by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: Vampire’s Kiss (1989)
Patrick: #2: Renfield (2023)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Peggy Sue Got Married, Birdy, Deadfall, Bathroom scene from Mandy
Patrick: Theme: Full Cage
Patrick: You programming Vampire’s Kiss gave me the idea of dedicating an entire night to a certain type of performance from my favorite actor. He’s great in any gear, but it’s particularly fun to watch Nicolas Cage not give a shit and leave everything on the field like he does in that movie. I was originally going to pair it with Mandy but decided to go Renfield just to see him play two different types of vampires. Plus, I’ll bet Renfield – a movie I like and think gets a lot more hate than it deserves – will play better on the back half of a double bill. It’s fun and energetic and doesn’t demand much.
Adam: Yeah, it’s hard to resist a double vampire Cage night. I need to revisit Vampire’s Kiss. I thought it was off-putting the first time I watched it, but I think I’d like it more now knowing how far it goes.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: Torso (1973)
Adam: #2: Black Christmas (1974)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Alligator, The Prowler, Hell Night, The Blood Spattered Bride, Eyes of a Stranger
Adam: Theme: Horror Movies Shown at QT Fest III (1999)
Adam: I was having trouble thinking of what to pair Torso with partially because I don’t remember if I’ve seen it or not. I lucked out after a Google search and saw Quentin Tarantino showed it during one of his film festivals back in the late-90s. Thanks QT! This would be a fun slasher-heavy night that I think would play really well with a crowd.
Patrick: This lineup is great, which is no surprise given its origins. I’m on a little bit of a Sergio Martino kick so I’m excited to revisit Torso, one of my favorite Italian horror movies, and pairing it with Black Christmas is perfect because both movies have giallo influences even if they don’t go all the way (Torso does way more so). This is a killer night at the movies. Pun intended?
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: She, Red Sonja, “Big Man on Mulberry Street” dance number from Moonlighting, Kandyland
Patrick: Theme: Sandahl Bergman Appreciation Night
Patrick: Sandahl Bergman could really only have existed in the ‘80s. She was this trained dancer who performed by Bob Fosse in All That Jazz and then started getting cast in a bunch of ‘80s genre stuff because she’s so athletic and statuesque. She kind of steals Conan for me, so I liked the idea of giving her her flowers and devoting the night to her. Hell Comes to Frogtown is an insane movie that I love and is way more cult sci-fi than fantasy, so I think it will actually pair well with Conan. I’m mostly excited about the trailer block because I love that episode of Moonlighting so much.
Adam: I love these types of evenings where we do an appreciation night for an actor most people wouldn’t have. Remember when we did an Amber Valletta night? Plus, I get to watch Conan the Barbarian for a second time. That was one of my all-time favorite Junesploitation discoveries a few years ago.
Double Feature 4:
Adam: #2: Purple Rain (1984)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Bolero, Cannonball Run II, Rhinestone, Sheena, Where the Boys Are
Adam: Theme: 1985 Razzie Award Nominees
Adam: Still need to see Body Double (a movie I even own). I’m ashamed. The Razzies suck but I’m glad they exist just for the inspiration to book a Body Double/Purple Rain double feature, which would kick so much ass. The trailers are all the movies nominated for their Worst Picture that year.
Patrick: I can’t argue with some of those “Worst Picture” nominees because I don’t love the movies, but I do like Rhinestone and both Purple Rain and Body Double are basically masterworks so the Razzies can get fuuuuucked. I’m so glad art outlives its initial reception and finds its audience.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: Light of Day (1987)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, Purple Rain, Streets of Fire
Patrick: Theme: 1980s Rock and Roll Musicals
Patrick: I know Light of Day isn’t exactly a musical, but it does have a lot of music in it. Plus, there’s a Springsteen connection to both movies because he wrote the title song “Light of Day” and Eddie and the Cruisers are just E Street Lite. We had good music movies in the ‘80s, didn’t we?
Adam: We sure did. I would give anything for more band movies nowadays; all we get are music biopics. Anyways, I saw Eddie and the Cruisers for the first-time last year and loved it and I’ve been meaning to re-watch Light of Day since the '80s (when I saw it on VHS because of Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett and had no idea what was going on). This sounds right up my alley.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Silent Madness (1984) in 3D!
Adam: #2: Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Silent Running, Silent Movie, The Silent Partner, Silent Rage, Code of Silence, The Silence of the Lambs, Silent Fall, Silent Trigger
Adam: Theme: Shut the F**k Up
Adam: This was so much fun to program. I don’t even care if it plays well (though I suspect it will). I’m glad we’re booking 3D at the Cinemarink! I paired Silent Madness (which I haven’t heard of until now) with Silent Night Deadly Night because they’re both 1984 horror movies.
Patrick: Yes, this will blow the doors off the place. It helps that SNDN is second because it’s better and more action-packed than Silent Madness, which is only fun because of the 3D. The trailer block is incredible, too.
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: Hell Up in Harlem (1973)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Human Tornado, Penitentiary II, The Return of Superfly
Patrick: Theme: Blaxploitation Sequels
Patrick: For as popular a genre as blaxploitation was and as many films got made under that umbrella, there aren’t very many examples of movies getting sequelized. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen Shaft’s Big Score, but I like Shaft a lot (TWSS) so I’m excited for it either way. I like Hell Up in Harlem even better than its predecessor Black Caesar, so I feel like that’s a good second feature. Putting this double together made me wish every day of Junesploitation was Blaxploitation day.
Adam: This sounds great. I haven’t seen either movie. Other than Horror Blaxploitation, I’m pretty much a novice at the genre so things like Junesploitation have been invaluable getting me to explore these great movies.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Stripped to Kill (1987)
Adam: #2: Summer Camp Nightmare (1987)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Radio Days, Return to Horror High
Adam: Theme: Playing at the Davis Theatre on June 3, 1987
Adam: A double feature brought to you by the defunct Concorde Pictures! I’m always intrigued when I see listings for double bills that actually happened when I search my newspaper website. I wonder how they played. This would be a fun way to find out. Have you seen either of the movies?
Patrick: Oh, what a sleazy night this will be. Stripped to Kill is legit great because Katt Shea directed it and Kay Lenz rules. I saw Summer Camp Nightmare way too many times on HBO as a kid and probably shouldn’t have because it’s not really for kids even though it’s about kids. This is the double I would want to watch first.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: Blade (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Run Lola Run, Mortal Kombat, The Matrix
Patrick: Theme: ‘90s Techo Soundtracks
Patrick: I don’t think I’m a big Hackers guy, but it’s been a number of years so I’m excited to revisit it at our theater. I’m also not crazy about techno so it’s not very smart of me to program a while night around it. Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to rewatch Blade.
Adam: I’ve never seen Hackers so this will be my excuse to finally watch it. I love the techno theme. The music in the theater before we start the movie is going to be banging. Ending the night on Blade is great and will send the crowd out of the theater happy.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Predator 2 (1990)
Adam: #2: Judgment Night (1993)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Blown Away, The Ghost and the Darkness, Lost in Space, All three of Hopkins Tales from the Crypt episodes (“Abra Cadaver”, “Beauty Rest”, “Staired in Horror”)
Adam: Theme: Stephen Hopkins Appreciation Night
Adam: Totally obvious theme but I couldn’t resist. Stephen Hopkins rules!
Patrick: Look at that fucking lineup and tell me he’s not one of the greats. Do you think he would come if we ran this? Would he tell the story about punching Peter Greene again? I could listen to that shit all day. Stephen Hopkins seriously is one of my favorites.
Was considering Hell Comes to Frogtown foe Juneploitation's New World Pictures day. Thanks for the encouraging words!
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