Jimmy and Stiggs Shocks at Cult Midnight Screening
Alfa Foreman’s IPIC Westwood screening presents neon-soaked gore wild Q&A tales from Begos
Image: Instagram
Cult Credentials And Midnight Lore
Jimmy and Stiggs made its Los Angeles debut under the glow of blacklights and neon goo at IPIC Westwood last weekend. Hosted by IndieWire’s Alfa Foreman, the event doubled as a love letter to the midnight-movie scene that thrives on blood, sweat, tears—and buckets of slime. As IndieWire noted in their Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/DKpqb0Jyvxw/), “Anything can be a cult classic, but ‘midnight’ is the whole point.” From Alejandro Jodorowsky’s acid epics to Ben Barenholtz’s 1970s El Topo programming, this grassroots moment in L.A. recalls a legacy born in underground cinemas and late-night film fests.
Director Joe Begos, whose 2021 horror-drama Bliss already turned heads, brought his signature alien-pulp style back in full force. The vibrant splatter-fest leans into outrageous color palettes—orange, pink, yellow, green and blue—while delivering the kind of over-the-top thrills fans demand. By the end of the night, attendees agreed: few films combine retro drive-in vibes with modern DIY energy quite like Jimmy and Stiggs.
Behind The Screams: Joe Begos On Stage
A highlight of the evening was Begos’s onstage Q&A, moderated by industry vets mercershark and joshethier. The trio revealed tales of live chainsaws coated in neon slime and near-miss mishaps. As one fan later joked, this may be the goriest wettest film of the summer. Eli Roth, attending in support of his built-from-the-ground-up Horror Section Studios, shared a personal anecdote about first meeting Begos at TIFF 2013 while promoting The Green Inferno. “He had a cast on and a black eye, literally looked like he’d been beaten up by a gang,” Roth recalled. Begos’s laconic reply? “I fell off a cliff.” Moments later, he was sipping absinthe—hardly the behavior of someone fresh off a tumble, but entirely on brand for a midnight-movie auteur.
Release, Reception And Cult Potential
Jimmy and Stiggs lands in theaters August 15, and the buzz is already loud. Roth’s own Instagram post from the event evening (https://www.instagram.com/p/DKlBRGTSitB/) noted praise from the Los Angeles Times and Esquire, plus a verdict from a teen viewer: “more disgusting than Terrifier 3,” high praise indeed. With a planned rollout to more than 1,500 screens, Begos hopes the film earns its place alongside modern midnight staples.
The spirit of grassroots fandom was captured when someone in the crowd hilariously shouted, “FUCK YOUR APARTMENT,” during the Q&A—an expletive-laced footnote that Foreman promised to credit by name someday. It’s this unfiltered passion, combined with Begos’s sweat—and slime-soaked commitment—that may propel Jimmy and Stiggs to true cult status.
Fans who fight for the right to party will find plenty to admire. From Beastie Boys–penned party anthems to Jodorowsky’s maxim, “Miracles are never performed or provoked: they are discovered,” the evening celebrated the unexpected joys of midnight cinemas. If this screening proved anything, it’s that neon-drenched carnage and off-the-wall filmmaker stories still draw a crowd—and that Jimmy and Stiggs shines brightest when viewed after dark.
As the house lights rose, the audience exited buzzing about next steps: midnight road trips, repeat viewings and DIY screenings in backyard tents. For a movie that lives off community energy, that may be the greatest compliment of all.
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