Alien (1979) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - May 20, 1979]

While I had to wait for what seemed like an eternity for Alien to open at a theater or drive-in near me in the East Bay in June, an exclusive San Francisco engagement rolled out in May. No fair!

Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) / Torture Dungeon (1970) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - May 19, 1974]

I am sure some might argue a mere two theaters showing an Andy Milligan double-feature would be two too many theaters showing an Andy Milligan double-feature.

Milligan's bargain basement penny dreadfuls are, in no uncertain terms, an acquired taste. One that, despite my having read Jimmy McDonough's excellent and harrowing The Ghastly One: The Sex-Gore Netherworld of Filmmaker Andy Milligan, I have struggled to acquire.

My struggle goes beyond the rank and eye-scalding cheapness of the films themselves. Beyond the sadistic and misanthropic cruelty that is displayed in them. My struggle, and reluctant fascination with them, might best be summed up by a John Waters blurb on McDonough's book...

"Andy Milligan is one scary man."

And that is true. Andy Milligan is far scarier than any of the cheap and ugly movies he made.

Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune- May 18, 1976 ]

While I do remember seeing the ads for Jamaa Fanaka's Penitentiary, I did not learn of this earlier offering from the writer-director until much later in life. Welcome Home Brother Charles is about an angry black man that kills people with his ginormous and sentient penis.

Of course I would like to see it, one day. I might even try to watch it back-to-back with Frank Henenlotter's Bad Biology, which I also still need to see.

The Damnation Game by Clive Barker - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - May 10, 1987]

While I do remember reading this book, I remember very little about it. Not surprising, since, as I type the words you are reading at this very moment, the time of reading would be some 37 years ago.