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The Alamo Drafthouse Celebrated ‘The Bad Batch’ With a Pig Roast!

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The Bad Batch Pig Roast

I’ve made my love of the Alamo Drafthouse and their special screenings fairly obvious in the past. For years they have found new and creative ways to show films on top of their already impressive catalog of screenings. The chain features monthly chick flicks for Girlie Night, action movies for Tough Guy Cinema, Quote-Alongs for such gems like Clue and Airplane! and for us horror fans, Terror Tuesdays, which are weekly showings of horror films of all styles (heads up: the Terror Tuesday on July 4th is I Know What You Did Last Summer!). The Alamo Drafthouse leaves no movie fan ignored. One of the more innovative things the Drafthouse does is what they refer to as their Rolling Roadshow: outdoor screenings of films new and old projected onto an enormous inflatable screen. To celebrate the release of Ana Lily Amirpour’s (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night) sophomore feature, the cannibal love story The Bad Batch, the Alamo Drafthouse decided to hold a screening during an outdoor pig roast. (don’t worry, no humans were on the menu). 

The screening took place at Stunt Ranch, a popular venue bordering the Texas cities of Austin and Dripping Springs. Owned by Steve Wolf, President of Wolf Stuntworks Inc. and the founder of Science in the Movies Inc., Stunt Ranch positions itself as “a 22-acre event, experiential education & filming venue 17 minutes from downtown Austin.” What sets it apart from many other event venues in the area is the sheer number of attractions available to event-holders. The venue offers a wide variety of activities, including but not limited to:

  • High Falls
  • Learning Circuits & Detonating Fireball Explosions
  • Squibs (Bullet Hits)
  • Ratcheting
  • Zip-lining (and Targeting off Zip-lines)
  • Combat Pyro Paintball
  • Rappelling
  • Rock Climbing

Some of the attractions that distribution company Neon included before their screening of The Bad Batch were a high-wire trapeze course, zip-lining and my personal favorite: a highfall jump. A highfall jump is exactly what it sounds like: jumping off of a ledge and onto a giant airbag. I was fortunate enough to capture my jump on film, so feel free to give that a watch if you would like to see my terrified face.

Upon arriving at the venue at 6:30pm, patrons were greeted with two drink tickets and a meal for the barbecue that was being served (they even had seitan for any vegetarians that were attending). From there we were encouraged to grab a seat in front of the screen (we were told in advance to bring our own chair or blanket to sit on) and then we were let loose to go explore the attractions that the venue had to offer. The film wouldn’t start until 9pm, so I had plenty of time to walk around and check things out. My first stop was to grab a beer, but then I made my way over to the photo op, which was set up in front of an exploding van with some of The Dream’s (Keanu Reeves’s character in the film) concubines.

The highfall jump was next and then I went to the food, which was provided by Mickletwhait Craft Meats. Pig roasts are becoming a popular event trend in Austin, so it’s no surprise that Neon and the Drafthouse decided to capitalize on that trend here. The line, which stretched across the length of the venue, moved at a steady pace but I had a friend hold my place in line while I went to go try out the tomahawk throwing practice (I know! That is poor line etiquette.). Unfortunately, I learned that that particular skill was not for me. I always hit the target but failed to make one stick. I came to terms with my defeat by eating an enormous plate of barbecue (it was delicious, by the way).

Around 8:45pm we were all encouraged to find our seats for the screening of The Bad Batch, which was introduced by Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League and Amirpour herself. Having seen The Bad Batch at Fantastic Fest back in September, I already knew what I was in for. While I did appreciate the film more on a second viewing, I was still left fairly disappointed with it. This was particularly crushing for me since I am a huge fan of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. The Bad Batch is a gorgeous film with some excellent sound design that just doesn’t have enough narrative material to sustain it’s two-hour runtime. There are a few interesting ideas on display that don’t feel fully realized, making the film feel hollow. That may be what Amirpour was going for, but it made for a frustrating viewing experience. After the screening the audience was treated to a Q&A with Amirpour and Suki Waterhouse, the film’s lead actress. Both commented on the difficult (and hot) shooting conditions and provided some interesting insights into the film.

While I was lukewarm on the film, it was made up for by the fact that Neon and the Alamo Drafthouse put on one helluva pre-show and further illustrates why I will only go to an Alamo Drafthouse if I am going to the theaters. Regular theaters just don’t cut it anymore!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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