Episode 812: Cut-Throats Nine (1972)

Guest Co-Hosts: Nicholas Schlegel, Heather Drain

A gold-plated chain gang, a snowbound death march, and a father hunting a killer who's already survived the trip: Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent closed out his western career with Cut-Throats Nine (1972), still cited as the goriest Spanish western ever made.

Mike talks with Nick Schlegel and Heather Drain about how Sergeant Brown (Robert Hundar) and daughter Cathy (Emma Cohen) end up stranded with seven condemned convicts after a botched bandit ambush, and how gold hidden in their chains curdles cooperation into betrayal, torture, and a murder mystery Brown never gets to solve. They trace Romero Marchent's late-career demolition of heroic western conventions, the film's kinship with (and possible one-upping of) The Great Silence, Luis Cuadrado's snowbound cinematography, and whether the film's notorious gore implicates the audience or just splatters it. Masterpiece, curiosity, or endurance test: is this the most nihilistic western ever made?

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 812: Cut-Throats Nine (1972)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Cut-Throats Nine on DVD

Music:
"Condenados a Vivir" - Carmelo Bernaola
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Episode 798: Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Special Guest: Lauren Lloyd
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Rob St. Mary

Comedy Month wraps up as Mike talks with Rob St. Mary and Heather Drain about Tom Green's Freddy Got Fingered (2001) and Lauren Lloyd joins Mike for an interview about working on the film that was almost universally trashed on release.

Green wrote, directed, and stars as Gord Brody, an aspiring cartoonist who heads to Hollywood to sell his drawings as an animated series. After a catastrophic pitch meeting, Gord retreats to live with his parents—long-suffering father Jim (Rip Torn), mother Julie (Julie Hagerty), and younger brother Freddy (Eddie Kaye Thomas). Also along for the ride: Marisa Coughlan as Betty, a wheelchair-using rocket scientist.

Closer in spirit to Dadaist provocation than anything else at the multiplex in 2001. Mike, Rob, and Heather dig into Green's career, the film's reception, deleted material from the trailer and behind-the-scenes footage, and the question of what Freddy Got Fingered is actually trying to do.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 798: Freddy Got Fingered (2001)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Freddy Got Fingered on DVD
Watch This is Tom Green documentary
Buy Hollywood Causes Cancer: The Tom Green Story by Tom Green and Allen Rucker

Music:
"The Cutting Song" - Organized Rhyme
"My Bum Is On Ya Lips" - Tom Green

Watch:

Guest Spot: Director's Club on Jodorowsky

Mike joins Jim Laczkowski of The Director's Club alongside the great writer, commentator, and historian Heather Drain to dig into the work of one of cinema's most singular visionaries.

The conversation centers on two landmark films — The Holy Mountain and Santa Sangre — though Jodo's broader filmography weaves its way throughout. Jodorowsky has something in common with filmmakers like PT Anderson, David Lynch, and Sam Raimi: he treats cinema like a playground of the subconscious, an empty canvas reflecting an uncompromising reality that is equal parts bleak and beautiful.

The first hour focuses on The Holy Mountain, while the second jumps into Santa Sangre and much more. There are laughs, fireworks, acid trips, and digressions galore — all in the spirit of a true artist who has likely changed lives, befuddled others, and created remarkable work that is entirely his own. No timestamps necessary for this one. Be sure to also seek out another Jodorowsky masterpiece, El Topo.

Listen/Download Now:

Links:
Visit The Director's Club
Learn more about Heather Drain

Episode 786: Pandemonium (1987)

Special Guest: Haydn Keenan
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Payton McCarty-Simas

The Projection Booth continues its dive into Australian cinema with Pandemonium, the delirious 1987 feature from writer-director Haydn Keenan. A film that plays like a fever dream filtered through exploitation cinema, absurdist theater, and cultural anxiety, Pandemonium resists easy summary--and happily punishes anyone who tries.

The story unfolds through the fractured testimony of Kales Leadingham, an escapee from an asylum portrayed by David Argue, who recounts his time working as a surveyor at a decaying movie studio run by the grotesque siblings (or spouses?) EB and PB De Wolf. What follows is a barrage of unstable identities, pagan imagery, religious parody, sexual panic, fascist satire, and mythic nonsense, all orbiting the enigmatic “Dingo Girl,” whose presence seems to fracture reality itself.

Writers Heather Drain and Payton McCarty-Simas join Mike to unpack Keenan’s anything-goes approach to narrative, performance, and tone. The discussion wrestles with the film’s wild accents, confrontational humor, taboo imagery, and relentless escalation—from Nazi roleplay and talking mirrors to possessed dolls, zombie parties, musical numbers, and outright apocalyptic imagery.

The episode also features an interview with Haydn Keenan, who reflects on the film’s creation, its confrontational sensibility, and its afterlife as a cult object.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 786: Pandemonium (1987)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Pandemonium on DVD
Learn more about Going Down

Music:
"Nature of the Beast" - Colin Hay & Co.

Watch:

Episode 785: Shirley Thompson Versus The Aliens (1972)

Special Guest: Brian Thomson
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Chris O'Neill

The Projection Booth kicks off a month devoted to Australian oddities with Shirley Thompson Versus the Aliens, the startling 1972 debut from director Jim Sharman. Long unseen outside of archival corners of the internet, the film sits at the crossroads of experimental theater, pop music, political anxiety, and institutional paranoia.

Heather Drain and Chris O’Neil join Mike to unpack the film’s radical shifts in tone and form: the oscillation between black-and-white and color, the omnipresent off-screen voices, the rock-and-roll aliens, and the way Sharman folds Cold War fears, ecological warnings, and Australian cultural touchstones into Shirley’s fractured psyche. The discussion also traces how the film anticipates Sharman’s later work, with its collision of spectacle, provocation, and musical disruption.

The episode features an interview with production designer Brian Thomson, who reflects on the film’s theatrical roots, handmade aesthetic, and the creative freedom that allowed such a strange debut to exist. Part asylum drama, part pop-art warning, Shirley Thompson Versus the Aliens stands as a message from the margins nobody was prepared to hear.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 785: Shirley Thompson Versus The Aliens (1972)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Blood & Tinsel by Jim Sharman

Music:
"Sex Shooter" - Apollonia 6
"Gary's Song" - Jeannie Lewis

Watch:

Episode 777: The Image (1975)

Special Guests: Rob King, Lina Mannheimer
Guest Co-Hosts: Jessica Shires, Heather Drain

Radley Metzger pushes the boundaries of erotic cinema with The Image (1975), a film that treats desire as ritual, performance, and provocation. Adapted from the infamous novel by Catherine Robbe-Grillet-—writing under the name Jean de Berg—-the film unfolds as a stylized confession. Carl Parker plays Jean, the author surrogate recounting a charged encounter with his estranged friend Claire (Marilyn Roberts) and the young woman who becomes the focus of his controlled cruelties, Anne (Mary Mendum).

Joining Mike are Jessica Shires and Heather Drain, as the conversation situates The Image alongside Metzger’s other works and within a broader lineage of European erotic literature and BDSM aesthetics. The episode interrogates authorship, consent, power, and the uneasy space between fantasy and autobiography that defines Robbe-Grillet’s writing and Metzger’s adaptation.

Interviews with Rob King, author of Man of Taste: The Erotic Cinema of Radley Metzger, and filmmaker Lina Mannheimer (La Cérémonie) expand the discussion, connecting The Image to questions of female authorship and the gaze.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 777: The Image (1975)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Image on Blu-Ray
Buy The Image by Jean de Berg
Read The Image (1975): The Kook, the Thief, His Wife & His Lover by The Rialto Report

Music:
"Centurion" - Sammy Burdson

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Episode 742: There Is No 13 (1974)

Guest Co-Hosts: Ben Buckingham, Heather Drain

Brace yourself for a mind-melting trip into cinematic obscurity as Mike White, Heather Drain, and Ben Buckingham dive headfirst into There Is No 13 (1974), the elusive, long-suppressed anti-war film from director William Sachs. Blending absurdist humor, surreal vignettes, and unflinching commentary on the Vietnam War, the film follows draftee George Thomas (Mark Damon) through a fractured journey of memory, fantasy, and emotional unraveling.

Almost impossible to find and never properly released in the U.S., There Is No 13 has lived more as rumor than repertory staple, with tales of government pressure and controversy haunting its legacy. First screened at the Berlin Film Festival to strong reactions, it’s become a ghost of radical cinema -- one that challenges, confounds, and sticks in your brain like shrapnel.

As part of our “Maudit May” celebration of cursed and forgotten films, this episode comes with a warning: spoilers abound, so track down this rare gem if you can. Then come back for a lively, unfiltered discussion of one of the strangest anti-war films you’ve never seen.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 742: There Is No 13 (1974)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Read more about Jean Jennings at the Rialto Report
Read an interview with William Sachs
Buy There Is No 13 on DVD-R

Music:
"There Is No 13" - Riz Ortolani

Watch:

Episode 721: Kamikaze 89 (1982)

Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Chris Stachiw

Dive into a neon-drenched dystopia as Mike is joined by Chris Stachiw and Heather Drain to dissect 1982's Kamikaze 89! This cult oddity, directed by Wolf Grem, is the fifth adaptation of Per Wahlöö's Murder on the 31st Floor, but this version catapults the narrative into the "futuristic" world of 1989. Together, the team explores the film’s avant-garde aesthetic, its sly satire on media and power, and the iconic performance of Rainer Werner Fassbinder in a leopard-print suit. It’s a wild ride through West German sci-fi that defies convention and genre.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 721: Kamikaze 89 (1982)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Kamikaze 89 on Blu-Ray

Music:
"The 31st Floor" - Edgar Froese

Watch:

Episode 720: Downtown (1975)

Guest Co-Hosts: Jessica Shires, Heather Drain

When cult cinema maestro Jess Franco turns his lens to noir with Downtown (1975), you know you're in for a sleazy, surreal ride! Join Mike White, Heather Drain, and Jessica Shires as they unravel the tangled web of private eyes, femme fatales, and Franco’s unmistakable flair.

This Patreon-requested episode, brought to you by the fabulous Pat Radke, dives deep into one of Franco’s lesser-seen gems. Is Downtown a gritty noir, an erotic fever dream, or something in between? Tune in to find out as the crew discusses its place in Franco's prolific filmography, its unique style, and why it deserves more love.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 720: Downtown (1975)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Downtown on Blu-Ray

Music:
"Downtown" - Petula Clark

Watch:

Episode 713: The Bell from Hell (1973)

Guest Co-Hosts: Nicholas Schlegel, Heather Drain

Mike, Dr. Nicholas Schlegel, and Heather Drain bring the eerie vibe of #Shocktober2024 to new heights with a Patreon request from Kyler Fey: The Bell from Hell. This sinister 1973 gem by Claudio Guerín, written by Santiago Moncada, follows John (Renaud Verley), fresh from the asylum after a stay orchestrated by his aunt, Marta (Viveca Lindfors), and her three daughters. Now he’s back—and his intentions? Is he a prankster with a wicked sense of humor, or is he dead-set on revenge?

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 713: The Bell from Hell (1973)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Bell from Hell on DVD
Buy Sex, Sadism, Spain, and Cinema: The Spanish Horror Film by Nicholas Schlegel

Music:
"Hells Bells" - AC-DC

Watch:

Episode 711: Turkey Shoot (1982)

Special Guests: Roger Ward, Brian Trenchard Smith
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Andrew Nette

Our #Shocktober2024 coverage heats up with a Patreon pick from Ellis Kish: Turkey Shoot. This 1982 cult classic from writer-director Brian Trenchard-Smith throws us into a dystopian nightmare set in the “futuristic” year of 1995. Steve Railsback and Olivia Hussey star as prisoners caught in a ruthless government’s clutches, where torture is just the beginning—the real terror lies in the deadly “Turkey Shoot.”

Heather Drain, Andrew Nette, and Mike dive into this savage satire with insights from Trenchard-Smith and actor Roger Ward, who share the gritty details behind this shocking tale of authoritarianism.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 711: Turkey Shoot (1982)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Turkey Shoot on Blu-Ray
Buy Alice Through The Multiverse by Brian Trenchard-Smith
Buy Adventures in the B-Movie Trade by Brian Trenchard-Smith

Music:
Original Score - Brian May

Watch:

Episode 709: Cockfighter (1974)

Special Guest: Kier-la Janisse
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Jedidiah Ayres

Heather Drain and Jedidiah Ayres join Mike to take a gritty plunge into Monte Hellman's Cockfighter (1974), a controversial and fascinating portrait of obsession and redemption. Warren Oates stars as Frank Mansfield, a man so consumed by his quest to win the cockfighting championship that he’s taken a vow of silence until he claims victory. Set in the underbelly of the American South, this visceral tale pits man against his demons, much like the roosters he trains.

Adapted from Charles Willeford’s novel, Cockfighter pulls no punches in its depiction of the brutal, outlawed sport, which was illegal in 47 states at the time. Film scholar Kier-la Janisse discusses the complex themes of masculinity, pride, and obsession, as well as Hellman’s signature directorial style in her new book, Cockfight: A Fable of Failure.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 709: Cockfighter (1974)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Cockfighter by Charles Willeford
Buy Cockfighter on DVD

Music:
"The Cockfighter" - Ed Kuepper

Watch:

Episode 705: Diamonds in the Night (1964)

Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Rob St. Mary

We’re kicking off #Czechtember2024 with a classic of the Czech New Wave, Jan Nemec's Diamonds of the Night. Released in 1964, the film was a groundbreaking piece of cinema. Based on Arnost Lustig's semi-autobiographical novel Darkness Casts No Shadow, the film is about the escape of two boys from a train carrying them to a death camp.

Heather Drain and Rob St. Mary join Mike to discuss this harrowing film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 705: Diamonds in the Night (1964)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Diamonds of the Night on Blu-Ray
Learn more about The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror Museum
Find out more about the Museum of Communism in Prague

Music:
"Diamonds of the Night" - Forgotten Silence

Watch:

Episode 700: Caligula - The Ultimate Cut (2023)

Special Guests: Caroline Kirkendoll, Alexander Tuschinski
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Rob St. Mary

We're celebrating our 700th episode of The Projection Booth with what may be the first time we've discussed a movie for a third time as we continue to document the troubled history of the 1980 film Caligula.

We first spoke about the film almost 10 years ago where we were joined by Maitland McDonagh to discuss the movie while Ranjit Sandhu gave us the sordid history behind the production and talked about his book 200 Degrees of Failure and filmmaker Alexander Tuschinski discussed the career of Tinto Brass and the original intentions Brass had for the finished film. Listen Now.

We came back together in 2018 to discuss the re-discovery of the original footage of Caligula and the plans Penthouse and Alexander had to restore the film to Tinto Brass's original vision. Listen Now.

Now Rob and Mike are joined by Heather Drain to talk about the version of Caligula that played at Cannes in 2023. Once referred to as Caligula MMXX, it’s now called Caligula: The Ultimate Cut and it was produced by a person named Thomas Negovan.

We'll be discussing The Ultimate Cut as well as what’s happened to this project over the last six years along with President of Penthouse Global Licensing, Caroline Kirkendoll, and director of Mission: Caligula, Alexander Tuschinski

This episode includes clips from episodes of the Century Guild Salon and the Team Human podcast. No rights are implied or given.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 703: Caligula - The Ultimate Cut (2023)" on Spreaker.

McDowell on Caligula on WTF:

The Projection Booth · Malcolm McDowell talks Caligula on WTF

Listen to the Caligula episode:

Listen to "Episode 178: Caligula (1979)" on Spreaker.

Listen to the Mission: Caligula episode:

Listen to "Special Report: Mission Caligula (2018)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Subcribe to Maitland McDonagh's substack
Get your Tino Brass fix at Cult Epics
Read Alexander Tuschinski's analysis of Caligula
Buy Caligula: The Ultimate Cut on Blu-Ray -- Features commentary from Heather Drain!

Music:
"Caligula" - Edu Yattah
"Caligula Themed Music" - Lee Bannon
"Caligula Syndrome" - Soft Cell

Watch:

IsTintoBrass from Cult Epics on Vimeo.

Episode 699: Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Robert Bellissimo

We’re kicking off an August of Art Films with a look at Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive (1973). The film stars Ana Torrent as Ana, a five year old girl who lives with her older sister, Isabel, her mother, and her distant father in a palatial estate. When the film Frankenstein comes to their little Castilian town, Ana becomes fascinated by the creature killing little Maria.  This comes at a time when she begins to understand death in the harrowing world around her.

Heather Drain and Robert Bellissimo join Mike to discuss this thought-provoking film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 699: The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)" on Spreaker.

Mike discusses Thesis:

Listen to "Thesis" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Spirit of the Beehive on DVD

Music:
"Spirit of the Beehive" - Lack Of Knowledge

Watch:

Episode 652: A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973)

Guest Co-Hosts: Jessica Shires, Heather Drain

Jessica Shires joins Mike White and Heather Drain to discuss her Patreon request: Jesús Franco's 1973 film A Virgin Among the Living Dead. It’s the story of Christina ("Christina von Blanc"), a young woman who is summoned to her family’s mansion after the suicide of her father. There we meet her odd family. The film plays out somewhere between a dream and a nightmare following its own pace and logic.

We discuss the film's strange pedigree (and the directorial additions by Pierre Quérut and Jean Rollin), how difficult it was tracking down genre films in the Video Search of Miami days, and the seductive power of Carmen Yazalde.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 652: A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy A Virgin Among the Living Dead on DVD

Music:
"Confessions Of A Knife (Theme Part 1)" - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

Watch:

Episode 642: Vice Squad (1982)

Special Guests: Gary Sherman, Steve Mitchell
Guest Co-Hosts: Brad Jones, Heather Drain

Our request month continues with one from listener and Patreon donor Dallas Norvell.

Heather Drain and Brad Jones join Mike to look at Gary Sherman's 1982 film Vice Squad. The film stars Season Hubley as Princess. She’s a devoted mom by day and a working girl by night who works hard for the money so you better treat her right. She gets into all kinds of hi-jinks over one crazy night on the Sunset Strip.

Director Gary Sherman discusses the shooting of the film while filmmaker Steve Mitchell shares details on his new documentary, Working Class Actor, all about Wings Hauser.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 642: Vice Squad (1983)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Vice Squad on Blu-Ray

Music:
"Red Light Lover" - Gwen Jonae
"Neon Slime" - Wings Hauser

Watch:

Mike White May: Underseen Milos Forman Films

Chris Stachiw made the mistake of continuing the Kulturecast tradition of allowing Mike to program a full month of movies for his show. For 2023, Mike chose to look at four films directed by Milos Forman that he had never seen -- Black Peter, Taking Off, Valmont, Goya's Ghosts -- along with one of his favorites, Ragtime.


Black Peter:

Listen to "Black Peter" on Spreaker.

Taking Off:

Listen to "Taking Off" on Spreaker.

Valmont:

Listen to "Valmont" on Spreaker.

Goya's Ghosts:

Listen to "Goya's Ghosts" on Spreaker.

Ragtime:

Listen to "Ragtime" on Spreaker.

Episode 628: Human Highway (1982)

Special Guest: Charlotte Stewart
Guest Co-Hosts: Darren Williams, Heather Drain

Co-directed by Neil Young (as Bernard Shakey) and Dean Stockwell, Human Highway stars Russ Tamblyn as Fred Kelly, a gas jockey and mechanic who gets a new job working for Young Otto (Dean Stockwell).

Released in 1982, the film ties into Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps punk era of his career.

Darren Williams and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss the film while actress Charlotte Stewart talks about the unusual way in which Human Highway was made.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 628: Human Highway (1982)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Human Highway on DVD

Music:
"Gasoline" - Bobby Byrd and the Family Byrd
"Human Highway" - Neil Young
"It Takes a Worried Man" - Devo
"Mr. Soul" - Love Battery
"Ohio" - Devo

Watch:

Episode 610: Ganja & Hess (1973)

Special Guests: Sam Waymon, Christopher Sieving
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Leon Chase

Heather Drain and Leon Chase join Mike to kick-off Black History Month with a look at Bill Gunn's 1973 film Ganja & Hess which stars Duane Jones as Dr. Hess Green, a scholar who is stabbed with an ancient dagger by a crazed house guest, the husband of Ganja Meda (Marlene Clark). Hess is resurrected and helps Ganja be reborn as well. The two are now addicted to blood in one of the most unusual vampire films around.

Special guests musician Sam Waymon and author Christopher Sieving (Pleading the Blood: Bill Gunn's Ganja & Hess) discuss the behind-the-scenes of Gunn's seminal sophomore film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 610: Ganja & Hess (1973)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Ganja & Hess on Blu-Ray
Watch Blood Couple on YouTube
Buy Da Sweet Blood of Jesus on DVD
See all fifty feet at Leon's 50 Foot Movie website

Music:
"Ganja & Hess" Soundtrack - Sam Waymon

Watch: