BOSTON – Tickets are on sale now to see Grindhouse Releasing’s long-awaited restoration of SCUM OF THE EARTH, the 1970s backwoods Southern Gothic slasher-movie from director S.F. Brownrigg (DON’T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT).
SCUM OF THE EARTH screens July 18 & 19 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard Street, Brookline, Mass., 02446).
TICKETS: https://coolidge.org/films/scum-earth-1974
A city gal’s romantic weekend at a rustic lakeside cabin in bayou country becomes a nightmare of squalor, depravity, and slaughter with a bloodthirsty maniac on the loose in this ’70s drive-in classic from the makers of DON’T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT.
When her husband is brutally axe-murdered, Helen (Norma Moore) flees for her life into the swamps where she runs into Odie Pickett (Gene Ross), the mean, moonshine-swilling patriarch to a wretched brood: his pregnant child bride Emmy (Ann Stafford), rebellious daughter Sara (Camilla Carr), and slow-witted son Bo (Charlie Dell).
Taking refuge at the family’s isolated shack, Helen soon finds out how they live below Tobacco Road – and how they die, as the lurking, unseen killer strikes, again and again….
SCUM OF THE EARTH became a top-grossing box-office hit in 1976 when it was re-released as POOR WHITE TRASH PART II.
Decades in the making, the new restoration was produced by David Szulkin and Grindhouse Releasing owner Bob Murawski. Award-winning colorist Alastor Arnold (ANORA) revived Brownrigg’s drive-in exploitation classic from the rotting film elements.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre is New England’s most successful independent nonprofit cinema.
“Grindhouse Releasing has a long history playing midnights at the Coolidge, going back to the release of THE BEYOND in 1998,” Szulkin said. “Since then, they’ve shown all of our movies, from the 35mm tours of THE EVIL DEAD, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, and GONE WITH THE POPE, to our 4K restorations of DEATH GAME, IMPULSE, and HOLLYWOOD 90028. We’re excited to give the Coolidge After Midnite audience the first look at SCUM OF THE EARTH.”
SCUM OF THE EARTH reviews:
“UNFORGETTABLE”
– Philadelphia Inquirer
“A foul exercise in imbecility. In the tradition of DERANGED and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE…a mindless plethora of gore, punctured bodies, and sexual assault.”
– Los Angeles Times
“BETTER THAN YOU MIGHT BELIEVE. In fact, it’s better than a lot of movies you go to expecting some art in addition to artfulness. There are actually some moments of art here – in the acting, especially, in the casting and even in the story line, despite the subject matter.”
– Detroit Free Press
“A BITTER BLEND OF SPLATTER AND SLEAZE…Brownrigg’s best film….QUINTESSENTIAL SWAMP TRASH. What elevates SCUM OF THE EARTH above the commonplace is a compelling script complemented by several intense, unsettlingly believable performances.
Brownrigg regular Gene Ross anchors SCUM OF THE EARTH with his menacing portrayal of human monster Odis. Almost as impressive are Ann Stafford as Odis’ abused wife Emmy and Camilla Carr as his slutty daughter Sarah. Special mention must be given to the incredible performance of Charlie Dell as Odis Pickett’s dimwitted son Bo. Well, let’s hope that Charlie was performing.
Brownrigg’s stars are aided by an intense script that bristles with backwoods dialogue worthy of Sam Shepard. Feverish arguments and verbal assaults ignite what would otherwise have been stock characterizations. Ross’ Odis is a personification of patriarchal evil, a false god from Judeo-Christian nightmare scripture. Scenes of him glowering at the young widow are stomach-turning in their slavish cinematic devotion to Ross’ every sickening gesture and inflection. His is a frightening performance that overwhelms a film barely able to contain it.”
– Charles Kilgore, ECCO
“A sweaty, seamy deep Southern-fried movie made by and for maniacs…makes you feel like you have to take a shower after you watch it. This movie is awash in scum, while still finding some compassion for even its most depraved characters… A MASTERPIECE.”
— Sam Panico, B & S About Movies