By MICHAEL GINGOLD
You’ll be able to read about all manner of strange and scary cinema–and if you’re in the Los Angeles area, you’ll be able to see some of them on the big screen and meet their makers.
Chris Alexander has covered many kinds of genre fare as former editor of Fangoria and current editor of Delirium magazine, and now he has a book of his writings called ART! TRASH! TERROR! ADVENTURES IN STRANGE CINEMA coming from Headpress Publishing. According to the PR, this tome “collects a treasure trove of in-depth essays and edifying interviews that both analyze and celebrate some of the most eccentric and unforgettable movies in cult cinema history. From recognized classics, to misunderstood masterpieces, to unfairly maligned movies, ART! TRASH! TERROR! takes an alternately serious and playful–but always personal–look at several strains of diverse international horror, dark fantasy and exploitation film work; motion pictures that transform, transgress, challenge, infuriate, shock, and entertain.”
To celebrate the book’s release, a pair of events are being held the weekend of January 25-26. On Saturday the 25th from 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Dark Delicacies bookstore (822 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank) will host a signing event with Alexander, Joe Dante, Brett Leonard (THE LAWNMOWER MAN), Anna Biller (THE LOVE WITCH), composer Richard Band and many others. That night, the Cinelounge Sunset theater (6464 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood) will begin a two-night “Strange Cinema Celebration,” during which Alexander will host screenings of some of the films covered in the book and read from its text. Filmmakers and actors from each movie will also be on hand; the schedule is:
Saturday, January 25
- 7 p.m.: GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990, with actor Stephen Macht)
- 9 p.m.: MANIAC (pictured above; 1981, with director William Lustig)
Sunday, January 26
- 4 p.m.: Alexander’s own NECROPOLIS: LEGION (2020, with actors Augie Duke and Ali Chappell)
- 7 p.m.: RABID (1977, with producer Don Carmody)
- 9 p.m.: NIGHT PATROL (1984, with director Jackie Kong)
Copies of ART! TRASH! TERROR! will be on sale at each screening. For more info on the book, head over to the Headpress website.
