Trash Palace feels like a secret society. In a fairly down-on-its-luck building near Bathurst and King, accessible only to those who have bought an advance ticket at Suspect Video (Queen St.), this bi-weekly celebration of cinematic schlock has developed a fairly loyal following. Every other Friday, the operator of Trash Palace, Stacey Case, shows a feature-length film and assorted short subjects from his collection of 16mm and 8mm films. Most of these films are of questionable quality, but, according to Case, quality is not an issue at Trash Palace.

“How many of you guys have seen Mystery Science Theater 3000?” said Case. After nearly everyone raised their hand, he said, “Okay, I fuckin’ hate Mystery Science Theater 3000. This isn’t about making fun of movies. This is all about love.” Case even pointed out that he, himself, made a trash movie. I took the liberty of looking it up. It’s called Zombie Beach Party, in case you’re interested. Despite Case’s ‘love,’ all the films that were shown the night I attend received a fair number of MST3K-like quips, both from the audience and from Case himself.

First up: a short silent film called White Gorilla, in which several doughy white explorers head into darkest Africa to hunt down a guy in an unconvincing gorilla suit.

Up next: an extended advertisement from the tourism board of Bermuda, hosted by no less than David Ogden Stiers. This sappy, overdone piece of advertising was, believe it or not, the funniest thing shown. I was reminded of a time several years ago when I was over at a friend’s house for a sleepover party, and at about 4 AM, we watched a cheesy video about how to install a hardwood floor. We were making fun of this video like crazy until my friend’s dad came downstairs and said incredulously, “Are you guys watching a video on how to install a floor?” But I digress…

The main attraction was Gorilla at Large, a full-colour 1954 ‘thriller’ set around the monkey cage at the circus. It has one hell of a cast: Cameron Mitchell, Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin, Raymond Burr, and Lee J. Cobb. You’d almost think Robert Altman directed it. Gorilla at Large was originally filmed in 3-D put projected 2-D, which would explain the many scenes in which the gorilla sticks its hand menacingly towards the camera.

Unfortunately, Case’s16mm print of Gorilla at Large was missing a 20-minute chunk in the middle, and the effect was kind of like the ‘missing reel’ gags in Grindhouse. It created plenty of confusion: in the first section of the film, Cameron Mitchell is a low-paid circus employee, while in the second half he’s suddenly an undercover cop.

If you’ve seen your fair share of bad old movies, you’ve probably seen a lot of flea-bitten gorilla suits. Actually, I would say that the ‘gorilla suit movie’ is a legitimate subgenre. Usually they populate cheap John Agar horror movies, although you can also see them in a lot of old comedies such as those of Abbott and Costello and the Three Stooges. The comic set-up is pretty consistent: 1) Bud dresses up as a gorilla for Lou’s circus act, 2) Bud gets knocked out by a real gorilla, who goes on in his place, 3) wackiness ensues.

Perhaps it is unfair to judge Gorilla at Large in its truncated state, but I would say that it is an about average entry in the gorilla suit subgenre. It doesn’t reach the artistic heights of the immortal Bruce Li the Invincible or the Stooges’ Bird in the Head, but is significantly superior to Robot Monster and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.

After the thrilling conclusion of Gorilla at Large came a Super 8mm, abridged (17 minutes) version of Creature from the Black Lagoon…in 3-D! The 3-D glasses were of the red-and-blue variety, and it could be charitably said that they didn’t work perfectly. But there was about the novelty of this 3D curio that was strangely appealing. You don’t get to see a 8mm 3-D print of Creature from the Black Lagoon every day.

If Ed Wood-caliber movies are what you’re after, the Trash Palace is an enjoyable experience. It has a unique ambience, it has a certain amount of soul, and the films are actually film, not just a projected DVD (if you’re a snobby purist like me, it makes a difference). Certainly it beats watching Gorilla at Large alone at home.

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Trash Palace’s official website: http://www.trashpalace.ca