First I have to set this review up. Back in the 80's I was iving in the Village, NYC and going to NYU. On the east side was an old movie theatre called The Variety Photoplays. I think it was built in the early 1900's. It's been featured in a Woody Allen movie and in a horror movie called Varety, which used it as the set.
By the 1980's it had taken a turn and the theatre alternated between straight movies and adult films -- every other week. One day I walked by and there was a poster for this movie outside acclaiming "From the director of Night of the Living Dead!" I had to see it.
The ticket booth was actually a stand alone booth outside of the theatre and the guy inside it was really creepy.
Walk in and to the right was the concession stand which only sold candy and you'd give your ticket to this big heavy bruiser who had a motorcycle chain around his neck (I'm not kidding). I think he was "armed" to protect the women (more on that in a minute).
So I go into the theatre and -- this is the 80's -- the audience was mostly cigar smoking old men. The place stunk of cigars.
You could tell that back in the day this was a beautiful ornate movie theatre, complete with a balcony, mezzanine and orchestra seating.
So I sit down toward the back. Maybe 5 minutes before the film starts, skantily clad girls come walking down the two aisles saying "Last call. Last call." One guy gets up and goes with one of them thru an exit door next to the screen. He never came back. I'm assuming these were "working" gals and hence the bruiser, in case of trouble with the Johns.
Anyway this movie finaly came on and it was pretty short so they followed it with another film that had a splice toward the end and turned into a totally different movie!
What a place!
I had totally forgotten about this movie until it re-surfaced for streaming. It's a weird movie, shot with no money, but still captivating. Made supposedly as a public service sort of film about elder abuse.
How this actually got made under that premise is astounding. I'm surprised the money people didnt sue for getting something they didnt expect.
It's well done, but a bit repetitive, given it's short length.
I also don't consider this a true horror movie. It's a surreal drama for sure, but not horror.
Worth a watch -- especially for those Romero fans out there.
And parentetically, in the 90's the Variety Photoplay was gutted and turned into an off off broadway live theatre, without the for hire glas. It should have been restored and considered a landmark in the area. Today that's gone too and now it's a bunch of condos.
By the 1980's it had taken a turn and the theatre alternated between straight movies and adult films -- every other week. One day I walked by and there was a poster for this movie outside acclaiming "From the director of Night of the Living Dead!" I had to see it.
The ticket booth was actually a stand alone booth outside of the theatre and the guy inside it was really creepy.
Walk in and to the right was the concession stand which only sold candy and you'd give your ticket to this big heavy bruiser who had a motorcycle chain around his neck (I'm not kidding). I think he was "armed" to protect the women (more on that in a minute).
So I go into the theatre and -- this is the 80's -- the audience was mostly cigar smoking old men. The place stunk of cigars.
You could tell that back in the day this was a beautiful ornate movie theatre, complete with a balcony, mezzanine and orchestra seating.
So I sit down toward the back. Maybe 5 minutes before the film starts, skantily clad girls come walking down the two aisles saying "Last call. Last call." One guy gets up and goes with one of them thru an exit door next to the screen. He never came back. I'm assuming these were "working" gals and hence the bruiser, in case of trouble with the Johns.
Anyway this movie finaly came on and it was pretty short so they followed it with another film that had a splice toward the end and turned into a totally different movie!
What a place!
I had totally forgotten about this movie until it re-surfaced for streaming. It's a weird movie, shot with no money, but still captivating. Made supposedly as a public service sort of film about elder abuse.
How this actually got made under that premise is astounding. I'm surprised the money people didnt sue for getting something they didnt expect.
It's well done, but a bit repetitive, given it's short length.
I also don't consider this a true horror movie. It's a surreal drama for sure, but not horror.
Worth a watch -- especially for those Romero fans out there.
And parentetically, in the 90's the Variety Photoplay was gutted and turned into an off off broadway live theatre, without the for hire glas. It should have been restored and considered a landmark in the area. Today that's gone too and now it's a bunch of condos.