The Grand Illusion

Adapted from actress and musician Christiane Felscherinow’s harrowing account of her teenage years, CHRISTIANE F. depicts the impact of West Berlin’s mid-to-late-70s heroin epidemic on one of its youngest and luckiest survivors. On the cusp of fourteen, David Bowie-worshipping Christiane (Natja Brunckhorst) begins slipping out from under the watch of her divorced mother and spending time at hip discotheque Sound. There she falls in love with Detlev (Thomas Haustein), whose recent experiments with heroin soon have her hooked.

Working with first-time actors and shooting on location with real-life regulars of Zoo Station’s notorious drug cruising scene, director Uli Edel unflinchingly captures the degradation of each phase of junkie life, from underage prostitution to brutal withdrawals to the seemingly endless vows to “go straight.” Bowie himself appears in a concert performance of “Station to Station”; the film’s soundtrack is a virtual compendium of the epochal musician’s celebrated “Berlin period” and a perfect sonic evocation of nightclubbing’s dark side.

In German with English subtitles.

“One of the most horrifying movies I have ever seen… the images are so powerful, the horrors so strong and the performances (by a cast of young unknowns) so utterly, bleakly, realistic. This is a movie of hell.” Roger Ebert

Additional showing added, October 13th, due to popular demand!

Tillie (Isabella Roland), a floundering young woman and her charismatic, alcoholic father (Craig Bierko), struggle to resolve their fractured relationship in the weirdest possible way: after he dies, his ghost appears in mirrors to haunt everyone in the family but Tillie. Tillie’s sister, Violet (Vic Michaelis), mother (Claudia Lonow), grandparents (Mark Lonow and Joanne Astrow), stepfather (Jonathan Schmock), and even Violet’s free-spirited baby daddy (Nick Marini), must do everything they can to make Tillie see her father… even employing a very Reform rabbi (Eddie Peppitone) to exorcize him… or else they will be plagued by this ghost forever.

Written by and starring Isabella Roland (Dropout.tv, Sex Lives Of College Girls) and directed by and starring Isabella’s mom, Claudia Lonow.

WANNA DATE? 35th anniversary screening of a Grand Illusion favorite.

After making horror history with BASKET CASE and BRAIN DAMAGE, the incomparable Frank Henenlotter unleashed FRANKENHOOKER—the greatest transmutation of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN that you’ll ever see!

Soon after accidentally killing the love of his life, Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) decides to reanimate her with the help of a drug called Supercrack… and the body parts of a dozen streetwalkers. Feeling like a twisted mash-up between John Waters’s SERIAL MOM and Stuart Gordon’s RE-ANIMATOR, FRANKENHOOKER is a bad taste triumph that revels in sublime camp, gloopy gore, and neon-soaked dreamscapes. Plus an iconic performance by Patty Mullen as the eponymous title character.

Co-presented with Scarecrow Video!

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building. Get there early to order tasty beverages from the bar and delicious food from Tat’s Deli!

“Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker is a ridiculous yet absolute joy to watch, one that manages to possess the themes of the novel [Frankenstein] and embrace its sleazy nature.” Ryan Maguire, Collider

70th anniversary of the classic psychological horror/thriller!

Before PSYCHO, PEEPING TOM, and REPULSION, there was DIABOLIQUE. This thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot, which shocked audiences in Europe and the U.S., is the story of two women—the fragile wife and the willful mistress of the sadistic headmaster of a boys' boarding school—who hatch a daring revenge plot. With its unprecedented narrative twists and terrifying images, DIABOLIQUE is a heart-grabbing benchmark in horror filmmaking, featuring outstanding performances by Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, and Paul Meurisse.

In French with English subtitles

“Satisfying, elegant and nasty.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“If your fingernails aren’t gnawed to the knuckles when you leave the theater, you have stronger nerves than most.” Don Vincent, Orlando Sentinel

The latest feature film from a true legend of American independent cinema, Hal Hartley!

WHERE TO LAND is a touching farce about a successful director of romantic comedies in his senior years who, while addressing his Last Will and Testament, applies for a job as assistant groundskeeper in a cemetery because he’d like to work outdoors with his hands. But his family, friends, and neighbors misunderstand and assume he is dying, crowding into his apartment to express their last farewells and to clumsily philosophize about the meaning of life.

Featuring veterans of Hartley's many critically acclaimed films like Bill Sage (HENRY FOOL), Edie Falco (TRUST), Robert John Burke (SIMPLE MEN, THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH), and Gia Crovatin (NED RIFLE), along with newer collaborators including Obie Award winner Kathleen Chalfant and fresh new faces, Kim Taff and Katelyn Sparks.

“…peak Hal Hartley, warm and optimistic, damnedly funny and vital.” Paul F. Verhoeven, ABC Radio

“In an age of brain-lacerating tech and herdlike algorithmic group-think, Hartley stands out in ever-greater contrast as a quietly intransigent auteur force.” Kevin Khara, VICE Magazine

The pinnacle of 1980s heavy metal horror movies, TRICK OR TREAT tells the story of Eddie Weinbauer, a hard-rocking geek who is picked on at school but finds solace in metal music. After his hero, rock musician Sammi Curr, dies in a hotel fire, Eddie is gifted an acetate of Curr’s last recording by local radio personality, Nuke (played by Gene Simmons of Kiss). Eddie soon discovers – through backward messages hidden in the grooves of the record – that the spirit of Sammi Curr is planning to return through the airwaves to exact a terrible revenge, and the students of Lakeridge High School are in for one HELL of a time at the Halloween Ball.

Featuring kick ass original songs by the band Fastway and Ozzy as a televangelist, TRICK OR TREAT is heavy metal horror at its finest.

Be sure to arrive early to claim your seat, grab a tasty beverage from the bar, order delicious food from Tat’s Deli, and enjoy a pre-show full of Ozzy music videos, live performances, and various other clips of the Prince of Darkness, all beginning soon after doors at 6:30pm. OZZY FOREVER!

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building.

“This movie is 80’s as all f**k and I loved every minute of it.” Mike Sprague, Dread Central

Annual William Kennedy Memorial Screening!

When Max Renn goes looking for edgy new shows for his sleazy cable TV station, he stumbles across the pirate broadcast of a hyperviolent torture show called Videodrome. As he struggles to unearth the origins of the program, he embarks on a hallucinatory journey into a shadow world of right-wing conspiracies, sadomasochistic sex games, and bodily transformation. Starring James Woods and Debbie Harry, with groundbreaking special effects makeup by Rick Baker, VIDEODROME is one of David Cronenberg’s most original and provocative works, fusing social commentary with shocking elements of sex and violence.

Back in June 2021, Seattle lost one of its most dedicated cinephiles, William Kennedy. One of Bill’s final wishes was that people gather to watch VIDEODROME in his memory. A portion of the proceeds from this screening will be donated to Evergreen Playhouse in Centralia, where Bill performed in several productions prior to moving to Seattle.

“Videodrome has lost none of its power to disturb, none of its potency as a catalyst for meaningful introspection… It remains the rare breed of sociological provocation that might change minds. It’s a looking glass. It’s a masterpiece.” Walter Chaw, RogerEbert.com

What if the devil was a VJ? What if MTV broadcasted from hell? GHOST ALMANAC features the best scenes from classic horror films soundtracked live by the vintage synthesizer enthusiasts of Montopolis. Tales from the Crypt meets VH1 in this 80-minute roller coaster ride of terror and old school beats.

Included in this program are excerpts from the following: The Skeleton Dance (1929); Haxan (1922); The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); Buster Keaton’s The Haunted House (1921) (the complete short film); L’Inferno (1911); Betty Boop’s Halloween Party (1933); The Vanishing Lady (1896); Nosferatu (1922).

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building. Get there early to order tasty beverages from the bar and delicious food from Tat’s Deli!

Montopolis is an indie chamber music group from Austin, Texas that performs the works of composer Justin Sherburn. Their genre-busting music uses inventive instrumentation to create “stunning and transcendent” (The Austin Chronicle) concerts. Their programs are audience-engaging, multi-media events that combine live music with film and interactive storytelling. The Montopolis musicians include members of the Austin Symphony, Okkervil River, Tosca String Quartet, and The Polyphonic Spree.

90th anniversary!

Released in 1935, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is widely regarded as a rare example of a sequel that surpasses the original. Combining gothic horror with biting wit, surreal visuals, and unexpected pathos, director James Whale elevated the genre to new artistic heights. Boris Karloff returns in a haunting and deeply human performance as the Monster, while Elsa Lanchester’s unforgettable turn as the Bride remains a cultural touchstone nearly a century later. With its bold themes of creation, loneliness, and the limits of human ambition, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN continues to resonate, making it as relevant and provocative now as it was 90 years ago.

“[A] great horror classic.” Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

“Whale’s erudite genius brings it all together. He sculpts every nuance of self-parody, social satire, horror, humour, wit and whimsy into a dazzling whole, keeping every one of his fantastical plates spinning until the tragic, inevitable finale.” Simon Braund, Empire

IF YOU CAN'T FIND A FRIEND... MAKE ONE

In this horror cult classic from writer-director Lucky McKee, May (Angela Bettis) is a socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and an obsession with perfection. Never really fitting in, she grew up wearing a pirate’s patch, and her sole companion continues to be a perfectly kept doll — until she meets handsome Adam (Jeremy Sisto) and his beautiful hands. As May’s relationships with Adam and an alluring colleague (Anna Faris) descend into depravity, she soon finds out that people are not 100% perfect — only certain parts of them are.

“May is nothing short of brilliant. It is likely the most original horror story I have seen in years.” Jovanka Vuckovic, Rue Morgue

4/4 stars! “May is a horror film and something more and deeper, something disturbing and oddly moving.” Roger Ebert

When a grisly, point-of-view snuff videotape is found in a refrigerator, a young man becomes obsessed with tracking down its creator and finding out whether or not the brutal murder depicted on it was real. As he delves deeper into Tokyo’s underground video scene with a female reporter who calls herself Crime Hunter, his own perversions come to the fore.

Fusing gruesome gore and raw sex while wryly paying tribute to Michael Powell’s seminal PEEPING TOM, RE-WIND (also known as CELLULOID NIGHTMARES) is one of legendary pink (pinku eiga) film director Hisayasu Satô's most powerful and impressive early works, rarely screened in America until now.

New 2K restoration. In Japanese with English subtitles.

“…an evocatively gritty and bleak mixture of sex and horror-thriller set in a neon-tinged urban environment and filtered through a fuzzy 80s video aesthetic… There’s certainly more than enough here to please exploitation fans.” The Bloody Pit of Horror Blog