Short films shown at Psychotronic Film Festival, Finalist, Washington, DC

Full text

Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.

The First Annual
Psycho Awards

[cover image: flying saucer crashing into the U.S. Capitol dome]

The Finalists!

Of the 30 or so entries we received we managed to narrow it down to the eleven entries you see here. The judges will rate each film on a scale of one to ten. All scores will then be totalled to come up with the first and second prize winners. In case of a tie, Washington Psychotronic Film Society Executrix Director Melanie Scott will cast the tie breaking vote. The entries are listed here in the order they will be shown tonight and each film-maker has been given some space to speak his (or her) piece.

The Attack and Invasion of the Killer Full Figured Housewives from the Planet Zoron submitted by Erik Paesel. Erik Paesel describes his film as being "Roger Corman meets Monty Python with a little bit of David Lynch thrown in. Basically we were trying to make a semi-bad movie. I'd rather see cheezy off-beat stuff than cheezy mainstream stuff any day. We were trying to get an 80 year old man to dance in a tu-tu, but we just don't know many hip old men."

Be Like Mike submitted by Virginia Vitzthum & Kenneth McLeod. "You've seen the t shirt (I'll be back b/w Free Mike Tyson). Is it a black thing? Is it a green thing? Is it a guy thing? T-shirt vendor Leon Green says it's a King thing. Pretty Little Heads, the Little Rascal wannabes of the 90s, leap from theater to video crime fighting as they expose reckless t-shirters."

Straight From the Pit of Hell submitted by Jeff Herberger. "If you want to make a movie, just go ahead and make it. Don't sit around waiting for it to come to you, go after it. You don't need tons of money. Beg, borrow and steal the equipment. Enlist your friends, take a few risks and have some fun. The horror genre is a great avenue for the low budget filmmaker. A little Karo syrup and red food dye can go a long way on the big screen."

The Lightbulb Salesman submitted by C.A. Clausen. "A live action Punch and Judy Show by C.A Clausen. This short is a self-defeating morality play for the modern age."

Sieze the Day submitted by Matt Sesow. Greetings from Dicky Boy! A six and 1/2 minute film produced using a Fischer Price PXL2000 camera-the same folks who imortalized the bubble mower. All the characters in this silent film are portrayed by aspiring actor Matt Sesow-- who also did the filming, editing and makeup effects (which were acheived by using Scotch tape to alter Matt's facial features). His influences include Eraserhead, A 4-H cat show when he was 12, pick-up trucks, and Fugazi.

Hog submitted by Lynn Dougherty & Chip Roughton. "Never has the wonderful world of gardening seen such a formidable adversary! Every year, wild pigs destroy hundreds of dollars worth of plants and flowers in North America alone. Followers of the nation's greatest hobby have taken matters into their own hands, but to little avail. The chaos roars on!"

Omnivore Snacks, Etc. submitted by Carl Cephas. "There is an audience for almost anything, but nobody is going to 'fess up to bad taste. Take Spam, for instance. Everybody's had it, everybody hates it, but it's always in stock. There are people out there eating it up. Like a bad movie, somone is going to watch it, 'cause it's there."

Rudy submitted by Shannon Malone. "A young man's oxymoronic journey of homosocial self-actualization. Inspired by Sadie Benning and the teachings of Barney Hitler, the plagaristic comic."

Bob Noir submitted by Sandra Giltner. Sandra says that Bob Noir is "a happy little video that celebrates the regular guy and teases the french. I haven't forgotten the rainbow warrior." Why did she make this film? "My agent told me that the only way to direct is to direct. It was the zen of Bob, if you will."

The Clicker submitted by Simone Fary. Ms. Fary would simply like everyone to know that her film was made for under twenty dollars.

Through a Tube (A Wabba Dabba Goo) submitted by Wendell Adkins. Through a Tube is a microcosom touching on birth, sex, death and the cycles of repetition that make up life as we know it. The intention of the film is to lead the viewer to an outside point of experience in order to see living from an omnicient stance."

About the Judges...

Trey Graham is an expatriate South Carolinian, and has heard just about all the Strom Thurmond jokes that he cares to. He studied music and English at two colleges in Georgia that he'd rather not name for fear of embarrassing them. He is an arts writer for The Washington Blade, where he occasionally breaks down in spontaneous fits of giggles at the thought that he actually gets paid to express his opinion. He is pleased to be participating in this historic event, especially since otherwise he would have been unable to avoid attending a NLGJA-sponsored discussion with Michelangelo Signorile, in progress this very moment at NPR headquarters.

Esmiralda, the toilet troubadour, has been spreading her musical mayhem in DC since 1987. Her totally psychotronic live shows with her band, The Explicit Lyrics, feature four beautiful dancing boys and her slave girl, Maggie. Aside from winning the 1992 Wammy as best female alternative vocalist, Esmiralda recently played a punk rocker in John Water's latest film, Serial Mom. To keep up on your Esmo Info, call (301) 961- SPIT.

Sarah Wildberger, Tempo editor for the Journal newspapers, is a noted Kung-Fu film writer and personal correspondent with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

[membership coupon: The Washington Psychotronic Film Society, P.O. Box 65955, Washington, DC 20035 — same text as in the second-annual program]

The First Annual
PSYCHO AWARDS
Ballot Sheet

Judges: Please rate each film on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lousy and 10 being excellent). The films are listed in the order they will be shown.

The Attack and Invasion of the Killer Full Figured Housewives from the Planet Zoron. Submitted by Erik Paesel. SCORE: 3
Be Like Mike. Submitted by Virginia Vitzthum & Kenneth McLeod. SCORE: 7
Straight From the Pit of Hell. Submitted by Jeff Herberger. SCORE: 9
The Lightbulb Salesman. Submitted by C.A. Clausen. SCORE: 4
Sieze the Day. Submitted by Matt Sesow. SCORE: 10
Hog. Submitted by Lynn Dougherty and Chip Roughton. SCORE: 10
Omnivore Snacks, Etc. Submitted by Carl Cephas. SCORE: 8
Rudy. Submitted by Shannon Malone. SCORE: 9
Bob Noir. Submitted by Sandra Giltner. SCORE: 6
The Clicker. Submitted by Simone Fary. SCORE: 8
Through a Tube (A Wabba Dabba Goo). submitted by Wendell Adkins. SCORE: 3

(scores handwritten)