THE REVEREND COLIN SHOWS US THE LIGHT OF BAD FILMS >>>

Off the top of my head I can't think of many film clubs led by a kilted ordained minister who moonlights as a karaoke host and (according to his business card) gun-for-hire.

Except for one. God bless this town.

The Reverend Colin, along with Mary K. Johnson and Tobin Ropes of Mad Hat Tea Company fame, kicked off the first Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathering in April 2009. Inspired by a Seattle group that regularly ran grindhouse cinema, the three founders desired to bring their own love of trashy art into this eclectic community. The free meetings take place at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday and third Monday of every month at The Acme Grub Cage. New members should brace themselves for much more than staid discussions of obscure films.

First, you won't know until you arrive what two features the good Reverend will bring down from his Sinai-sized mountainous collection of DVDs. He will announce in advance only the night's theme, and with titles like Jan. 9's "Back in the Slammer: A Return to Women's Prison," your imagination can roam. Reverend Colin punctuated our phone conversation with his encyclopedic knowledge of this and other cinematic sub-subgenres.

"He really is one of the most avid movie fans I've ever met," says 26-year-old Holland Hume, TCMC's self-billed "Creative Grunt" since June 2010 and designer of handbills and club posters (FULL DISCLOSURE: Hume has also created cover art for the Volcano in the past). "To him, the Cult Movie Club is his treat...He's always thinking, ‘If I only have this one opportunity to teach people about this director or this genre, what two films would I show?'"         

The Reverend also includes in his lineup themed shorts, vintage TV serials and a nightly raffle, with funds raised returning to the club's operating budget. Though it would please both the Rev. Collin and Hume to see more similar groups spring up in T-Town, for now they can feel good about what they've accomplished, and look forward to TCMC's two-year anniversary in April.

"It's a chance for a bunch of us people who love bad movies to...revel in their awfulness and enjoy each other's company," says the cult's clerical founder.

Amen to that.

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