry Pinkle is a socially awkward young man whose life revolves around his favorite television show. When that show is suddenly cancelled, he is driven into a deep psychological crisis, convinced that his existence has been erased along with it. Standing on the edge of a rooftop and ready to end it all, he is approached by a mysterious figure named Sam Bones, who talks him down and offers a strange alternative path that promises fame and validation rather than obscurity.

Recruited into Sam’s surreal worldview, Henry becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming famous and begins a violent spree while donning a creepy baby mask and chasing stardom in the only way he believes possible. As his actions escalate, the blurred lines between fantasy and reality, celebrity and anonymity, leave him grappling with the very media-driven identity he hoped to achieve.

I DRINK YOUR BLOOD

(1970, USA, David E. Durston)

After a Satanic hippie cult terrorises a rural town and assaults a local family, a young boy retaliates by injecting rabies-infected animal blood into meat pies the group eagerly consumes. What begins as an act of impulsive vengeance triggers an escalating outbreak of uncontrollable violence, delirium, and psychosis, as the cult members — and those who cross their path — succumb to the disease. The town’s isolation becomes a crucible of panic where social order collapses under the pressure of infection and hysteria.

Produced at the height of the American exploitation boom, I Drink Your Blood fuses countercultural anxieties with shock-driven horror, reframing late-1960s generational conflict as a rabid plague narrative. Durston’s approach favours intensity over restraint, creating a feverish mix of grindhouse mayhem, regional detail, and abrasive sociopolitical subtext. The result remains a key example of early 1970s drive-in extremity — chaotic, confrontational, and unmistakably of its moment.

THE SWINGING BARMAIDS

(1975, USA, Gus Trikonis)

At the Swing‑A‑Ling Club, a group of young cocktail waitresses go about their shifts serving drinks and entertaining patrons, unaware that a disturbed man with a violent grudge is watching them. After picking out his first victim one night, the killer foils capture by shaving and changing his appearance so he can slip back into the club as a bouncer, placing himself closer to his next targets. Meanwhile, local law enforcement begins to piece together the pattern of murders and close in on the culprit.

Told with the lurid energy of 1970s grindhouse cinema, The Swinging Barmaids pits its colorful ensemble of bar girls against a calculating psychopath while a dogged detective tries to stop the bloodshed. As suspicion and tension build within the club’s walls, friendships are tested and danger lurks behind every smile and spilled drink, taking the everyday setting of after‑hours nightlife into increasingly perilous territory.

THE BOD SQUAD

(1974, Hong Kong & West Germany, Ernst Hofbauer & Kuei Chih‑Hung)

Five Western women are abducted by a band of Chinese pirates and sold into a brothel, where their future looks bleak and uncertain. Before they can be forced into servitude, a pair of local allies take pity on them and begin teaching them martial arts, transforming the frightened captives into fighters with a fierce will to survive. With each new skill they learn, the women grow bolder and more determined to reclaim their freedom.

Their escape becomes a wild and chaotic journey, one that combines slapstick action with unexpected kung‑fu showdowns as the newly trained group battles their way out of danger. What began as a nightmarish ordeal turns into an unconventional fight for liberation, with the women using their hard‑earned strength and unity to take control of their fate against all odds.

ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL

(1974, West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

Set in a small West German town, the film follows the unlikely romance between Emmi, a middle-aged widowed cleaning woman, and Ali, a much younger Moroccan immigrant worker. Their relationship sparks curiosity, gossip, and hostility from family, neighbors, and coworkers, exposing deep-seated prejudice, loneliness, and societal hypocrisy. As the couple navigates love amid suspicion and isolation, the film examines how fear and social conformity can corrode human connection.

Using a restrained, almost theatrical style, the story blends melodrama with social critique. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a poignant exploration of loneliness, racism, and the quiet courage required to pursue intimacy in a judgmental society, highlighting Fassbinder’s gift for unflinching emotional realism.

COSMIK DEBRIS PRESENTS: BREATHLESS (1983)

(1983, USA, Jim McBride)

Jesse Lujack, played by Richard Gere, is a charming drifter and small-time criminal who roams the streets of Los Angeles, living impulsively and pursuing thrills without concern for consequences. When he kills a police officer during a botched robbery, he goes on the run with his girlfriend Monica, a fashion model caught between love, loyalty, and fear. As the authorities close in, their relationship is tested by tension, danger, and the intoxicating pull of freedom.

A loose remake of Jean‑Luc Godard’s 1960 French classic, Breathless captures the reckless energy and existential restlessness of its protagonists. Jesse’s charisma and recklessness collide with the pressures of law and morality, creating a story that examines obsession, passion, and the allure of living without limits.

ROAR

(1981, USA, Noel Marshall)

Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall star as a couple living on a sprawling estate filled with over 100 untrained lions, tigers, and other big cats. Their idyllic life takes a dangerous turn when their family is threatened by external forces, and the unpredictable animals begin to attack. In a chaotic mix of comedy, drama, and sheer animal mayhem, the family must navigate life alongside some of the most dangerous predators on Earth.

Roar is infamous for its on-set hazards, with actors and crew sustaining real injuries during filming. Beyond the spectacle, the film portrays the complex bond between humans and animals, highlighting both the majesty and unpredictability of wildlife while capturing the unrelenting energy and peril of living in close quarters with wild creatures.

Q: THE WINGED SERPENT

(1982, USA, Larry Cohen)

In New York City, a series of bizarre murders baffles the police, all linked to a mysterious, ancient flying creature. Detective Shepard investigates the attacks and soon realizes that a gigantic winged serpent, identified with the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, is responsible. As the creature terrorizes the city, Shepard races against time to stop it before it strikes again, navigating both the disbelief of authorities and the chaos caused by a mythical predator in an urban landscape.

Featuring a combination of horror, adventure, and urban spectacle, Q: The Winged Serpent blends city grit with supernatural terror. The film’s inventive creature effects and tense action sequences create a sense of wonder and dread, as humanity confronts a force both ancient and unstoppable amidst the concrete jungle.

FOLIES MEURTRIÈRES + DAWN OF AN EVIL MILLENIUM

FOLIES MEURTRIÈRES (1984)

A mysterious masked killer prowls the shadows, hunting down young women in a relentless spree of brutal violence. With minimal dialogue and a stripped‑down slasher format, the film unfolds as a series of visceral, lo‑fi murder set pieces that place spectacle and shock above conventional narrative. Against the backdrop of eerie synth and nightmarish visuals, victims are stalked and brutally dispatched in grotesque sequences that emphasize dread and disorientation over character or explanation.

DAWN OF AN EVIL MILLENIUM (1988)

In this bizarre Super‑8 oddity, a demon summoned to Earth takes control of a souped‑up 1970 Oldsmobile and embarks on a chaotic road‑kill rampage. Equal parts surreal and anarchic, the short plays like an imagined B‑movie trailer built from feverish genre mashups and lo‑budget effects. What begins as an off‑kilter premise quickly descends into unpredictable mayhem, with the possessed muscle car barreling through landscapes and expectations alike.

THE SOULTANGLER (VHS SCREENING)

(1987, USA, PAT BISHOW)

In The Soultangler, a wildly inventive but low‑budget horror oddity, the brilliant and unhinged scientist Dr. Anton Lupesky develops an experimental serum called Anphiorum that can force a user’s soul to leave their body and inhabit the corpse of the recently deceased. What begins as a curious breakthrough quickly spirals into madness as those who try the drug are driven to fatal hallucinations and uncontrollable violence. Alongside a reporter and other locals who uncover the disturbing experiments, the threat grows as bodies become vessels for nightmare‑inducing possession and chaos spreads.

The film unfolds like a fever dream of 1980s horror, embracing DIY charm, practical gore effects, and relentless surreal energy. Characters grapple with involuntary possession and the grotesque consequences of tampering with life and death, creating a visceral, unpredictable journey that merges body horror with bizarre speculative fiction. Though rough around the edges, The Soultangler has earned a cult reputation among fans of shot‑on‑video horror for its ambition, oddball visuals, and unapologetic embrace of the weird.

VAMPYROS LESBOS

(1971, West Germany/Spain, Jesús Franco)

In the sun-drenched interzones between Istanbul and the Spanish coast, a young woman becomes entangled with a hypnotic vampire whose erotic pull dissolves the boundaries between dream, desire, and death. Vampyros Lesbos abandons conventional horror mechanics in favour of atmosphere and repetition, drifting through nocturnal clubs, modernist interiors, and bloodless acts of seduction that feel more ritualistic than violent. Franco treats vampirism less as a curse than as a state of erotic dislocation—an endless present where pleasure overrides causality and identity slips out of focus.

Anchored by Soledad Miranda’s uncanny screen presence and propelled by a hallucinatory jazz-funk score, the film occupies a singular space between exploitation cinema and avant-garde mood piece. Its languid pacing and fetishistic surfaces mask a deeper emptiness at the core, where liberation and annihilation become indistinguishable, and desire circulates without resolution.

LONDON

(1994, United Kingdom, Patrick Keiller)

In London, an unseen narrator, voiced by Paul Scofield, returns to the British capital after several years abroad to accompany his reclusive friend Robinson on a series of reflective urban explorations. Through a series of three walks around diverse areas of the city, their observations mix personal insight with encounters and images drawn from real life, capturing the city’s architecture, public spaces, and cultural landmarks. The narrative bridges memory, literature, and everyday experience as it recounts events and social change in London over the course of a year.

More than a straightforward travelogue, London unfolds as a cinematic essay on the character and transformation of the city itself, using archival imagery and evocative narration to weave in political and historical context. References to literary figures and philosophical ideas subtly shape the film’s impressionistic portrait, linking the lived environment with broader cultural currents and the lived realities of early 1990s London.

BLACK MAMBA

(2016, USA, Belinda M. Wilson)

A mysterious neighborhood sorceress known as Black Mamba offers potions, spells, and supernatural solutions to desperate people seeking to change their lives. Behind the façade of a helpful occult practitioner, she secretly traps demons in jars and uses dark magic to manipulate the fates of those who come to her door. Each visitor arrives with a wish or problem they believe magic can solve, but the bargains they strike lead to grotesque and often horrific consequences.

Structured as a series of twisted cautionary tales, Black Mamba follows characters whose desires spiral into surreal punishment, from couples seeking miracle cures to individuals chasing beauty, love, or forbidden fantasies. As Black Mamba’s spells unleash monstrous transformations, demonic encounters, and violent retribution, the film embraces an unrestrained DIY aesthetic packed with homemade effects and wildly imaginative imagery, creating a chaotic piece of outsider horror driven by its creator’s singular vision.

THE HEARTBREAK KID

(1972, USA, Elaine May)

Three days into his Miami honeymoon with needy and unsophisticated Lila, Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms his fear that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants to be with Kelly instead.

Elaine May (Mikey and Nicky) directs one of the funniest, deeply uncomfortable and anxious cinematic depictions of male ego. Charles Grodin (Midnight Run) delivers a perfectly-pitched comic performance as a man who cannot help but treat every impulsive decision and interaction as an active sales pitch.

Brutal, hilarious, and deserving of rediscovery.

DR CALIGARI

(1989, USA, Stephen Sayadian)

Mrs. Van Houten shows signs of losing touch with reality, and her husband consults Dr. Caligari for treatment. Caligari claims to have a cure, but as his methods unfold, the line between science and madness becomes disturbingly unclear. Strange acts in the town suggest that Cesare, Caligari’s somnambulist, may be carrying out the doctor’s darker intentions, leaving the town gripped by fear and confusion.

Stephen Sayadian (Nightdreams) directs a hallucinatory, over-the-top reimagining of the classic expressionist story. The film combines surreal visuals, black comedy, and grotesque absurdity, turning familiar horror and psychological thriller tropes into something deliberately outrageous, provocative, and unforgettable.

MYSTERY MOVIE

BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES

(2020, Japan, Junta Yamaguchi)

In a small café, a seemingly ordinary television reveals a glimpse of the future: exactly two minutes ahead. The café owner and his friends experiment with this time loop, only for simple curiosity to cascade into chaos, comedy, and escalating temporal confusion. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes transforms a low-stakes premise into a labyrinth of cause and effect, where every action multiplies and timelines overlap in unexpected ways.

Yamaguchi’s long-take cinematography and meticulous real-time framing create a kinetic, immersive experience, trapping characters—and viewers—in the cascading logic of near-future sight. What begins as a playful experiment becomes a study of consequence, improvisation, and human desire to control the uncontrollable. Time here is both a tool and a trap, and connection feels urgent, fleeting, and perpetually one step ahead of itself.

IMMORAL TALES

(1973, France, Walerian Borowczyk)

Four erotic tales spanning different historical eras explore desire, obsession, and taboo. In the present day, a student and his young cousin are stranded on a beach by the tide. In nineteenth-century France, a girl locked in her bedroom discovers the erotic potential of the objects around her. Sixteenth-century Countess Erzsebet Bathory engages in alleged acts of bloody excess, while fifteenth-century Lucrezia Borgia participates in an incestuous encounter with her family.

Walerian Borowczyk directs with a painterly, surreal eye, combining historical settings, eroticism, and dark humor. Each segment pushes boundaries in a way that is simultaneously shocking, intriguing, and visually mesmerizing, creating a provocative anthology that lingers long after viewing.

THE GREAT SILENCE

(1968, Italy, Sergio Corbucci)

In the snowbound wilderness of Utah, a mute gunslinger known only as Silence drifts into a community terrorised by bounty hunters who exploit harsh winter lawlessness for profit. When a young widow seeks justice for her murdered husband, Silence’s intervention pits him against the glacial brutality of a legendary killer—and the indifferent authority that enables him.

One of the bleakest and most politically charged of all spaghetti westerns, The Great Silence transforms frontier myth into a study of economic predation and moral impotence. Corbucci’s stark compositions and Ennio Morricone’s mournful score frame a landscape where survival favours the ruthless and heroism is swallowed by the snow. The film’s uncompromising conclusion remains a landmark of the genre’s willingness to strip away illusion and confront the cost of violence with unflinching clarity.

GODS OF TIMES SQUARE

(1999, USA, Richard Sandler)

Filmed over the course of the 1990s, Gods of Times Square is a street-level chronicle of New York’s most volatile crossroads during a period of accelerating commercial transformation. Stationed at the corner with a handheld camera, Richard Sandler records preachers, prophets, hustlers, conspiracy evangelists, and self-styled messiahs who command the sidewalks with competing visions of salvation and doom. As redevelopment advances and the neighbourhood’s rough edges are smoothed into tourist-friendly spectacle, the film captures a disappearing ecosystem of unfiltered expression, improvisation, and street-corner theology.

Sandler’s documentary operates as an urban ethnography: observational, patient, and attuned to the rhetorical rhythms of the individuals who populate the frame. Rather than editorialise, the film allows its subjects’ cosmologies — comic, tragic, apocalyptic, and deeply idiosyncratic — to overlap and contradict one another in real time. The result is a portrait of Times Square before its corporate remaking, a cacophonous public forum where belief, performance, and survival were inseparable.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

(1978, Czechoslovakia, Juraj Herz)

A humble village girl becomes the captive of a grotesque Beast, a figure both terrifying and tragic. As she navigates his eerie, shadow-filled castle, fear gives way to curiosity and compassion, revealing the humanity hidden beneath his monstrous exterior.

A darkly gothic and visually striking fairy tale, Juraj Herz’s Beauty and the Beast blends horror and romance, exploring obsession, transformation, and the thin line between terror and tenderness.

SHRIME TIME: A NIGHT OF BIZARRO UNDERSEEN ANIME

From radical student animation collectives to sun-bleached techno-dystopias and gore-drenched horror, Shrime Time shines where the sun daren’t: revealing the backside of seldom-seen Japanese visual culture. Expect screenings from the 1960s to the present day, paired with special guests: musicians, artists, researchers and those obsessed with the outermost edges of Japan’s visual imagination.

The Shirime a y?kai (Japanese folkloric spirit and the evenings conveniently misspelled namesake) whose sole purpose is to startle unsuspecting samurai by revealing an eyeball in place of an arsehole. In his sick, twisted way, Shirime embodies the very spirit of B-cinema - a flash of grotesque brilliance, whose origin and intent remain a mystery, leaving the path forever altered.

So come. Sit still in the dark. Let the rectacular eye stare deep into your curious soul.

The Shirime is watching.

SHRIME TIME: A NIGHT OF BIZARRO UNDERSEEN ANIME

KNEE JERK PRESENTS: A WOMAN'S TORMENT

(1977, USA, Roberta Findlay)

Upon overhearing that plans are being made to have her committed to an asylum, mentally unstable Karen runs away and takes refuge in an empty beach house on a remote shore. Slowly, her grip on reality diminishes, and a series of violent delusions and escalating impulses take hold as she spirals deeper into isolation and confusion.

Roberta Findlay directs this raw, unsettling piece of 1970s exploitation cinema with a gaze that blends psychological horror and intense emotion. The film moves through surreal, disturbing territory as Karen’s inner turmoil erupts into acts that are both shocking and bizarre, combining elements of horror, sexploitation, and stark character descent.

TENEMENT

(1985, USA, Roberta Findlay)

A drug-dealing gang descends on a South Bronx apartment building, terrorizing the residents and turning their home into a war zone. As the night unfolds, the tenants fight to survive, navigating escalating violence and growing chaos.

Roberta Findlay turns the building itself into a character, capturing the claustrophobia and decay of urban life while pushing the boundaries of exploitation cinema. The film combines gritty realism with relentless tension, creating a raw and punishing thriller where fear and desperation rule every moment.

SEXWORLD

(1977, USA, Anthony Spinelli)

A busload of guests arrives at a luxury resort called Sex World, where they can explore their most secret sexual desires and hang‑ups with the help of advanced android partners and high‑tech pairing systems. Couples and individuals test their fantasies over a weekend of indulgence and experimentation in a setting designed to fulfil whatever erotic experience they seek.

Anthony Spinelli directs this unusual blend of science fiction and adult fantasy that riffs on mainstream ideas while embracing the aesthetics and performances of the 1970s adult film era. The film’s mix of speculative premise and erotic exploration makes it a distinctive artifact of its time, combining playful concept with unabashed sensuality.

THE POPE OF UTAH + Q&A

(1993, USA, Chaim Bianco, Steven Saylor)

A small‑time television evangelist named Melvis Pressin struggles to keep his crumbling career together deep in the bowels of a religious TV station on the Utah‑Nevada border. His show’s sudden national exposure brings unexpected attention, forcing him into a chaotic clash with rivals, audiences, and the shifting realities of fame and faith.

Chaim Bianco and Steven Saylor direct a wry, offbeat comedy‑drama about delusion, show business, and the contradictions of American spiritual culture. The film mixes broad character work with sharp, quirky humour, creating a micro‑dystopian satire that examines ambition and insecurity through its eccentric cast.

THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE

(1980, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Joseph Kong, Nam Gi‑Nam)

A brilliant professor uses cells from the recently deceased Bruce Lee to create three fully grown clones, each trained in martial arts and sent out to battle crime and corruption across Southeast Asia. One clone infiltrates a film production tied to a gold smuggling racket, while the others are dispatched to stop a mad scientist’s sinister plans, leading to a series of increasingly absurd fights and confrontations before the chaos finally resolves itself.

The film is a wild, over-the-top example of Bruceploitation, packing nonstop kung fu action, outrageous stunts, and madcap sci-fi elements into a delightfully ridiculous package. Its sheer audacity and campy energy have earned it cult status among fans of 1970s and 80s martial arts cinema.

DOOR

(1988, Japan, Banmei Takahashi)

A housewife named Yasuko lives with her husband and young son in a high‑rise apartment, where a persistent door‑to‑door salesman begins to harass her after she accidentally injures him trying to keep him outside. The unwanted encounters quickly escalate into threatening phone calls, disturbing messages on her front door, and a growing sense that her everyday life is slipping into paranoia and danger. As the salesman’s behaviour becomes more unsettling, the tension widens into a nightmarish battle for control of her own home. ([turn0search22], [turn0search1])

This 1988 Japanese horror thriller builds dread out of ordinary life disrupted by obsession and intrusion, moving from quiet unease to increasingly intense scenes of psychological and physical threat. Known for its raw atmosphere and relentless pacing, Door has become a cult rediscovery for fans of classic J‑horror rooted in fear that starts at the threshold of home.

LET THE CORPSES TAN + Q&A

(2017, Belgium, France, Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani)

Every summer, Luce, an eccentric painter living in a remote Mediterranean hamlet, finds her world disrupted when grizzled crime boss Rhino and his gang arrive with 250 kilograms of stolen gold. Their plan to lay low quickly unravels as surprise guests and a pair of pursuing motorcycle cops converge on the isolated estate, turning sunshine and ruins into a sprawling, day‑long battlefield of shifting alliances and gunfire. ([turn0search21], [turn0search5])

Let the Corpses Tan is a visceral, hyper‑stylized thriller rooted in the pulp crime and Euro‑Western traditions of the 1970s. The film layers blazing sun, bullets, and oddball characters into a kaleidoscopic collision of violence and visual flair, creating a relentless, almost dreamlike experience that rewards viewers who enjoy cinema that pushes at genre boundaries.

Plus Q&A with the Directors

THE LAST WAVE

(1977, Australia, Peter Weir)

A series of strange and disturbing events unfold in Sydney as lawyer David Burton becomes increasingly drawn into a mystery surrounding Aboriginal culture and a series of inexplicable natural disasters. As visions and dreams begin to blur with reality, Burton struggles to understand a looming, apocalyptic phenomenon that seems to threaten the entire community.

Peter Weir weaves together legal drama, spiritual mystery, and environmental catastrophe into a hypnotic and unsettling narrative. The film’s dreamlike imagery and mounting tension create a sense of inevitable doom, exploring the collision between modern society and ancient belief in a uniquely haunting way.

VIRIDIANA

(1961, Spain, Mexico, Luis Buñuel)

Viridiana, a young novice nun, arrives at her uncle’s decaying estate to care for him, only to be confronted with his lecherous behavior and moral corruption. As she tries to impose her ideals of charity and piety on the household, her efforts spiral into chaos, exposing hypocrisy, greed, and the darker sides of human nature.

Luis Buñuel delivers a darkly comic and provocative critique of religion, morality, and social pretension. With its striking imagery and biting satire, the film remains one of Buñuel’s most controversial and celebrated works, blending surrealism and realism in a uniquely unsettling way.

TETSUO THE IRON MAN

(1989, Japan, Shinya Tsukamoto)

A man is mysteriously transformed into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and metal after a bizarre encounter with a scrap‑metal–obsessed stranger. As his body slowly fuses with machinery, he becomes increasingly violent and unrecognizable, spiraling into a nightmarish cycle of rage, obsession, and mechanical mutation.

Shinya Tsukamoto’s debut is a visceral, industrial horror experience, drenched in stark black-and-white visuals, rapid editing, and metallic sound design. The film’s relentless energy and body‑horror imagery create a feverish, almost hypnotic assault on the senses, establishing it as a landmark of Japanese cyberpunk cinema.

MYSTERY MOVIE

BATTLE ROYALE

(2000, Japan, Kinji Fukasaku)

In a dystopian near-future, a class of high school students is forced to compete in a government-run program where they must fight to the death until only one survivor remains. Trapped on a remote island and armed with weapons, the students struggle to survive, form alliances, and confront the moral and psychological consequences of being forced into such a brutal scenario.

Kinji Fukasaku turns the concept into a tense, relentless thriller that mixes dark satire with explosive action. The film examines authority, rebellion, and the extremes of human behavior, balancing shocking violence with moments of strategy, desperation, and tragic irony.

BLOOD SIMPLE

(1984, USA, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)

A Texas bar owner hires a private investigator to kill his wife and her lover, but a series of misunderstandings, deceptions, and coincidences turn the plot into a spiraling chain of violence and paranoia. As the characters attempt to cover their tracks, trust erodes and danger multiplies, leading to increasingly tense and deadly consequences.

Joel and Ethan Coen craft a taut, darkly comic neo-noir where mood, suspense, and visual storytelling drive the tension as much as plot. The film’s careful use of shadows, framing, and music enhances the sense of inevitability, making it a striking debut that established the Coens’ signature style.

WOMEN IN REVOLT

(1971, USA, Paul Morrissey)

A group of radical feminists in New York City bands together to fight for women’s liberation, overthrowing oppressive male authority and experimenting with increasingly extreme methods of rebellion. Their actions mix political activism with outrageous antics, turning their movement into both a social statement and a chaotic spectacle.

Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol blend camp, satire, and sharp social commentary to create a subversive and flamboyant look at gender politics in the 1970s. The film’s bold performances and irreverent humour turn its critique of society into a stylish, provocative, and often absurd cinematic experience.

Introduced by filmmaker and programmer, Craig Williams

TENEBRAE

(1982, Italy, Dario Argento)

A series of brutal murders terrorizes a small Italian town, leaving the police baffled and the community in fear. A young woman becomes the focal point of the investigation as strange occurrences and mysterious figures point toward a supernatural presence, suggesting that the killings may be linked to dark, hidden forces rather than ordinary criminals.

Dario Argento delivers a masterful giallo that combines intricate murder mysteries with visually stunning set pieces and suspenseful camerawork. The film’s stylish violence, eerie soundtrack, and tense pacing create a hypnotic, unsettling atmosphere that has cemented it as a cornerstone of Italian horror cinema.

L'ANTICRISTO

(1974, Italy, Germany, Alberto De Martino)

A young woman and her husband retreat to a remote countryside home to recover from a family tragedy, but their isolation soon turns nightmarish. The woman begins experiencing terrifying hallucinations, unexplained phenomena, and escalating physical and psychological torment, suggesting that sinister, supernatural forces are at work.

Alberto De Martino delivers a provocative and visually intense horror film, blending psychological dread with shocking imagery. Its mix of supernatural horror, extreme tension, and surreal sequences makes it a striking example of 1970s European shock cinema.