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| Written by Johnny Shaw |
In my new novel, Floodgate, the story centers around a long hidden conspiracy that has been pulling the strings of Auction City for almost sixty years. When ex-cop Andy Destra unearths the truth, he is sucked into this world and ultimately becomes a part of it.
Before I became a novelist, I worked mostly as a screenwriter. Film will always be my first love and movies inform my writing just as much as the novels that I read.
From the start, Floodgate was my attempt to create a literary version of Big Trouble in Little China.
So when I was asked to put a list of conspiracy movies together, I knew I couldn’t just throw a standard list together. There are plenty of lists out there, I’m sure, that have all the classics on them. Not that The Manchurian Candidate, Network, The Conversation, or Chinatown aren’t all great movies. They are, some of my favorites.
But why make a list that already exists?
Instead I put together a list of some of my personal favorites.
Instead of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, check out TELEFON
While The Manchurian Candidate is surely a classic (I even like the remake), Telefon has one thing that both versions will never have. Charles effing Bronson. And when Soviet sleeper agents are triggered to commit murder/suicides after they hear a Robert Frost poem, that’s exactly who you need to stop it.
I remember seeing the poster for Telefon (which to this day, I pronounce with a soft o, as I did when I was a kid) at the Fox Theater in El Centro, California. But I was too young. Eventually I saw it playing on one of the TV stations we got broadcasting from Mexico. It was worth the wait.
Recommended Double Feature: VIDEODROME.
Instead of sleeper agents being mind control, this movie messes with your mind. A fever dream of disturbing images and gooey TVs. I’ve had nightmares that were jollier. And they starred James Woods and Debbie Harry, as well.
Instead of THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, check out FOUL PLAY
In 1978, I saw Foul Play six times at the movie theater. I had only seen Star Wars three times, and that was Star Wars. Why such devotion to a Chevy Chase movie? Because it played on a double-bill with Grease and my mom was a Grease-watching maniac.
For all the conspiracy movies, there are only a handful of comedies that I could come up with. When I was a kid this was probably my favorite comedy. And it’s not just Chevy and Goldie Hawn, but Burgess Meredith and Dudley Moore kill it in this one. An assassination attempt on the Pope plays as the center of the story, but it’s really about the goofiness of it all. From the writer of Harold & Maude and Silver Streak.
Recommended Double Feature: BLOW OUT.
Instead of Grease, I decided to go with a different John Travolta movie. There isn’t any singing, but this murder conspiracy film is definitely one of Brian De Palma’s best. Look for the subtle similarities between the two films (They aren’t there, but look for them).
Instead of SERPICO, check out PRINCE OF THE CITY
Police corruption is a common theme in conspiracy stories. Serpico is most people’s go to, but the underrated Prince of The City still holds its own. Watch it for Treat Williams’ performance alone. It’s one of those rare movies that really doesn’t have a good guy but still manages to be compelling.
The movie is probably about a half hour too long, but now that every movie that comes out seems to be three and a half hours, maybe audiences are ready for this slow burn.
Recommended Double Feature: BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
Werner Herzog. Nicolas Cage. Val Kilmer. Brad Dourif. Need I say more?
Instead of JFK, check out COLOSIO: EL ASESINATO
When Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated in Tijuana in 1994, it changed the shape of Mexican politics and the country. The crime was shrouded in numerous theories and ultimately very few answers arose that were satisfying to anyone.
This Mexican movie is not history, but throws together a number of those conspiracy theories that circulated around the assassination and the aftermath. In doing so, it does shed light on the inner workings of the political machine at the time. A fascinating look at the politics of a country that borders us, but we don’t make an effort to learn anything about.
Recommended Double Feature: Z
This French/Algerian movies stands as the benchmark of assassination conspiracy movies, and the first movie to be nominated for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture in the same year. While told as a fictional story, the events are loosely based on the assassination of Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis. Deal with the subtitles, it’s worth it.
Instead of The Matrix, check out They Live
In Hell Comes To Frogtown, Rowdy Roddy Piper started his God-given mission to save the world. In They Live, he finishes the job. This movie just gets better with each viewing.
From an epic fight scene between Piper and Keith David that feels like it’s on the screen ten minutes too long to the iconic sunglass-revealed world, this is the king of conspiracy movies for me. The idea that aliens are using consumerism to control the public is so damn brilliant, it puts a smile on my face just thinking about it.
Recommended Double Feature: THEY LIVE, again.
Like I said, it gets better with each viewing. So why not speed up the process and just watch it two times in a row.
Johnny Shaw is the author of the Spotted Owl Award–winning Jimmy Veeder Fiasco series of novels—including Plaster City and Dove Season—as well as the Anthony Award–winning adventure novel Big Maria.
His short fiction has appeared in Thuglit, Crime Factory, Shotgun Honey, Plots with Guns, and various anthologies. He was the creator and editor of the hard-boiled fiction magazine Blood and Tacos. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
