Bad Film Club battles Trumpocalypse

Bristol Bad Film Club has always succeeded in uniting people over the truly terrible. And what could be more awful than President-elect Donald J. Trump?

Last year, the Club raised more than £670 for Children in Need by enduring a 24-hour bad movie marathon. Such was their bravery and seflessness that they even sat through Impulse in which William Shatner plays a killer gigolo. Plans were afoot to repeat this preposterous exercise when the result of the US Presidential Election came in, after which nothing seemed quite so funny anymore.

“Much has been written in the past week about the consequences of Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States, including how all his hate-filled rhetoric might have been nothing but bluster,” says Bristol Bad Film Club founder Ti Singh. “However, the sad fact is that this man is now in charge of the most powerful military force in the entire world. He has repeatedly stated over the past 16 months that he believes climate change to be a hoax and that he’ll dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, hinted he’ll curtail the freedoms of the press and, most likely, will put women’s rights back about 60 years.”

But – hey! – the Bristol Bad Film Club doesn’t organise rallies or candle-lit vigils. So they decided to demonstrate their opposition the only way they know how – by watching terrible movies for 24 hours. Specifically, they’ll be enduring abominable old monster movies. How come? “Well,” says Ti, “in the 1950s giant monsters came to symbolise the fears of the age – be it communism, atomic power or a genuine fear of giant spiders. Now that a large orange dinosaur is in charge of nuclear launch codes, we felt it would be appropriate. Plus these films often feature some sort of monster grabbing women…”

Here’s how it works. The Bad Film hardcore will be settling down on comfy cushions at The Hare in Bedminster from midday on Saturday, November 26 to midday on Sunday, November 27. You don’t have to join them, but you’re welcome to drop in for as much cinematic crap as you can handle. More importantly, you can chuck cash in their collecting buckets or sponsor this extraordinary feat of endurance here. The three charities that will benefit all represent causes that are likely to suffer under Trump: Race Equality First, End Violence Against Women and Stonewall.

The full programme of films is yet to be finalised, but it will include the following:

Earth vs. The Spider (1958)

The world is threatened by a giant mutant spider.

Gorgo (1961)

The world is threatened by a giant angry lizard.

The Monster That Challenged The World (1957)

The world is threatened by giant mollusc monsters.

Frankenstein Conquers The World (1965)

The world is threatened by a giant indestructible mutant child. Who also fights monsters.

Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)

The world is threatened by radioactive zombies that have been re-animated by a ex-Nazi scientist to become assassins.