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.
June 30, 2017 – Ted Raimi, Greydon Clark, Adam Green and more are part of Survival of the Film Freaks, a new documentary that explores how technology continues to change how we define “cult” films. Directors, actors, and journalists from all generations weigh in on the ever-changing world of cult cinema in this documentary that is both an ode to and an exploration of cinema fandom.
At the helm of Film Freaks is director Bill Fulkerson. A passion for cult cinema drives Fulkerson; he has hosted the cult cinema podcast Outside The Cinema for over ten years, reviewing countless films for nearly 500 episodes. “I’ve been a lover of weird and wonderful cinema since I was a kid, and how we view and acquire these films continues to evolve. With this documentary we hope to show the past and future so that we never lose these hidden gems.”
Co-directing alongside Fulkerson is documentary filmmaker Kyle Kuchta (Fantasm). “Cult isn’t a genre, it’s a mentality. These films have legacies and followings that now everyone can be a part of because of the Internet. Film Freaks looks to delve in to what ‘cult’ means in an age where everything is available at the click of a button.”
Film Threat’s Chris Gore, William Sachs (Galaxina), and Lloyd Kaufman of Troma are just a few of the familiar faces in Film Freaks. The team is currently finishing up the remaining interviews and moving into post-production this summer.
Guest Co-Hosts: Ben Buckingham, Heather Drain
At the helm of Film Freaks is director