SOME FAVORITES TO SHARE

Something Weird Video is an invaluable archive of very nearly lost treasures. Something Weird started in 1990 by Mike Vraney as an outlet for his vast collection of exploitation films and nudie loops. Something Weird puts out DVD’s that are usually double features that come with a slew of extras. Most of these extras are trailers from films you’ve never heard of. Something Weird covers a extensive range of films that are a portal into other obscured eras. My favorite films are the drug and occult films. Two notable dics I’ve watched are the double features of Satanis: The Devil’s Mass with Sinthia: The Devils Doll and Asylum of Satan with Satan’s Children.
Satanis: The Devil’s Mass covers the Church of Satan at their inception as well as height of popularity (the same period). There are candid interviews with Anton Lavey, his family, participants, and his older neighbors who are often at odds with him. Satanis also features footage of ceremonies and psycho dramas. Watching this footage somewhat diminishes the claws of hype from the Church and Lavey. The collective rituals and gatherings come off as intellectual theatre. The look of the film is very similar to other horror films of the time: lots of saturated shots obtained by green and red gels.
Satan’s Children (shot entirely in Tampa, Florida!) was one of the more bizarre films I’ve ever seen. The oddest component of the film being is it’s ambiguous stance on sexuality. From The liner notes:”Attacked by homosexual thugs who discard him by the side of a road, teenage runaway Bobby Douglas is given shelter by a friendly cult of Satanists. But Bobby’s presence - and his questionable sexuality - leads to conflicts within the cult, especially after a lesbian member is damned to Hell. (Obviously, they’re a very conservative bunch of devil worshippers.) But Bobby proves to be one sick puppy which he demonstrates in ways that would even make the Devil smile... Hilarious, homophobic, and just plain insane, SATAN’S CHILDREN is the kind of twisted Southern sleaze that makes one think Lucifer himself was personally involved”.