Ever heard the phrase “it’s so bad it’s good”? That usually prefixes some cinematic gem slated for its no-name cast and low budget. These guilty pleasures are often criticised at the time, only later to be praised as some sort of cult classic.
With that in mind, The Spread celebrates these muffled masterpieces with its Trash Issue. B-Movies, Exploitation films, Video Nasties…let’s see what we have in store for you.
First up, I had the honour of talking to several key members in this genre. We have a 90s Sci-Fi favourite of mine: I talk to Eva Habermann, star of LEXX. Then esteemed academic and author, Dr Ian Hunter sits down to talk B-Movies. I chat with perhaps the hardest working female director/writer/artist Anna Biller on her Exploitation-homage flick VIVA. Tura Satana was a legendary figure in Exploitation film. Read here for my interview with filmmaker and Tura’s friend Cody Jarrett.
This month we cover two hot festivals: Emerge and the AFME in New Mexico courtesy of Yolanda Barker. Speaking of festivals, A D Cooper guides on how to break into the circuit.
Over at Movie Reviews we have a plethora of trashy, B-grade brilliance: Bad Milo!, Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, Halloween, Tenebrae and Braindead.
On a non-Trash note, Marija Makeska reviews documentary Tobacco Girl; the conflict between the modern world and Macedonian traditions. Then she explores A Mae e a Luva (The Hand and the Glove) an unlikely story about a book (yes, book) trafficker.
Finally we look at the ingredients to a B-Movie, define what today’s B-Movies is about and ask if audiences have been desensitised to cinematic gore.
I hope you find this issue a not-so-guilty-pleasure.
Christabel
Editor-in-Chief
