Watch Deadbeat at Dawn & Van Bebber short films: My Sweet Satan, Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin, Doper, Kata, Into the Black

Deadbeat at Dawn & Van Bebber short films: My Sweet Satan, Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin, Doper, Kata, Into the Black is a collection of five films from 1988 that showcase the talents of director Jim Van Bebber and his collaborators. The centerpiece of the collection is Deadbeat at Dawn, a low-budget action film that stars Paul Harper as Goose, the leader of a gang of street thugs who find themselves embroiled in a deadly war with a rival gang. When his girlfriend is killed in the crossfire, Goose sets out to avenge her death with a series of brutal, bone-crunching fights that lead him into the heart of enemy territory. Along the way, he must confront his own demons and make a fateful decision about his future.

The four short films that accompany Deadbeat at Dawn are all directed by Van Bebber and explore themes of violence, drugs, and madness that are prevalent throughout his work. My Sweet Satan is a surreal and disturbing journey through the mind of a teenage Satanist who becomes involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a group of religious zealots. Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin is a grainy, black-and-white portrait of a serial killer who prowls the highways of America, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake. Doper is a gritty slice of life that follows a young drug addict as he tries to score his next fix, while Kata is a psychedelic nightmare that blends Japanese anime with live-action footage to create a hallucinatory trip through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Finally, Into the Black is a short film that serves as a companion piece to Deadbeat at Dawn, exploring some of the same themes and characters in a more abstract and experimental way. Shot in black and white and edited to a throbbing industrial soundtrack, it is a visceral and sensory experience that pushes the limits of what cinema can do.

Taken together, these five films represent a singular vision of cinema that is raw, intense, and unforgettable. They showcase the talents of a young filmmaker who was unafraid to take risks and push boundaries, and who would go on to become a cult icon in the world of underground cinema. For fans of extreme cinema, Deadbeat at Dawn & Van Bebber short films is a must-see collection that offers a glimpse into the mind of one of the most visionary filmmakers of his generation.