The Saltiest Pseudo-Saints of Secondhand Screenings

If you have a surface-level knowledge of films made in Utah, your Beehive State picks may fall somewhere on the spectrum between glorified, red clay-dusted Westerns and Disney Channel Originals. Drill deeper and you’ll find “only posers die” SLC punks, Babe Ruth-signed baseballs, James Franco’s severed arm and unopened packages from a T. Kaczynski (yes, it happened here). There have to be more features with Utahn cultural significance that fly under the radar. Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned when uncovering forgotten cinema: When in doubt, book a trip to Deseret Industries.

Carnival of Souls
Director: Herk Harvey
Harcourt Productions
Released: 06.26.62

Halfway through watching the pre-Code Monogram Western The Man from Utah, I started to realize this misleading title was actually filmed in Lone Peak, California. Damn you, John Wayne… Carnival of Souls, however, was filmed at the old Saltair. While restarting her life after a horrific car accident, a bewildered organist (Candace Hilligoss, The Greenstones) is tormented by a kindred spirit beckoning her to an abandoned carnival. For an early psychological horror flick, it’s not too bad. It’s a tad cheese corn with a lot of the sets looking like the film takes place at Lagoon‘s Pioneer Village. Plus, it’s weird that more than two actors have lazy eyes, but it makes for a fun game of “I know where that place is!”

Neon City
Director: Monte Markham
Trimark Pictures
Released: 12.16.91

In the copy-and-paste Mad Max future of 2050, a dragged-through-shit bounty hunter (Michael Ironside, Scanners) must transfer a seductive runaway (Vanity, The Last Dragon) to the cyberpunk metropolis of “Neon City.” However, hitching a ride on a sheet metal caravan of ragtag survivors turns deadly, as the biohazard waste holds mutated marauders ready to ambush. I love an apocalyptic road trip! The only problem is this Canadian cut of cinema doesn’t quite know what it wants to be: “Maybe we’re Road Warrior, but we’re kind of liking the Blade Runner undertones.” It’s like when 2008’s Doomsday came out and combined Scottish knights with punk rockers. I do like seeing the old Saltair as a rat den settlement, though.

Pirates of The Caribbean: At World’s End
Director: Gore Verbinski
Walt Disney Pictures
Released: 05.25.07

Swashbuckling good fun, altogether! The third installment in the Pirates series picks up with where Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp, Sleepy Hollow) and the rest of the of Black Pearl bilge rats must go… you know what? If you have seen any of these films, go touch some grass and get educated! The real reason why this flick makes the list is because of the Davy Jones’ Locker scene—a flat desolate landscape filmed on—you guessed it—the Bonneville Salt Flats! This should’ve been the nail in the coffin for the series, with all ends wrapped up in a pretty little bow. Unfortunately, Disney does what Disney does and tarnishes another property with half-baked continuations…

Tales of the Rat Fink
Director: Ron Mann
Abramorama Entertainment
Released: 03.11.06

Okay, maybe a documentary about Ed Roth is stretching the definition of movies FILMED in Utah. However, when the Kustom Kulture’s Kronos stick shifts life in reverse to become a born-again Mormon, he’s a Utahn in my book! Tales of the Rat Fink is a wacky sort-of documentary. Told through custom made buggies and hot rods, which gets weirdly Autopia-like at parts, the film follows the candy-colored career of the “Big Daddy” himself. There’s moments where Roth’s disembodied head (voiced by John Goodman) tries to explain his own car club philosophy on life, only to be derailed by the snorting, grotesque green rodent of his imagination. It’s like a pinstriped repeat of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The World’s Fastest Indian
Director: Roger Donaldson
Magnolia Pictures
Released: 02.03.06

New Zealand everyman Bert Munro (Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of The Lambs) has one goal on his bucket list: set the land speed record with his shed-modified 1920s Indian motorcycle. With an empty wallet and wholehearted charisma, Munro hitchhikes his way to the Bonneville Salt Flats and attempts the impossible. There’s a hint of optimism to the flick, reminding viewers that a spoonful of kindness could take you a long way. I would consider this flick a feel-good feature, but honestly, it’s like an uplifting Seinfeld episode. The motorcycle to the salt is a McGuffin, where every pivotal moment leads nowhere. It’s events that just happen… kind of like life. So I guess that’s the beauty in it all.

Unicorn City
Director: Bryan Lefler
Salt Lake Film Production
Released: 02.24.12

Nerdy vagabond Voss (Devin McGinn, Skinwalker Ranch) needs to land a big break with a Seattle gaming company. How can he prove his determination, though? By creating a mythical LARP-ing paradise with his brother Clancy (Matt Mattson), friendzoned Marsha (Jaclyn Hales) and a guild of clueless gamers. However, the maniacal Shadowhawk (Jon Gries, Napoleon Dynamite) comes to claim the PVC piping throne. There’s a charm to this movie that holds tons of heart. Its DIY duality and make-believe nature makes it an awesome watch. Keep a keen eye out while watching because you might find a fellow SLUG writer decked out in a gorilla suit… psst, it’s me!

Dig in to more Secondhand Screenings:
Ten More Secondhand Screenings for the Spooky Season
Double Feature: Secondhand Screenings and Scriptures