Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors is director Dustin Ferguson’s tribute (I hesitate to call it a “documentary”) to the grindhouse horrors and drive-in fare of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Lynn Lowry talks about working on I Drink Your Blood and The Crazies. Camilla Carr discusses Don’t Look in the Basement. John Dugan appears and reflects on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. John Russo gabs about Midnight. Kevin Van Hentenryck relives the making of Basket Case and takes us around to a few of the original filming locations. Brinke Stevens tells us how she came to appear in The Slumber Party Massacre, which launched her career as a Scream Queen. And so on and so on…
Some of the interviews are entertaining (especially Lowry’s) and I commend Ferguson for seeking out lesser-known stars to talk about some deep grindhouse cuts that aren’t usually covered in something like this. I just wish the whole thing looked a little more professional. Some segments resemble Zoom calls while others look like they were culled from a cheap behind the scenes special features off a DVD. Other times, the subjects are framed awkwardly on camera and sometimes even have half their head cropped out of the picture. I don’t know if they filmed the pieces themselves and sent them into Ferguson or what. It just gives the whole thing an inconsistent look.
Still, there are some good moments here, and lots of solid clips from movies like I Spit on Your Grave, Last House on the Left, Hellhole, Re-Animator, and Street Trash (although many times they are taken from the theatrical trailers). The segments on low budget horrors like Microwave Massacre, Force of Darkness, and Spookies are fun too, and it was cool seeing the prop maker from Halloween 3 showing off the Silver Shamrock masks. So, overall, Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors isn’t bad; it’s just a little uneven in terms of both content and quality.
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