Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors — Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors (DVD)

Documentary Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors is a reminder to all of us who lived through the 1970s and 80s what it was like to be a horror movie fan during the halcyon days of Grindhouse cinema, nth generation VHS tapes, the satanic panic and the video nasties phenomena. Directed by Dustin Ferguson (Cocaine Cougar, Hell of the Screaming Dead and Mega Ape) Stale Popcorn is an 84-minute deep dive into the cult cinema of the 1970s and 80s that features interviews with a host of the stars, directors, producers and other crew responsible for making those movies.

There are a number of similar documentary movies kicking around at the moment, however, this one stands head and shoulders above many of them. It features a host of key figures that were working in the horror movie scene during those decades. Actors like Kevin Van Hentenryck ( Duane Bradley in the Basket Case trilogy) John Dugan (Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Next Generation,  and the 2013 Boogyeman), Lynn Lowry (I Drink Your Blood, The Crazies and Shivers), and John Russo (screenwriter of Night of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead and director of Midnight) to name just a few of the more recognisable figures interviewed. 

Firstly, it’s great to listen to an iconic filmmaker like John Russo talk about the difficulties he faced when making Midnight.  He talks candidly about how he ran himself into the ground making the film, this goes some way to explaining his subsequent extended hiatus before returning to direct Heartstopper in 1989, a whole seven years later. It’s also a genuine pleasure to listen to Kevin Van Hentenryck talk about his first meetings with Frank Hennenlotter and the making of the movie that would go on to endear both men to a cult horror movie audience, Basket Case. I was also really pleased to see a lot of coverage given to another favourite of mine, Stuart Gordon’s low-budget Lovecraftian masterpiece Re-animator. This film was a real game changer at the time and remains a late-night screening classic. On top of this it’s great to see interviews with actor/producer Frank Farel talking about his work on another couple of low-budget movies that have a big cult following, Spookies and Street Trash, both of which don’t get enough love these days.

Unlike most of the other documentaries that have seen the light of day in the last few years, it is refreshing to listen to those who actually made and starred in the movies being discussed, as opposed to fans of those movies who have gone on to create movies inspired by those movies. Ferguson has put the interviews at his disposal to great use, the documentary flows well and is interesting and informative. The interviewees have a series of excellent anecdotes about the movies they starred in and the directors they worked with. It’s so great to hear them given this chance to tell these stories on screen. The interviews are intercut with trailers and clips from the movies that are being discussed, and it works really well. 

Overall, Ferguson has created a solid and interesting documentary that serves as a reminder of what it was like to be a cult horror fan in the 1980s, it also works well as an introduction to a younger audience who are interested in uncovering a greater understanding of 70s and 80s horror and exploitation cinema. This DVD from Wild Eye Releasing is nicely packaged, however, the only negative about the package is that the bonus features are just an image gallery and a handful of trailers for other movies being released by Wild Eye Releasing. This is a minor quibble though as the film itself is very enjoyable. If you have an interest in grindhouse or low-budget cult horror cinema in general then this film should provide you with an interesting and enjoyable diversion from the usual cheapy VHS, nostalgia horror docs that regularly turn up on certain streaming platforms.