Crap Film Club presents: SHOCKING DARK

Presented by: Crap Film Club

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0	LONDON: The Old Queens Head
P	Monday 30th October, 2023
N	7:00pm

Event information

SHOCKING DARK (also known as Terminator II, Terminator 2, Aliens 2, Aliennators, and Contaminator) is a 1989 Italian science-fiction film written by Claudio Fragasso (TROLL 2) and directed by Bruno Mattei (CRUEL JAWS). Although the film was promoted as a rip-off of James Cameron's "The Terminator", it is primarily a rip-off of Cameron's subsequent film "Aliens". It was released in some countries as Terminator II, as it had been made two years before "Terminator 2: Judgment Day".

In a futuristic, polluted Venice, researchers for the Tubular Corporation are working to improve the situation when unknown forces start killing them. The Mega Force - a team of gung-ho soldiers, a headstrong scientist and a mysterious company man - is sent to investigate. Soon, they encounter strange murderous creatures.

Italian genre cinema from the 70’s and 80’s cannot be explained. There are no words in any langue that can accurately sum up what movies from that era are. Try as we might, those films just aren’t capable of being transferred to mere words. They have to be experienced visually, and even then you may be left confused. "Shocking Dark" is one that will definitely leave you scratching your head. You’ll have a great time, no doubt, but when it’s all done you’ll simply ask, “what?!”

It’s a fascinating snapshot of a group of filmmakers and actors who seemed to believe that they could blatantly rip off other movies by recreating entire scenes using similar plotlines, characters, and dialogue, but without anybody noticing. Complete with marines, Ripley and Newt type characters, an android, loads of firepower, tracking devices, monsters on the loose, and time travel, it’s breathtakingly absurd how many elements from Alien, Aliens, and The Terminator are made use of, but with obviously subpar results.

Join us for our final event of 2023 - a Halloween screening of “Aliens-gone-awry”. Laugh as all the actors deal with the budgetary issues by dialling up their performances to 11. Chortle as the film gets everything that made “Aliens” great completely wrong. Snigger at rubbery monsters that might be made from old wellington boots. All this plus a crap-filled interval and a bumper competition/giveaway!

"A film I didn’t know I needed until I saw it. Supersizing everything but logic, naturalistic dialogue, and strong performances, Shocking Dark is just a lot of damn fun." - Daily Dead

"The actors are having a good day if they remember their lines and the set is almost ready to collapse in on itself...schlockfests rarely get this gonzo." - Reel Reviews

"Like a community-theater version of ALIENS, this is a midnight movie where you drink a shitload of beers, toke your finest herbs and yell at the screen with your friends." - Daily Grindhouse

"Ludicrous dialogue, bizarre plot twists, outrageous performances, and a nearly constant stream of total nonsense...this is pure cinematic bliss" - Marc Fusion

"'Shocking Dark' features lots and lots of shouting and some of the most hysterical line readings in the history of cinema." - Bloody Disgusting