The Winner of "The Late Show" Spring Programming Contest

By Devin Wachs, Public Relations Manager, BMFI

In January, we ran our second ever programming contest for The Late Show film series, which features unusual and underseen cult films on select Friday nights at 11:30 pm. We received some excellent programming suggestions for the series, both submitted on our blog and sent directly to our programmer. Of the twenty or so submitted, we selected a winning entry, and, now that we've booked the film, we're ready to announce the lucky winner to the world (i.e. you). Drumroll, please...

And the winner is... John Nolan, for suggesting Blood and Lace! John has won four tickets for him and his friends to go see Blood and Lace on the big screen on Friday, May 11, plus four popcorn and drink passes. He will also introduce the film the night of the event. Congrats, John! Here's his entry:

Blood and Lace (1971). Leonard Maltin, in his Movie & Video Guide, gives it a "BOMB" and advises, "Don't bother." Psychotronic author Michael J. Weldon describes it as "one of the sickest PG-rated films ever made." However, the authors of the Overlook Encyclopedia of Horror Films rave that its "attack on the hypocrisy of small-town America is absolutely unrelenting." I stand firmly in the Overlook camp. This forgotten drive-in flick (and staple of the late, great Channel 48's Creature Double Feature) stars the legendary Gloria Grahame ("awesome in her matter-of-fact portrayal of human depravity," according to the Overlook Encyclopedia) as the corrupt headmistress of an orphanage, features such familiar faces as Vic Tayback, Milton Selzer, and Len Lesser, and a script involving all sorts of unsavory topics (arson, hammer murders, attempted rape, incest, torture, and blackmail). This is a cult film just waiting to happen, and BMFI could be the place to launch it.

The Late Show series started off with a bang in January with a huge crowd for The Room. The third entry in the series, the surreal Japanese horror flick House, plays this Friday, February 17, followed by the bizarre Oscar-nominated Greek drama Dogtooth on Friday, March 16, and the Monkees' Head on Friday, March 30, which won our winter programming contest.

A sneak peak at the spring The Late Show schedule:

Friday, April 13, 11:30 pm
Videodrome
This is one of our programmer's personal favorites.

Friday, April 27, 11:30 pm
Secretary
A twisted nod to Administrative Professionals' Day, earlier that week.

Friday, May 11, 11:30 pm
Blood and Lace

Friday, May 25, 11:30 pm
Kiss Me Deadly
BMFI's Programming Intern, Daniel Santelli, Jr., suggested this film noir fave, which will be shown on 35mm!

Details about our upcoming programming will be coming in a few weeks. In the meantime, thanks again for everyone's contest entries and suggestions for The Late Show series. We hope that you'll keep them coming!