In Film We Trust

Author of Psychedelic Cults and Outlaw Churches, Mike Marinacci joins the show this week to discuss Pierre Sogol's, unfinished, and officially unreleased documentary, Aquarius Rising.
Aquarius Rising charted the counterculture scene - communes, psychedelics - of California circa 1967, filmed very much in a home video style, with the director often inserting himself into the documentary. But who exactly is Sogol? Most know that 'Pierre' Sogol' is a pseudonym, but luckily Mike drops the details who exactly this enigmatic director is.
And because this film is technically unfinished, and somewhat scattershot, we use Aquarius Rising, more as a jumping off point, to discuss the lineage, influences and and the disparate figures that popped up in the counterculture of the 60s, and its lasting effect on the larger culture.
You can find the full documentary at PsychedelicSangha.org, and you can find Mike on Instagram at: @PsychedelicCults

IFWT is finally covering The Sultan of Sexploitation, Russ Meyer! And if that wasn't groovy enough, writer and connoisseur of all things cult, Heather Drain is here to discuss Meyer's bodacious, buxom and badass movie from 1975, SUPERVIXENS.
Supervixen's concerns the accidental sexploits of gas station worker Clint, who after being falsely accused of killing his girlfriend, hits the two-lane blacktop and finds himself in a series of sexual escapades, often to the ire of the men he encounters, primarily, corrupt cop Harry Sledge, played by the fantastically menacing Charles Napier.
And being a Meyer film, Heather and myself couldn't help share more than a few laughs, dive into the background of Meyer himself and discuss an assortment of periphery topics tangibly linked to the man himself.
You can find Heather Drain at:
heatherdrain.com
Instagram: @MondoHeather
X: @MondoHeather
Youtube: MondoHeatherDrain

This week I'm joined by author Scott West and Rif of the upcoming podcast Rocket Ships, Ray Guns & Rock n Roll, to discuss Alex Cox's incendiary debut, and truly punk film Repo Man.
One part conspiracy thriller, one part Sci-Fi mystery and 100% cult classic, Repo Man would catapult Emelio Estevez in leading man territory alongside certified greats such as Harry Dean Stanton.
With a soundtrack featuring punk greats such as Circle Jerks and Black Flag, and an original space age surf score by The Plugz, Repo Man wears its punk-rock credentials well, and myself, Scott and Rif try and decipher the meaning behind some of the themes and elements the film brings up, and may have accidently stepped into a conspiracy ourselves.

It's a pleasure to welcome director Joshua Erkman onto the podcast, who, after a lifetime toiling away in the industry, has finally released his feature-length debut, A Desert - a film that exists somewhere between Hitchcock's Psycho and the abstract nightmares of David Lynch.
When a middle-aged photographer heads to the desert, sans mobile phone, to attempt to recapture a sense of the wildness that informed his prior work. Unlucky for him, he gets what he wanted in the form of the Manson-like Renny and Nymphet Susie-Q, who light the fuse for the chaos that ensues.
This was genuinely one of my favourite first time watches of 2025, so i'm pleased i got to sit-down with Joshua, who runs thru the pre-production, the themes, the characters and so much more involved in this desert-noir.
And for those who may have not seen this, there is major spoilers from about the mid-way mark, but we try not do touch on every plot element, to keeps things fresh for those of you who haven't.

A Desert is currently available on physical, and is also streaming on Shudder.

Punk icon Harley Flanagan has persevered through hell to tell his story of addiction, madness and redemption. As founder of hardcore band the Cro-Mags, he's toured the world and entertained the masses. But behind the mayhem, lies a human story of abuse, neglect and kicking against the pricks. As a child born into a world of counterculture legends as Allen Ginsberg and Andy Warhol, Harley was determined to carve his own path. First as a pre-teen drummer in The Stimulators then as leader of the pioneering hardcore band Cro-Mags.
But what is the truth between these sign-posts? The trials, tragedy's and triumphs that lay beneath? Well, lucky for us, Harley is in the guest seat, to discuss his life story with us. A life that is a contradictory story of violence, creativity and beauty.