Saturday, June 29, 2002
Crest Theatre
 |
SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS (1968)
|
SHANTY TRAMP (1967)
Shanty
Tramp is an amazing example of classic B&W trash. It has all the ingredients:
lots of sex, go-go dancing, motorcycle gangs, a lynching, wild car chases,
and even a Christian Revival Tent thrown in for extra flavor. Producer and
cult film king G. Gordon Murray (The Robot Vs The Aztec Mummy) is also credited
as one of the first to dub and release foreign trash for American audiences,
including creepy fairy tales for children, and many Mexican wrestling and
horror movies. Released in 1967 with an X rating, Shanty Tramp was his most
successful original feature. It was even banned in some states due to its
interracial love scene. Sources close to the Trash film Orgy say as few as
15 prints were originally struck for this film making a rare must see for
all trash fans.
Talking trash: Crest's
Film Orgy celebrates best of bad cult cinema
By Rachel Leibrock, Sacramento Bee Staff Writer
(Published June 23, 2002)
Blood.
Sex. Gore.
Yes, it's time to hide the kids -- the Trash Film Orgy is back in town for the summer.
The Trash Film Orgy, a midnight movie festival highlighting the best of the worst of cult cinema, starts its sophomore season with an all-night party Saturday at the Crest Theatre.
"It's going to be way more unrestrained this year," promises festival coordinator Keith Lowell Jensen. "Last year we had to prove ourselves -- we had to behave."
There'll be none of that this time around.
Instead, fans of horror, slasher, etc., can expect the crème de la crème of trash, including Saturday's "Trash Til Dawn," an all-night party featuring enough bad movies to make your head spin.
In addition to the flicks, there'll be comedy, wrestling, costumes and guest appearances from cult-film directors.
"This year we're getting nuttier and messier and gorier," Jensen says while relaxing recently in a midtown cafe.
Then again, maybe "relaxing" isn't the right word. Jensen, with his thin, lanky frame, tousled hair and intense eyes, is a hyperkinetic ball of energy even when he's sitting and sipping a caffeinated beverage. It is no surprise to hear him say something like:
"I want it to be manic -- we've got a circus out there."
Jensen, 30, a part-time writer-comedian by day, spent the better part of last year -- his entire life, actually -- gearing up for the festival's second season.
Living in Southern California until he was 14, Jensen grew up watching his favorite horror films mostly on his VCR. It wasn't until he moved to the Sacramento area that he started watching them on the big screen at theaters around town, including the Crest. But those experiences didn't quite meet his expectations .
"Once in Roseville, I had a theater owner tell me I could only laugh at the 'appropriate' parts of the movie -- I think it was 'Robocop,' " he recalls, adding that the angry owner said he could only laugh during the film's "funny" scenes.
Funny, of course, is a highly subjective thing.
"I was laughing when they were blowing the bad guys away," says Jensen. "Well, that was meant to be funny -- I thought, 'If someone would just present this stuff as it is -- just good schlocky fun.' "
Years later -- somewhere in between working as a video technician and a promoter for the Spike & Mike Festival of Animation , and trying out his own stand-up comedy routine -- Jensen met up with some fellow schlocko enthusiasts.
"All through high school we were really into the gore scene, and we wondered why someone didn't do it right," says Jensen of the festival's six-person team, which includes Crest Theatre manager Sid Garcia-Heberger. "We were all living in different parts of the world -- we didn't know each other -- but we all knew we could do it better."
Jensen, whose alter ego Francois Fly will host the Trash Film Orgy, says his role with the festival is clearly defined.
"I'm not the film geek of the group," says Jensen. "I'm the P.T. Barnum. I put together a bunch of talented people and then put them on display."
Highlights for this year's six-week run features several short films -- including 16-mm prints presented on a smaller screen -- and live appearances by directors Jack Hill and Ray Dennis Steckler.
Last year the festival averaged 300 people in attendance nightly. This year, they're anticipating even larger audiences.
"My expectations for this year are pretty high," says the Crest's Garcia-Heberger. "People have been talking about (the festival) all through the fall and winter."
Jensen, Garcia-Hebeger and the rest of the crew hope to eventually expand the festival. Plans include taking it on the road and adding Halloween and Christmas shows.
Meanwhile, Jensen is concentrating on the task at hand -- making sure his audiences leave the theater with their appetite for cinematic mayhem satiated.
To accomplish that, Jensen and the other festival organizers have spent the last year sifting through lists of obscure films and long-forgotten gems.
The point is to highlight "the stuff you've never heard of. There are a lot of films that would do really well for us that we have said no to," says Jensen, citing the cult fave "Evil Dead" as an example.
"Believe it or not, we are very picky about what we show," he continues.
"We joke that we show the worst cinema in the world but we are honestly
picking out the films that we love."
return to top