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A series of documentaries focusing on the world of psychotronic movies; focusing on the lives of filmakers such as Hershell Gordon Lewis, Saim Raimi, Doris Wishman, Ed Wood Jr, and Tsui Hark. Covers weird movie genres, like Mexican wrestling movies and Hong Kong horror films.
1989
On the set of his latest film The Miracle, Chan covers his entire career, from his early Peking Opera upbringings, his Hong Kong blockbusters (Drunken Master, Armor of God, Policy Story series) and his early attempts to break into the International market (Cannonball Run, The Protector). The life-threatening accidents shown in Jackie’s notorious outtake reels are also discussed. The episode ends with coverage of Chan’s wild 35th birthday party.
Direct-to-video specialist Fred Olen Ray is interviewed on the set of his film Bad Girls from Mars. Ray’s career is thoroughly covered, from Alien Dead and Scalps all the way up to Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Also included, a profile of female exploitationeer Wishman, who began her career producing sedate nudist camp movies before she wound up crafting mind-bending masterpieces full of busty assassins and demented organ donors.
The late masked Mexican wrestler is profiled in this episode which provides an overview of Mexican wrestling n general, from El Santo's filmography to Rene Cardona's series of female wrestling films which starred Lorena Velasquez. Other Mexican wrestling luminaries such as Blue Demon are also profiled. Johnny Legend shares his dim recollections of hallucinatory encounters with El Santo movies via dubbed late-night television broadcasts.
Touted as the worst director of all time, legendary Plan 9 from Outer Space creator Ed Wood's strange life and even stranger movies are covered. Featuring interviews with key family and friends, including Maila Nurma ("Vampira"). The Rocky Horror-inspired live musical adaptation of Plan 9 is also touched on.
Jonathan Ross travels to Hong Kong to explore the inventive cinema of Action / Sci-Fi / Fantasy master filmmaker Tsui Hark, taking a detour to explore the underbelly of Asian exploitation cinema. Former experimental theatre director Stuart Gordon discusses his breakthrough film Re-Animator at the La Brea tar pits, and producer Brian Yuzna and Jeffrey Combs are interviewed on the set of the sequal Bride of Re-animator.
Romero, the architect of the modern zombie film, is interviewed against his familiar Pittsburgh stomping grounds. Special Effects wizard Tom Savini explores long-time collaboration with Romero. Savini was gearing up at the time to make his feature debut with a Night of the Living Dead remake and in his interview he hints at some of the twists he was intending on incorporating into his new adaptation.
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1988
The Pope of Trash is captured at the height of his popularity with the surprise mainstream hit Hairspray. Most of the contributors to Waters' underground Baltimore-based film collective "Dreamland Productions" are interviewed, including one of Divine's final interviews.
Drive-In pioneer Lewis is interviewed at a country club in Florida where he details his beginnings in nudie cuties, his successful partnership with Dave Friedman which resulted in the Blood Trilogy (Blood Feast, 2000 Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red), and a late-life career reappraisal where a new cult of devoted followers crowned him the “Godfather of Gore.”
The Las Vegas skyline provides a glittering backdrop for the story of no-budget auteur Steckler, whose improvisational style fueled the creation Rat Fink a Boo Boo, Wild Guitar, The Thrill Killers and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Decided to Stop Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies.
The eccentric Las Vegas-based filmmaker behind The Corpse Grinders, The Astro-Zombies, and The Doll Squad frolics around the desert playing an accordion and performing a ventriloquist act while regaling Jonathan Ross with stories of cinematic courage and communal living in a Los Angeles "castle" full of exotic women.
American independent filmmaker and lover of cleavage Russ Meyer recounts his groundbreaking early sexploitation melodramas, his scandalous 20th Century Fox Production Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and his aborted Sex Pistols project.
An early profile of the filmmaker, fresh off Evil Dead II and ready to begin production of Darkman for Universal. Raimi and his collaborators Scott Spiegel, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell discuss early Super-8 productions, their breakthrough horror film Evil Dead and their compromised sophomore effort Crimewave.
Jonathan Ross
Self
