In honor of beloved filmmaker Ed Wood’s 100th birthday, join us for a rare screening of Night of the Ghouls! In this 1959 film, also known as Revenge of the Dead, a bogus medium accidentally brings the dead back to life and disaster—both in front of and, surely, behind the camera, ensues. Wood made this ramshackle, supernatural feature just two years after Plan 9 From Outer Space, his masterpiece and the most famous bad movie of all time. Unlike its notorious predecessor, however, Night of the Ghouls did not have much of a theatrical life. It was held in limbo by its investors, and allegedly screened only once at The Vista theater—just down the street from Whammy.

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But Night of The Ghouls, which is chock-full of frequent Wood-collaborators like Duke Moore, Tor Johnson, and The Amazing Criswell, eventually found its footing in the 1980s, when the freaks and ghouls discovered it on the home video market. And ON VIDEO is exactly how we’ll be screening it at Whammy! We’ll be unwrapping a pristine © 1990 VHS from Elvira’s “Midnight Madness” collection and enjoying the Mistress of the Dark’s irreverent commentary alongside this hard-to-find horror gem.

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The festivities will be hosted by film critics Chris Shields and Sarah Fensom, who will be unleashing a myriad of surprises throughout the evening. There will be a birthday cake, Ed Wood movie bingo, Johnny Depp trivia, a potential raffle, prizes, and participation awards. Costumes encouraged! An angora sweater would certainly be appropriate…

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dir. Edward D. Wood Jr., 1959
United States, VHS projection
~70 mins

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7:30 PM DOORS
8:00 PM SCREENING