Arts & Entertainment
Cinedelphia Film Festival Comes to Ardmore
Viva Video will host a screening and a meet-and-greet with the director of 'Video Violence: Redux Deluxe' on Saturday.
Does the idea of watching "really schlocky, low-budget horror movies" appeal to you? If so, you're not alone: Miguel Gomez, owner of Ardmore's new movie rental shop Viva Video, is a self-confessed cheesy horror movie junkie.
On Saturday, horror fans across the Greater Philadelphia area will gather at Gomez's store for the world premiere of Video Violence: Redux Deluxe. The screening, which is part of the Philly-centric Cinedelphia Film Festival, is a new cut that combines 1987's Video Violence... When Renting is Not Enough! and Video Violence 2: The Exploitation.
The festival's website describes Video Violence: Redux Deluxe as:
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One of the great cinematic time capsules of the golden age of the brick and mortar video rental store, 1987's VIDEO VIOLENCE (1987, full title: VIDEO VIOLENCE...WHEN RENTING IS NOT ENOUGH) remains one of the most fun and charming no-budget horror films of the 1980s. Filmed in Frenchtown, NJ with a cast of non-actors and a never-ending supply of imaginative homemade gore effects, VV tells the story of a video store proprietor who unknowingly sets up shop in a dangerous new town. VIDEO VIOLENCE 2 (also 1987) continues the storyline within the format of a public access television show complete with fake commercials.
Both films are filled with disturbing deaths, nasty nudity, and a dark, self-aware sense of humor that brings to mind the current widespread outcry against violent entertainment.
Since the films were made by a video store owner and a video store features prominently in them, Gomez said, the idea came about to host the screening at Viva Video.
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The Ardmore shop is one of only two non-Philly venues included in the festival's line up. (The other non-Philly venue is The Stoogeum in Ambler.)
The film's director, Gary P. Cohen, will be at Viva Video (16 W. Lancaster Ave, Ardmore) for a meet-and-greet from 9 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Gomez said. The movie will start at 10 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and are available online or at the door.
Horror not your thing? Viva Video is sponsoring two free, outdoor, family-friendly screenings in May and June. We'll post the details soon.
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