The Studio@620 pays homage to an aesthetic that stresses pretense, frivolity and outrageous excess with a Summer Camp exhibition of works by Jeff Papa and a Camp Film Fest that spotlights a range of bad classics. The events kick off Thursday evening with theme song-inspired theatrics and re-enactments from John Waters' original Hairspray followed by a screening of the 1988 film. Friday's selections are Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, a 1970 Valley of the Dolls spoof about an all-girl rock band that moved to Hollywood to pursue fame and fortune only to fall victim to the city's decadent party scene; 1959's comedy horror flick, A Bucket of Blood, which follows a busboy-turned-acclaimed-sculptor who becomes murderous when someone threatens to expose him as a hack; and the Zsa Zsa Gabor sci-fi movie, Queen of Outer Space. Screenings are held throughout the day on Saturday and include It! The Terror From Beyond Space (a 1958 sci-fi adventure that inspired the Alien movies), Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ride the Wild Surf and the 1959 Ed Wood classic, Plan 9 from Outer Space, with a fashion show sandwiched between Surf and Plan 9. July 24-26, with reception parties at 7 p.m. Thurs.-Fri. and noon Sat., and a screening schedule as follows: Hairspray, 9 p.m. Thurs.; Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, 8 p.m., A Bucket of Blood, 10 p.m., and Queen of Outer Space, midnight Fri.; and It! The Terror From Beyond Space, 1 p.m., Mothra vs. Godzilla, 2:30 p.m., Ride the Wild Surf, 6 p.m., and Plan 9 from Outer Space, 9 p.m. Sat. 620 First Ave. S., St. downtown St. Petersburg, $1.99 admission to any single film/$5.99 advanced admission to all eight films, 727-895-6620, studio620.org.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2008.