Roberta Findlay once speculated that, had her late husband not been able to channel his anger and misogyny into his art, he may very well have become the exact type of violent criminal depicted in his films. And it’s in that spirit that Spectacle proudly presents to our loyal audience of perverts and weirdos the Ultimate Degenerate’s own magnum opus, Michael Findlay’s infamous “Flesh” trilogy.

The trilogy begins with what was originally intended as a one-off sexploitation “roughie” in THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH (1967), about a cuckolded New York City arms dealer named Richard (played by Findlay himself) who goes on a murderous rampage targeting all women he deems to be “immoral”. But following the film’s unexpected success, noted for its at-the-time unique blend of graphic sex and graphic violence, Findlay quickly got to work on a pair of sequels.

The two follow-up films, THE CURSE OF HER FLESH (1968) and THE KISS OF HER FLESH (1970), doubled and tripled down on the perversity and experimentation of the first entry. Where TOUCH featured a fairly straightforward proto-slasher narrative interspersed with sequences of striptease and bondage play, the two sequels take the opposite track, arguably acting as showcases for go-go dancing, BDSM, paraphilia & kinks of all kinds, sexual contraptions, stag films-within-a-film, and a truly applaudable amount of wordplay around one victim’s insatiable “pussy” (referring to her pet cat… get your minds out of the gutter…), rounded out with strands of plot detailing Richard’s quest for vengeance against his wife’s lover and promiscuous women at-large.

But apart from Findlay, the real “star” of the series is none other than his co-writer, cinematographer, and spouse, Roberta, whose work on the trilogy extends the material well beyond the grindhouse and into the arthouse. Each film is its own masterclass in economical filmmaking, thanks in large part to Roberta Findlay’s incredibly crisp and nimble black-and-white photography that adds a visual dynamism to every act, no matter how perverse, and accentuates the curve of each blade and bosom. So even if rampant misogyny and sexual violence isn’t really your thing, we can still guarantee that the visual feast each film presents is worth the price of admission alone.

Special thanks to Muscle Distribution, Distribpix, and Something Weird Video.

THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH
Dir. Michael Findlay, 1967
United States. 78 min.
In English.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 – 7:30 PM

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Richard Jennings (Michael Findlay) is a happily married weapons dealer getting ready to leave town for a little business trip. Everything in his life is great— until he swings back home to grab something he’s forgotten, only to catch his wife (Angelique Pettyjohn) in bed with another man (Ron Scardera). Overwhelmed by her betrayal, he staggers out into the street and right into the path of an oncoming car, losing an eye and gaining a limp in the process. Scorned and vengeful, Richard adopts a new identity and begins a murderous rampage against all women he deems to be “immoral,” with his former wife as his ultimate target.

THE CURSE OF HER FLESH
Dir. Michael Findlay, 1968
United States. 78 min.
In English.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 – 5 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 – 10 PM

GET TICKETS

In this outrageous sequel to THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH, the maniacal weapons dealer Richard Jennings returns to continue his misogynistic quest to rid the world of sex-crazed women. Posing as the owner of a burlesque club, Jennings ups the ante— and the body count— by devising an array of increasingly gruesome methods of dispatching his victims, all the while planning the ultimate revenge against his wife’s lover, Steve.

THE KISS OF HER FLESH
Dir. Michael Findlay, 1970
United States. 69 min.
In English.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 – MIDNIGHT

GET TICKETS

In this final installment of the trilogy, the maniacal arms dealer Richard Jennings has lost what little sanity he had left. Fully devoting his life to his quest to brutally slay any and every woman who crosses his path, Jennings finally meets his match in the form of his deceased wife’s sister, Maria (Uta Erickson), who might turn out to be even more deranged than he is.

OCTOBER COUNTRY
Dir. Donal Mosher & Michael Palmieri, 2009.
United States. 80 min.
In English.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 – 5 PM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 – 7:30 PM

BUY TICKETS

Shot over the course of a year (beginning and ending on Halloween), OCTOBER COUNTRY is a vérité-style documentary that follows members of the Mosher family, a working-class family in upstate New York as they reconcile with the hardships of their daily life that includes unplanned pregnancy, sibling estrangement, poverty, emotional despondency and war trauma. October Country examines and provides insight into the fraught intergenerational cycles that can pervade in blue collar households.

Beginning as a photo project, Donal Mosher (one half of the directing team that also includes Michael Palmieri) sought to “…interpret and make visible the place and people I came from,” an exercise that results in a distinctly personal and otherworldly investigation into memory, ghosts, and into the houses, neighborhoods, and families that retain long-past parts of ourselves well after we’ve left.

This Spectober, we pay tribute to one of the most prolific actors, stunt performers, and vampire hunters that Hong Kong ever produced: Lam Ching-ying.

Lam began his career as a stunt performer and martial arts coach for Shaw Brothers Studio before (as the story goes) a chance encounter with Bruce Lee— in which Lam challenged Lee to hit him as hard as he could, resulting in Lam being sent flying across the room— led to Lee hiring him as his personal assistant, and later a performer and co-choreographer on titles like FIST OF FURY, ENTER THE DRAGON, and GAME OF DEATH.

Following Lee’s passing, Lam joined up with Sammo Hung Stuntmen’s Association where his talents as a choreographer and martial artist were put to excellent use, resulting in more on-screen appearances and heftier roles, and culminating in Lam being hired as the lead role of the Taoist priest, Master Ko, in the Hung-produced MR. VAMPIRE (1985). MR. VAMPIRE became a sensation in Hong Kong and, combined with his appearances in several other box office heavyweights from that year including MY LUCKY STARS and HEART OF THE DRAGON, solidified Lam as a bona fide movie star.

In the years that followed, Lam built a cottage industry out of playing similar Taoist priest roles both within and beyond the MR. VAMPIRE sequels and spin-offs, often only appearing for a scene or two under a new moniker (Uncle Feng, Uncle Nine, Uncle Hua, Uncle Ying, Uncle Master, and sometimes just “Taoist priest”), but always donning the same trademark yellow robes, hat, and bagua insignia that became his signature look.

But Lam’s success was a double-edged sword, and he would eventually grow weary of the character and the typecasting that came with it. By the mid-90s, with the Hong Kong film industry already in decline, Lam had mostly pivoted to television roles and all but retired from feature film work upon completion of his passion project, a big screen adaptation of THE GREEN HORNET (1994) intended as a tribute to his close friend and mentor, Bruce Lee. Lam passed away in 1997 following an intense private battle with cancer, but his legacy in the Hong Kong film industry lived on, with his name and likeness still synonymous with Taoist ritual, tradition, and vampire busting of all kinds to this day.

THE MUSICAL VAMPIRE (音樂殭屍)
Dir. Wilson Tong Wai-shing, 1992
Hong Kong. 93 min.
In Cantonese with English subtitles.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 – 10 PM

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An American mad scientist chemically reanimates a corpse, turning it into a superpowered jiangshi (“hopping vampire”) immune to most of your typical exorcism charms. As the jiangshi begins to wreak havoc on a local town, the town’s mayor calls on a Taoist priest and his two disciples to help stop the creature. Soon they discover that the only thing able to tame the creature’s aggressive power is the sound of sweet, sweet music.

THE MUSICAL VAMPIRE is one of the more peculiar entries in the MR. VAMPIRE Extended Universe, with Lam’s Taoist priest character not only playing second fiddle to Stanley Fung’s lead priest, but also taking on a much more broadly comedic tone than in his earlier appearances as the character. And yet, the pleasure of watching Lam try and imitate the mannerisms and language of an undead corpse is still more than enough to offset the incessant whistling of “London Bridge Is Falling Down”.

DEMONIC UMBRELLA (追魂伞)
aka MIDNIGHT CONJURE (零時十分)
Dir. Mao Chiang-pang, 1991
Taiwan/Hong Kong. 87 min.
In Mandarin with English subtitles.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 – 5 PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 – 5 PM

GET TICKETS

In the Warring States era of ancient China, martial artist Long Wu competes with his brother for the title of “Best of the Best”. He is ultimately victorious, but in the process draws the ire of his jilted ex-lover, the vicious enchantress Sherry, who frames him for the murder of his brother and Long’s wife, Su. While awaiting execution, Long learns he must transplant his soul into [checks notes] an umbrella so that he can exact his revenge on Sherry some 3,000 years later.

Fast forward a few millennia, and the reincarnated Sherry is now a Hong Kong drug queenpin keeping the reincarnated Su under her watchful eye. But when Su comes into possession of the [checks notes] umbrella containing the soul of her past self’s husband, the pernicious parasol sets off a chain of events that, with the help of an intrepid police officer and a mysterious Taoist priest, will take down Sherry once and for all.

Where the other two films in this series feature Lam in a more central role, DEMONIC UMBRELLA aka MIDNIGHT CONJURE epitomizes the “walk-on” nature of many of his Taoist priest appearances from the early-90s. Despite his top billing, Lam only appears in a handful of scenes in which characters literally leave the action to consult with him at another location. And yet, Lam’s presence still looms large over the entire film, with the mysterious “Taoist priest” figure referenced as the driving force behind several of the plot’s developments, building anticipation towards the reveal of this mysterious figure and making his appearances all the more satisfying.

THE CHINESE GHOSTBUSTER (鍾馗嫁妹)
Dir. Wu Ma, 1994
Hong Kong. 87 min.
In Cantonese with English subtitles.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 – 10 PM

GET TICKETS

Ghostly siblings, Chung Kuey & Ah-May, venture out into the realm of the living to search for a suitable husband for Ah-May, in the hopes of bettering their chances for reincarnation. After finding a suitable candidate in the form of an unbeknownst-to-them gigolo named Simon, the pair mercilessly pursue him until he’s forced to seek out the help of a Taoist priest to exorcize the demons in his life.

When there’s something strange in the realm of the living, who you gonna call? Lam Ching-ying of course… even though he clearly doesn’t want to take your calls anymore. By this point in Lam’s career, he’d mostly grown weary of the Taoist priest character, but Lam was still willing to don the yellow robes twice more for veteran martial arts director and former Shaw Bros. mainstay, Wu Ma, in a pair of supernatural action comedies.

The two films, THE CHINESE GHOSTBUSTER and EXORCIST MASTER (the latter screened as part of our 2023 Fist Fright Marathon) would mark the last time Lam would appear on the big screen as his Taoist priest character, and curiously, both films provide a more in-depth look at Taoist ritual and practice than most of his previous appearances. CHINESE GHOSTBUSTER is largely a riff on the Taoist folk legend of Zhong Kui, a mythological demon slayer known as the “King of Ghosts”, while EXORCIST MASTER operates on a playful contrast between the religious traditions of its two leads, a Taoist priest played by Lam, and a Christian priest played by Wu. Together the films offer a fittingly spiritual coda to the career of a performer whose likeness inadvertently became synonymous with the Taoism itself.

One of the Danish film industry’s first actor-to-auteur-filmmaker pivots, Benjamin Christensen, is best known for his folk-horror proto-docudrama masterwork HÄXAN. Before helming such an earth-shattering project, Christensen sharpened his skills behind and in front of the camera through his partially owned production company, Dansk-Biograf Kompagnie. Following the scandalous success of HÄXAN, the Dutch director would take his talents overseas in a brief, sporadic but creative Hollywood stint.

We here at Spectacle, eternal devotees of our lord and savior HÄXAN, are ecstatic to screen two films, one from each period. Early Christensen will be represented by one of cinema’s primal examples of a psychological thriller —the 1916 dramatic photoplay BLIND JUSTICE. Meanwhile, for his Hollywood era, a wild early example of the “old dark house” horror subgenre– SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN.

Both features will have a live score accompaniment from regular Spectacle music collaborator and local music scene legend Jake Pepper.

BLIND JUSTICE
dir. Benjamin Christensen, 1916
Denmark. 100 min.
Silent with English intertitles.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 – 7:30 PM
ONE NIGHT ONLY w/ Live Score by Jake Pepper

SPECIAL EVENT TICKETS

A Dramatic Photoplay — A Powerful Drama of the Vengeance of Outraged Manhood Against the Society Whose Only God is the Law

Utilizing prose-heavy intertitles and stark gothic imagery, Benjamin Christensen would help develop the cinematic language for the abundant psychological thriller genre. Christensen helms the lead screen actor as our anti-hero Strong Henry, a convicted murder who’s journey in and out of prison forms the basis of our eerie tale.

This film has Russian hardcoded subtitles for its English intertitles

SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN
dir. Benjamin Christensen, 1929
United States. 75 min.
Silent with English Intertitles.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 – 7:30 PM
ONE NIGHT ONLY w/ Live Score by Jake Pepper

SPECIAL EVENT TICKETS

Hilarity in Hades! Oh Boy! What a Kick!

A must watch for all horror film historians, SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN follows the foibles of rich kid Jim Kirkham (Creighton Hale). His naive yearning for adventure and romantic interest for Eva (Thelma Todd) leads him into a spooky house situation that could very well be hosted by Satan himself!

–“wholly baffling from start to finish […] utterly moronic” – Variety

Jake Pepper currently plays guitar and provides vocals for Ace Bandage— the jam-heavy rock band based right here in Brooklyn. Their fondness for improvisation and vast knowledge of timbral music allows them to shift seamlessly through varied sonic palettes. Pepper also performed in Brooklyn synth punk outfit Future Punx.

There are many traditions associated with Halloween but none are as resilient, or as brain-meltingly fun, as Spectacle’s annual SHRIEK SHOW (or SHRIEKSHOW, depending on the year, apparently).

Mark Freado unleashed Shriek Show upon an unsuspecting public in 2011 with seven gut-busting horror films back-to-back in a 14-hour marathon. Mark presided over nine years of Halloween carnage before passing the curse to Zach Fleming in 2020, and the marathon has continued almost every year since.

This year marks the fifteenth year of this beloved Spectacle tradition, so we wanted to celebrate by doing something nearly as crazy as the movies Shriek Show has inflicted upon audiences over the years: a three-day Shriek Show  marathon, playing one film from every previous edition. Mark and Zach have each delved back into their respective years to pick a favorite from every edition they programmed, and where possible we’ve dug up the original program text that accompanied each film when it first screened.

Fourteen years of regional oddities, shot-on-video nightmares, forgotten slashers, supernatural freakouts, bargain-bin monsters, and movies that probably should never have existed in the first place, dragged back onto the big screen for one long Halloween weekend.

We kick things off at 7 PM on Friday, October 30th with the very first film ever screened at Shriek Show, before working our way (almost) chronologically through fourteen years of the marathon.

FULL WEEKEND PASS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH
7 PM / 9 PM / 11 PM
$10 DAY PASS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31ST
NOON / 2 PM / 4 PM / 7 PM / 8 PM / 10 PM / MIDNIGHT
$25 DAY PASS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST
3 PM / 5 PM / 7 PM / 9 PM
$15 DAY PASS

Individual tickets are $5 at the door.

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DAY 1 – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH

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SHRIEK SHOW 1 – 7PM:
X XXXX XXX XXXXXX
Dir. XXXXXX XXXX, 1958
United States. 76min.
In English.

A tense and atmospheric descent into madness, X XXXX XXX XXXXXX is a lean, low budget treat with art direction that’s equal parts Man Ray and poverty row.  This film is a must for lovers of great B movies and creepy cemeteries!

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SHRIEK SHOW 2 – 9PM:
XXXXXX XXXXX’X XXXX
Dir. XXX XXXXXXX, 1989
United States. 80min.
In English.

XXXXXX XXXXX’X XXXX began life as a student film before expanding into a feature. Made on a shoestring budget with a largely local cast and crew, it’s a wildly inventive example of late-’80s DIY horror, packed with handmade effects and surreal imagery.

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SHRIEK SHOW 3 – 11PM:
XXX XXXXXXXXXXX
Dir. XXXX XXXXXXXXX, 1986
United States. 100min.
In English.

Someone once said “Texas regional horror is the best regional horror.” It’s a bold statement, but it would be difficult to disagree. With a close community pushing the boundaries in pretty much every aspect of the genre, the output is impressive to say the least. Bret McCormick made XXX XXXXXXXXXXX on Super-8 and edited it on 3/4″ and the result is a heartfelt, lo-fi, gut munching success. Disconnected sound, hallucinatory loops, chanting, droning, and a world of practical effects pepper this nightmarish vision of the Lone Star state.

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DAY 2 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

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SHRIEK SHOW 4 – NOON
XXXXXX’X XXXXXXX: XXX XXXXXXX XXXXX
Dir. XXX XXXXX, 1989
United States. 83min.
In English.

This years entry is…well, something special indeed. With the Spectacle Shriek Show IV in full swing this will be the proverbial “third bowl of porridge” to your melted brain.

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SHRIEK SHOW 6 – 2PM
XXXXXX XXXXX XX XXXXXXX X
Dir. XXXXXXX XXXXX, 1985
United States. 87min.
In English.

One of the most confusing and compelling homemade horror films ever made, future music video director XXXXXXX XXXXX’X debut feature film, shot over years on nights and weekends, is a delirious collage of oddball gore, ludicrous plot twists, and a general milieu of weirdness unlike anything else in cinema history. A head-scratcher of this magnitude hasn’t graced the Shriek Show screen since…well, probably last year!

 

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SHRIEK SHOW 7 – 4PM
XXX XXXXXXXXXX
Dir. XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, 1985
United States. 92min.
In English.

An unsung behemoth of American horror, XXX XXXXXXXXXXX encompasses many if not all the elements that make up what a true “Spectacle” movie is. Filmmaker XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX (who worked under the pseudonym David Michael Hillman) blends a stop motion, claustrophobia, homemade sets, and great characters into an impressive DIY terror slurry.

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SHRIEK SHOW 8 – 7PM
XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XX XXXX
Dir. XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX, 1995
Japan. 62min.
In Japanese with English Subtitles.

Another entry in this year’s Shriek Shows XIII lineup that almost never was – XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XX XXXX was made in 1995, edited in 2005, finished in 2009, and not released until 2012. Clocking in at just over an hour, XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XX XXXX doesn’t waste any time getting to the bleeding heart of the matter. Although it’s often compared to 1977’s HOUSE or described as “the Japanese EVIL DEAD,” the film manages to subvert all expectations and take viewers on a ride unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Truly one of a kind.

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SHRIEK SHOW 9 – 8PM
XXXXXXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXX
Dir. XXXXXX XXXXXXXXX, 1981
United States. 99min.
In English.

A mental patient named George Tatum (played by a turned-up-to-11 Baird Stafford) is on the loose and fueled by nightmares of his childhood trauma and an unstoppable bloodlust George leaves a trail bodies in his wake on a coastline rampage with his former doctor and investigators hot on his tail. Meanwhile down in Florida, single mom Susan Temper has her hands full with one of her brood. Young CJ is a menace – acting out, pulling pranks on his siblings, and generally causing his poor mother to tear her hair out. Susan gets a night out of the house for a date leaving her kids with a babysitter. Things go from bad to worse on the homefront as creepy phone calls escalate into a home invasion and a devastating ending that has to be seen to be believed.

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SHRIEK SHOW 10 – 10PM
XXXXXXXX: XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Dir. XXXX XXXXXX, 1993
United States. 90min.
In English.

Shriek Show X closesd out with an early Nineties low budget “vampire flick”. Shot on 8mm for about $5k over the course of 2-3 years, this independent gorefest claims “the most exploding heads in a horror film ever” – and they’re not wrong. Also featuring a kickass heavy metal soundtrack and some of the best home-brewed FX ever committed to celluloid!

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SHRIEK SHOW 5 – Midnight
XXXXXXXX
Dir. XXXX X. XXXXX, 1982
United States. 94min.
In English. 

Cynthia looks great and has a pentagram on her forehead and there’s a lot of blood drinking and people in cages. Also some other truly sadistic and harrowing shit goes down. The film is based on XXXXX’X novel of the same name and was followed by a sequel– XXXXXXXX 2–many moons later. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE.

CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL VIOLENCE

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DAY 3 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST

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SHRIEK SHOW 11 – 3PM
XXXX XXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXX
Dir. XXXXXXX XXXXX, 1989
Italy. 90min.
In Italian with English Subtitles.

One of dozens of made-for-TV schlock gems by one of Italy’s most prolific horror directors – fans of our MADE FOR ITALIAN TV series from a few many years ago (or any of the GHOST HOUSE / LA CASA series), take note!

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SHRIEK SHOW 12 – 5PM
XX XXXX XXXX XXXXX
Dir.XXXXX XXXXXX, 1999
United States. 80min.
In English.

A New England shot-on-mini-DV gem featuring vampires, angels, demons, incredible t-shirts and the best possum appearance in cinema history. Think FROM DUSK TIL DAWN made with the budget and enthusiasm level of a backyard wrestling video (the new blu-ray release features an archival blooper reel titled “scenes that hurt”), unhinged lore drops, and some of the best and most inventive gore no-money can buy.

 

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SHRIEK SHOW 13 – 8PM
XXXX XXXXXXXXX
Dir. XXXXXX XXXXXXXX, 1979
Mexico. 98min.
In Spanish with English Subtitles.

Steeped in steadily building dread, this Mexican horror film from the late 70s is full of surprises, not to mention a knockout of an ending. Not to be missed.

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SHRIEK SHOW 14 – 10PM
XXXXX
Dir. XXX XXXXX, 1974
United States. 80min.
In English.

A snake collector lures residents of a small town to his snake ranch.