FilmNight Special

This is the ultimate show for any movie fan, and I honestly never believed this kind of show would be allowed to air on Flemish tv ever! Director Jan Verheyen pulled it off anyway, simply because he felt that there was a increasing need for a show that was able to please cult- and horror movie fans. He dove into the archives of several tv-stations and selected a wild mix of cult favorites and genre classics. Verheyen himself accompanied every movie with a short and witty introduction.

The movies varied wildly (ranging from schlock such as "Zombi 2" and "Killer Crocodile" to camp favorites such as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Batman - The Movie") but Verheyen also managed to squeeze in a few genuine classics such as "The Exorcist" and "Raging Bull". Of course, there was the occasional double feature (the best one being "The Green Slime"/"Night of the Lepus"), and every season Verheyen did a Halloween Special. Another highlight of the show was the (possibly only ever) screening of the flesh-eating genre classic "Cannibal Holocaust" and for a while Verheyen feared that the show would be taken off the air for showing the film. Fortunately that didn't happen and he was able to produce three series so far. Let's hope they'll let him keep doing it.

But best of all, the show spawned a spin-off show called "Nacht van de Wansmaak" ("Bad Taste-Night"), in which Verheyen took the concept on the road. Again, he rummaged through the archives of the Belgian film museum and surfaced with a collection of weird and so-bad-they're-good clips and movie trailers and even a hilarious full-length Danish monster movie called "Reptilicus". With this show he toured several big Flemish and Dutch cities, much to everyone's delight. Maybe someday Verheyen is going to do another one, and I hope he does, because frankly, the first one knocked me out cold!