MOVIES: Local grindhouse hero Ted V. Mikels screens his latest Thursday

Cult auteur — and longtime Las Vegan — Ted V. Mikels may be busy making his latest "Astro-Zombies" sequel. But that's not keeping him from making a rare public appearance Thursday night at downtown's theatre7, 1406 S. Third St., to kick off an April screening series celebrating his wild cinematic world.

Mikels will meet and greet fans at a screening of "Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned" at 7 p.m. Thursday. The third chapter of the "Astro-Zombies" franchise features the final cinematic appearance of the late Tura Satana (who starred in the original 1968 "Astro-Zombies") as the Doll Squad (from Mikels' 1973 spy romp of the same name) meets the mutant Astro Zombies.

"This is super exciting," according to theatre7 owner Derek Stonebarger. "I'm a big fan of Ted's and just showing his films is exciting, but having him here at my theater and getting to watch 'M3' with him, that is too cool."

The Thursday Mikels showcase continues April 21 with 1982's jewelry heist/prison pic "10 Violent Women" and concludes April 28 with Mikels' 1971 cult classic "The Corpse Grinders," in which a bankrupt cat food company makes a comeback with a "premium blend" kitty food featuring human flesh.

They're just three of the more than 300 projects Mikels has made in his 60-year career. He celebrates his 82nd birthday April 29 — which also happens to be Stonebarger's birthday.

"I admire what Derek is doing with theatre7," Mikels says. "This place could turn into something really special for Las Vegas. Hopefully people come down and have a blast."

Tickets to theatre7 screenings are $7 and include a choice of popcorn, soda or candy. All showtimes are 7 p.m.

For more information on the films and artists, and a full schedule, visit http://www.theatre7lv.com or call 568-9663.

For more information on Ted V. Mikels, visit http://www.tedvmikels.com.