Like … why? But that’s a robust category for us.” There’s a video about divorce and Alan Thicke is hosting it. “It’s hosted by Telly Savalas for some reason. “We found a video recently about New Age channelling, like channelling past lives and stuff,” Prueher says. One, for instance, has a track-suited and typically grumpy Ed Asner hosting a how-to video on stress management. Often, the product/celebrity mix seems grossly mismatched. Over the years, they have unearthed a trove of self-help tapes, bizarre training videos, forgotten infomercials and no end of commercials featuring straight-faced celebrities shilling strange products or public-service announcements. Since 2004, the pair and their admirers have been scouring thrift stores to find these forgotten treasures, usually in the form of old VHS tapes squirrelled away in bargain bins. A longtime favourite of the Calgary Underground Film Festival, this off-season event will feature a typical sampling of accidentally comical gems that Prueher, Pickett and a growing army of fans/family/friends have discovered. On the phone from New York City, Prueher is offering a bit of a sneak peek of what can be expected on Friday when the Found Footage Festival returns live to Calgary’s Globe Cinema.

It’s our normal stuff: Bizarre, gross and corporate secrets we shouldn’t be giving away but are.” He’s the perfect guy to host a video about new-age bowel evacuation. “I know what you’re thinking: ‘Does the guy have a ponytail?’ ” Prueher says. Meanwhile, Pickett recently found a video called Elimination: The First Step, which features a New Age guru’s hotel seminar that trains attendees on how to use various combinations of vitamins to efficiently and thoroughly evacuate their bowels. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.

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