By Melissa Garza
In 1988, Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K) was unleashed. The plot followed a janitor named Joel (Joel Hodgson) and his robot friends who were forced to watch awful films by evil scientists. The show proved to be a cult smash that lasted over a decade. While watching the worst that the industry ever produced, Joel and his robots would make comments throughout which provided some of the greatest moments in comedic history.
Well, now all the fans of MST3K, and there are many, have a new outlet for their B movie cravings. The original creators and cast of the cult smash are back doing what they do best with “Cinematic Titanic.” I had the amazing opportunity to attend a showing of “Blood of the Vampires” as watched with the Cinematic Titanic crew, at the Somerville Theater. You could find theater tickets here for the show and the tickets were going fast. From beginning to end, the event was spectacular.
When I first entered the small theater, it was 6:30. The show wasn’t scheduled to begin until 8 yet the openly excited crowd already had formed a line and had their tickets ready. People who had never met before were conversing in anticipation. Fans chimed in with their favorite moments of both “MST3K” and “Cinematic Titanic.” There was such a shared feeling of absolute adoration that hung in the air. There are few shows that are respected and revered with such enthusiasm and praise. If you think of the fan base of “Monty Python“ “Star Trek“ and “Spaced” you may begin to get the idea of what “Cinematic Titanic“ means.
By 7:15, the theater seated the crowd and nearly everyone at this sold-out event was in attendance waiting. The show began shortly after 8 and opened with the hilarious David “Gruber” Allen warming up the audience. From start to finish, his entire bit had everyone rolling. His humor radiates so well and is worth the cost of the ticket all its own. He is later joined by J. Elvis Weinstein who portrayed the first Tom Servo on MST3K and also co-wrote the original theme song for the series.
Next, Frank Conniff took stage singing the very detailed theme song for an upcoming (or not) Saturday morning Superhero television show. Words can’t even describe the outstanding level of absurdity of this song, and it is one that definitely needs to be seen and heard.
Once the opening acts concluded, the very beloved Joel Hodgson took stage. The crowd’s cheers were electric. Hodgson, whose birthday fell on the day of the event, received one of the warmest and most genuine welcomes I have ever seen. After the audience quieted, Hodsgon introduced the film as the rest of the “Cinematic Titanic” cast came on the stage, and thus began “Blood of the Vampires.”
The film was made in the Philippines with an entire Filipino cast. The movie however takes place in Mexico. More than that, some of the parts called for African American actors and actresses, but “Blood of the Vampires” decided instead to use blackface.
The premise follows an old vampire woman who is kept behind a hidden wall by her husband. The children who are in their twenties believe their mother to be dead. They soon find out the horrible truth. The daughter falls in love with a man that her family hates and thus begins the most bizarre Romeo and Juliet/Ghost Dad (watch the movie and find out) style hybrid ever made. It’s a weird movie. Thankfully, the audience’s attention was captivated by the great and unsurpassed talents of the “Cinematic Titanic” cast. They are simply a hilarious bunch that understands how to relate to the audience on a very personal level.
In the end, the show concluded with a standing ovation, an encore of their best riffs, and singing ‘happy birthday’ to the man who started it all.
Definitely a must for MST3K fans, but I would suggest that anyone who can obtain tickets to see “Cinematic Titanic” live needs to do so. Fans can visit their website to find out tour dates and also to purchase DVDs that should grace every collection.