Murder City Carnivale of Cinema
Adelaide August 14th - 16th 2026
Wallis Cinema, Glenelg
Murder City Carnival of Cinema Film Festival is back in 2026! Screaming on to the screen from August 14th – 16th and bringing a host of groovy movies and live music to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg at the newly refurbished and locally owned Wallis Cinema. Completely unfunded and fiercely independent, the festival focuses on alternative and underground cinema with a flair for anything weird, wild, wonderful and delightfully bad taste. Curated by Dick Dale, known for directing Australian splatterpunk nasty, Ribspreader (2022) as well as hosting Trasharama, Australia’s longest running genre short film festival, and co-produced by film-writer and podcaster Suzanne Boleyn. Named by Dick Dale for Adelaide’s unusual reputation, be rest assured the only thing being murdered this weekend will be good taste! Running for its third year in 2026 this year’s program is a riotous romp of ‘bad girls’, girl gangs and girl bands.
Wolf Cat Fever + Director Q&A with Josh ‘Sinbad’ Collins + Pussy Horse live on the red carpet
Friday August 14th
Band from 7pm. Film 8pm
The festival kicks off with Melbourne rockers Pussy Horse live on the red carpet to welcome in the weekend and Melbourne icon, Josh ‘Sinbad’ Collins’s new award winning feature, Wolf Cat Fever, a live action rock and roll comic book full of cool characters in a completely insane hyper-real world. Collins, known for writing and producing the ultra-retro-sexy space odyssey Pervirella (1997) returns with his signature flair for lavish sets, stop motion, miniature models, cartoons and epic image compositing. Loosely based on punk band The Cramps, it is the tale of a wolf and a cat who bond over a shared love of hot rods and dirty rock n’ roll. The production is DIY high-camp chic with cinematography by Alexander Orlando Smith who has previously worked on video clips for Kylie, The Darkness, Peaches and Iggy Pop. He creates lush colour palettes using vintage techniques and salvaged lighting equipment. The film was shot on a retro fitted Alexa camera at 25FPS, using highly engineered vintage lenses, endowing the project with a real cinematic feel based on Italian cinematographer/director Mario Bava’s work. Starring Em Bleby and Finn Burgett with Les Greene (Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis) the film also features rockin’ tunes written by Naarm locals Nickey Del Rey (Intoxica, The Grease Monkeys) and Josh Collins, with arrangements by by Steve Hendry (Men at Work). Director Josh ‘Sinbad’ Collins will be doing a live Q&A after the screening to answer all of your questions about his wild new cinematic adventure! This is followed by drinks and late night snacks at Glenelg’s five star dive bar, Bullet Club.
Trasharama Live on Stage
Saturday 15th August 5pm
Splatterday rolls around with Trasharama live on stage! Australia’s nastiest and longest running genre short film festival, established in 1997, is side splitting from start to finish — both on and off screen! With the best of local and international trash indie shorts it’s always unexpected and nasty. You never know what will happen at Trasharama and we guarantee that you have never seen a film festival like this before! Hosted live by the festival fiend himself, Dick Dale with house band The Raw Spud Ensemble on the floor, and a carnival of unusual characters to perform for your viewing displeasure, all while giving away a bevvy of crap novelty prizes. You will be shocked, appalled and gratuitously entertained. If you have a taste for horror or just bad taste this line-up is for you.
Skeleton Girls + Director Q&A with Richard Eames
Saturday 15th August 7.30pm
After Trasharama be sure to stick around for a new indie gem from Western Australia, Skeleton Girls: A Kidnapped Society written and directed by Richard Eames. This cyber punk thriller follows a young woman on the run from a notorious girl gang, the Skeleton Girls as she tries to survive a 24 hour news cycle frenzy. Already winning awards and praises such as Jury’s special prize at 46th Fantasporto International Film Festival 2026 and described by Variety as "Loud, urgent and unfiltered, a gritty reminder that the underground is alive and well", it is a wild ride across a post-Australian landscape with a mind melting mix of live action, bold animation and dark satire. Independently produced by husband and wife team Richard Eames and Helena Tay, it is a provocative dissection of contemporary issues such as social polarisation, fear, violence and the ideological fight for influence in society. In true DIY punk spirit Eames smashes convention and challenges what is possible on a micro-budget creating a film with bold visual style that is epic in scope. It features a large ensemble cast of fresh Australian talent, a pulsating original score and a host of killer punk and post-punk tracks. Imagine the mutant off-spring of Run Lola Run, Suburbia and Repo-Man. Richard Eames will be in the house for a live Q&A to talk all about making his micro-budget cyber punk thriller.
But the night is not over yet! Jump on a tram to the city and rage on as festival ticket holders receive a discount on the cover charge at The Lowlife Bar for Saturday’s after party gig featuring The Hammer Horrors, Pussy Horse (VIC) and White Knuckle Fever (NSW).
TURA! Documentary
Sunday 16th August 4pm
Sunday is fun-day with a kick-ass double feature beginning with the Australian premiere of Cody Jarrett’s amazing authorised documentary TURA! about the pioneering Asian-American actress, Tura Satana, star of Russ Meyer’s cult classic Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) and The Astro-Zombies (1968). Narrated by comedian Margaret Cho and featuring interviews with pop culture icons such as John Waters (Cry Baby, Hairspray, Pink Flamingos) and Burlesque performer Dita Von Teese the documentary delves into Tura’s turbulent life as a cult movie star, 1950's burlesque pinup and original “bad girl” one-time girlfriend of Elvis Presley and Rod Taylor. Definitely not defined by the men in her life, Tura's body of work has had a profound impact on film, music, art, fashion, pop culture and society at large. She struggled against Hollywood’s narrow standards of beauty, race and gender expectation, busting out as one of screen’s most kick-ass influential women who inspired a generation of women to be bold, beautiful and bad!
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) Retro Classic
Sunday 16th August 6.30pm
Finishing up the fest in style is Russ Meyer’s titular retro cult classic, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1968). The bodacious blockbuster of ball-busting burlesque babes who trade in their go-go boots for hot rods and violence stars Tura Satana as Varla, accompanied by her girl gang Rosie (Haji) and Billie (Lori Williams). These girls are belted, buckled, booted and ready to rumble! This is a true classic of American exploitation cinema which John Waters described as “the best movie ever made”. Its influence on the work of Quentin Tarantino and countless other film makers is immeasurable. A pioneering example of gender roles being subverted in 1960s cinema, the film is often considered a feminist classic and decades ahead of its time in portraying strong, independent women with agency. This is the Adelaide premiere of the Russ Meyer foundation’s recent film restoration so it will look bigger, bolder and better than ever. This screening is also officially authorised by the Russ Meyer Foundation and it’s going to be a whole lot of fun because it’s kitsch, camp and kick-ass! And if all of that excitement is not enough you can go-go dance on down to festival partner, the Bullet Club to party on.
Tickets & Details
Tickets are on sale now full festival passes are available for the whole weeknd which offer a great saving. Tickets are also available individually and save again on Sunday with a $30 double deal for both great features.
Available Here - https://www.murder-city-carnival.com
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