Last year around this time I wrote glowingly about Cinema of the Macabre's first Super Spook Show Spectacular and wished sincerely that this would become an annual event. The FORCES OF DARKNESS (Tim and CotM) apparently heard my plea and the Twin Cities was fortunate enough to see a repeat this year. For the uninitiated, the Super Spook Show Spectacular is essentially a horror movie mini-marathon consisting of four mystery films. While some marathons focus on things like exhibiting on film or especially spooky venues - CotM's event leans heavily into the spook show/ghost show traditions of live hosts, "shocking" rituals, monstruous surprises, and some seriously cool swag. Programming-wise, Tim and Co. so far have been eschewing more obvious horror/Halloween hits in favor of selections decidedly in the cult/psychotronic vein which really suits the overall vibe of the show. They do not offer pre-show clues or categories of what the films will be but it looks like the first two events follow a loose pattern and I'll write more about that
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God Told Me To (1976) - Larry Cohen's occult, sorta conspiracy, profoundly weird, gritty NYC crime thriller opened up the show. It's been a few years since I've seen GTMT, I'd never seen it on a big screen before, and I was legitimately excited for it. Regular readers of this blog are (maybe painfully) aware of my enthusiasm for New York films of this era and Cohen captures the city unlike just about anyone else. His run and gun, guerilla attitude towards coverage leads to such a visceral hurtling through the streets and captures a genuine candidness that bigger productions struggle to achieve. It's more than obvious that some sequences involve non-acting New Yorkers reacting to situations thrust upon them by Cohen and his crew - sometimes in surprise and more than often with total indifference. I will say that the day that seems to begin at the St. Patrick's Day Parade and finishes at the Feast of St. Gennaro rubs me slightly the wrong way - but seasonal continuity is probably the least reality bending facet of a film featuring hippie messiahs, mass mind control, corporate occultism, and alien insemination. I always recall how weird GTMT winds up but I forget the most of it is a (relatively grounded) police procedural that's propulsive in its own right. Tony Lo Bianco was a king of NYC crime drama at the time and Sandy Dennis also delivers an excellent performance that ads plausibility even as the plot skews increasingly bizarre. Terrific way to start things
Burn, Witch, Burn (1962) - An authentic witch was required for the next phase of the demon summoning ritual so some audience members volunteered to participate in a series of challenges - trials, if you will - to determine if any of them were truly a witch. It was close but a witch was eventually identified, given a prize package, and then led out to the parking lot to be burned at the stake. We salute their sacrifice! The leading trailers for the next movie were The Witches and City of the Dead so I absolutely knew we were going to watch Night of the Eagle/Burn, Witch, Burn. Coincidentally, I had just recommended all three films to someone looking for witchcraft movies. I have written a full-length review of Eagle on this site so feel free to check that out if you're interested. I had never seen it on the big screen though and those eagle scenes absolutely deliver. It's a terrific October choice and just a film I have a great deal of affection for. I suspect it's one that not a lot of folks in the audience had not seen and I'm beyond stoked for them to be introduced to it like this.
The Sect (1991) - In a semi-return to the previous year's medical theme, the third part of the ritual required the heart of a baboon. Unfortunately only a gorilla was available but our intrepid cultists forged onward in some seriously suspect surgery. The necessary organs were removed but there may have been some primate rampaging to follow. Nothing entertains quite like someone in a gorilla suit causing mayhem in a crowded theater. My mind is blanking on the trailers leading up to this one but they were a couple of grindhouse flicks I actually had not seen. Regardless, we found ourselves thrust into Michele Soavi's surreal, occult nightmare - The Sect. I know The Sect is rarely anyone's favorite Soavi feature, but I think it holds up well. I already had a copy and skipped over the recent Severin release and it had been a few years since I last watched it. I had indelible images in my memory (channel surfing bunny, satanic face transplant, monster bird humping) but couldn't recall exactly how they all tied together. In fairness, it's not the most cohesive conspiracy story ever told and some of the ideas maybe should have hit the cutting room floor (why the Rolling Stones are invoked repeatedly is the real mystery). However, Soavi delivers on nightmarish imagery and stylish camera work like few others. It's not as outrageously bonkers as some of the favorite 80s-90s Italian nonsense flicks, but it's still a powerful, dreamy spectacle that I can get into.
Black Roses (1988) - I came in a little late from the break and caught the penultimate piece of the demon summoning ritual in progress. I believe the devotees were consuming ceremonial blood to prepare their voices for demonic invocation which they gamely provided. The trailers leading up to the final film were Demon Wind and Trick or Treat which I'm relatively certain have both screened before in the very theater we were sitting in. Much like last year, the final movie was a goofball 80s musically themed horror and much like last year it was the only one I had not seen before. I've been meaning to catch Black Roses for ages so I was happy to have it finally foisted upon my eyeballs with an unsuspecting audience. Roses opens really strong with a fully monstrous band playing to a crowd of fanatics but then things slow down for a while when the band inexplicably arrives at a small Canadian town to kick off their world tour. This hits a lot of 80s sweet spots - hair metal, ancient teenagers, lambos, demon puppets, mustaches, and boobs. I thought it was a lot of fun and a great way to cap off the show. I confess, I'd love to have more of that demonic band causing mayhem in the streets but some of the set-pieces (speaker monster, especially) are well worth the price of admission.
Following the final film, we were favored with an appearance by THE Togroth, devourer of souls. I'll leave some mystery around that but it was a great bit. I'm not sure anything will touch Edgar Allen Poe's appearance last year, but that felt like it was written with me specifically in mind. Regarding film categories/patterns - last year featured a 70s cult classic in Tourist Trap, a black & white 60s horror in Spider Baby, some absolute Italian nonsense in Luigi Cozzi's, Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat, and an over-the-top 80s musical horror in Slumber Party Massacre II. So we hit on some analogous selections this year as well. Not sure if that will be "the" categories moving forward but the continuity is pretty cool either way. What I can say is that I imagine the Super Spook Show Spectacular will continue as this year seemed bigger and more well attended. It's been a real pleasure to see Cinema of the Macabre and Tape Freaks develop such a devoted fanbase over the last couple of years, especially. Like I said in last years' write-up, I respect and appreciate the overnight horrorthons out there but the Spook Show is way more my speed - keeping the focus more on having a good time than sheer mental and physical fortitude. If I could buy my tickets for 2025 today, I would. Huge shout-out of course to Cinema of the Macabre and Emagine Willow Creek for putting on such a quality event. If you attended this year, let me know what you thought either here or on IG, and please come back when I post my October Best-Of/Horror Gives Back article at the end of the month!
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| Thanks to Bronson for the Poster Pic! |
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