Forbidden Zone

Seekers of the truly bizarre need look no further than this 1980 carnival of weirdness to find cause for celebration. Filmed in glorious black and white and employing wacky, off-kilter sets and wonderful animation sequences inspired by the cartoons of the 1930s, Richard Elfman’s Forbidden Zone tells the twisted tale of “teen-age” school girl Frenchy Hercules’ descent into the Sixth Dimension by way of a secret door in her family shack’s basement. Her dreamlike adventures among the inhabitants—who include King Faustus (enthusiastically hammed up by Herve Villechaize), a sometimes topless Princess, and the evil Queen Doris (Susan Tyrell, of Andy Warhol fame)—play out in a phantasmagorical wonderland worthy of the Fleischer brothers. The music, composed and performed by Danny Elfman and the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, is a perfect complement to the weirdness of the action. Simultaneously macabre and horribly funny, this one must be seen to be believed. Excellent digital transfer. Not for the kiddies.