Extreme horror, Mexican wrestling, and even hardcore pornography are on the menu for the 18th edition of the Shockproof Film Festival, which returns to Prague’s Kino Aero from March 6-12, 2023. This year’s festival is dedicated to motherhood, and will close with a compilation of cinematic birth scenes featuring live commentary.

While most movies are presented in English-friendly versions, some include live dubbing from Czech commentators a la Mystery Science Theater 3000. In addition, a number of interactive screenings will invite patrons to become part of the moviegoing experience.

“Thanks to the unmistakable presentation and creative approach of our simultaneous translators, previously-seen movies will acquire a completely new dimension,” Kino Aero director and Shockproof Film Festival organizer Jiří Flígl states in a press release.

This year’s festival kicks off on Monday, March 6 with a screening of the prototypical 1980s slasher film The House on Sorority Row, followed by a presentation of the Kids vs. Aliens, the latest film from Hobo with a Shotgun director Jason Eisener that premiered at last year’s Fantastic Fest.

The following day’s lineup includes a legit classic: Donald Cammell’s 1977 smart house horror film Demon Seed, starring Julie Christie. Later, the festival will host the Czech premiere of the Belgian extreme horror film Megalomaniac (pictured at top), about the real-life serial killer known as the “Butcher of Mons.”

On Wednesday, Shockproof will treat audiences to the little-seen 1984 Yugoslavian thriller Strangler vs. Strangler, which the fest bills as “if Alfred Hitchcock had made a slapstick serial killer movie in Yugoslavia based on a Blake Edwards’ screenplay.”

This year’s Shockproof Film Festival will culminate on Saturday with some extreme flicks that include the French pregnancy horror film Inside (not recommended for expectant mothers), underground German artist Christoph Schlingensief’s 1996 trasherterpiece United Trash, and Radley Metzger’s classic 1975 porno The Opening of Misty Beethoven, which aficionados often cite as the pinnacle of the genre.

“Time is flying by, and we won’t forget the Shockproof Film Festival‘s entry into adulthood,” say festival organizers. “Saturday will be dedicated to movies that mom wouldn’t let us see last year.”

Most films screening at this year’s festival will be limited only to audiences older than 18, but the festival does have one treat in store for the kiddies: the Toxic Avenger animated spinoff Toxic Crusaders: The Movie, which will screen in a Czech-dubbed version on Thursday, March 9.

Tickets to individual screenings during the Shockproof Film Festival at Kino Aero run 180 crowns, while a festival pass can be purchased for 2310 crowns.

Check out the full schedule for this year’s Shockproof Film Festival at the website of Kino Aero, and see more information about the fest at the official Shockproof website.