Hairspray director John Waters, no mean judge of shock, schlock and trash, called Ted V Mikels "the man who put the exploit in exploitation", and film auteur Mikels, now in his eighties, has done his best to live up to the reputation.

For a while he lived in a castle in California, boasting a dungeon, secret passageways and 23 rooms. Surrounded by a harem of nine 'wives', a body pumped up on iron, a handlebar moustache and sharks-tooth pendant, Mikels is the king of cult cinema characters.

His films include such classic drive-in shockers as "The Black Klansman (aka I Crossed the Colour Line)", "The Astro Zombies" and "Ten Violent Women".

After Tura Satana invited Aaron Spelling to a viewing of Mikel's lo-budget feminist crime-buster, "Doll Squad", a very similar series appeared on TV as "Charlie's Angels".

Way before low-budget action films were termed "grindhouse," Ted was wowing audiences with his own special brand of guts, gore, humor, violence, and -- most of all -- style.

January sees Sounds of Seduction and the Star and Shadow combine to present a mini-retrospective of Mikels' finest work. The Cinema will be screening new prints of "The Corpse Grinders" and "Blood Orgy of the She Devils" along with a recently released documentary on the life and work of mighty Ted, narrated by John Waters himself.

Directed by indie wunderkind Kevin Sean Michaels, "The Wild World of Ted V Mikels" explores the remarkable career of independent pioneer Ted V. (they're not related).

The documentary manages to squeeze sixty years of cinematic innovation into one informative and entertaining film, and gives fans a tantalizing glimpse into his tried-and-true filmmaking techniques by demonstrating how to shoot a scene with actresses Masuimi Max and Black Betty, and then inviting the viewer into his studio for a look at his editing facilities.

Mikels muses on the film industry, the fine art of showmanship, and his time spent living in an enormous mansion with a small harem of women revealing the true essence of this maverick filmmaker.

Interviews with actors who've worked with Mikels over the years highlight just what a formidable creative force he truly is.

Using the miraculous technology of Skype, Mikels also promises to appear on the big screen in conversation with the Trash Shack's Lord Leigh Park.

THE WILD WORLD OF TED V MIKELS TRAILER: