4 out of 5

Directed by: Various

I remember this.

I remember not knowing what to make of this.

I was doing my thing at Tower Records, and had seen – and got promos of – choice selections from Something Weird, and developed an affection for it, without really knowing much about it in the slightest. But, I mean, the listing of absolutely batshit nonsense titles plus cheeky erotica plus dejectable exploitation just seemed like the kind of thing I would like, and so I made it a mini-mission to try to keep their catalogue in stock, and then experienced shock at how many damn DVDs that meant.

Part of that shock was this Extra Weird Sampler, boasting ‘Over 100 of the Most Amazing Movies Ever Made’ – on a single disc, mind you – and with titles like ‘The Curious Dr. Humpp,’ and ‘Please Don’t Eat My Mother!’ I couldn’t quite figure out what this disc was, and took a copy home, kind of thinking that maybe this was a joke of some sorts? Like these would be fake movies?

When I scanned to ‘Dracula the Dirty Old Man,’ it kind of seemed in support of that: some kind of 70s shlock that appeared to be re-dubbed for comedic purposes, like an off-brand What’s Up Tiger Lily? This… can’t be real, right? But it is.

Right, so, let’s accept that you’re not an idiot like me, and you understand that Something Weird Video is the distributor of all kinds of “B to Z films,” ranging from legit exploitation stuff, to porn booth / stag loops and even educational fare. If it’s got a note of obscurity and minimal budget, it’s game. This aptly named ‘sampler’ is that: kind of trailers for 100+ movies from the SW catalogue, ranging all over their genres – nudies, splatter, Reefer Madness, burlesque, gladiator flicks, and etc. I say “kind of,” because occasionally you’re just getting two minute clips of whatever movie, and sometimes without even a title to tell you what it is.

This is all experienced best just letting it play – it’s mostly alphabetical, but it seems to loop through two sets of A – Z listings, without much rhyme or reason I can sense – because if you try to scan for something that “sounds good,” you are going to be at a loss. Unless you’re a historian who knows all of these at a glance, it’s a crapshoot; just let the thing run. And in that form, it can function however you please: as background entertainment, as foreground distraction – there will be some flicks here where 2 minutes is plenty – or as an actual way to find some Something Weird recommendations.

Assuming the imprint is in your ballpark, this is a mighty fine deal. The lack of clear organization / what-the-hell-is-this-clip-of-teens-dancing-without-context is really the only knock, and for sure, there are some droughts in the runtime where a few trailers pass without much going on, but with so, so much material, the flexible “use” of the sample, and all generally at an affordable price, it’s quite a deal.