The Grand Illusion

Free for members of Scarecrow Video and the Grand Illusion. $10 for non-members, space-available after all members have been seated.

The debut feature from playwright Fernando Arrabal, founder of the Panic Movement alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky, VIVA LA MUERTE is a tour-de-force considered by many to be the pinnacle of Spanish avant-garde filmmaking. During the Spanish Civil War, young Fando lives with his protective mother and, due to his arrested father, endures the taunts of his schoolmates. Though he loves his mother, Fando indulges in sadistic fantasies when he suspects his father didn’t kill himself in prison as she claims. As fantasy and reality blur, Fando’s reveries become increasingly more depraved. Fueled with fantastical images of violence, sexuality and biting political commentary, this is one of the strongest films in the Seventies’ surrealist canon—fit for arthouses, but packed with some of the more extreme imagery outside of an Italian cannibal film.

Become a Grand Illusion member here. Become a Scarecrow member here.

45th anniversary of the woefully underseen summer camp classic!

In the fleeting summer days of 1980, fifteen-year-old girls Ferris (Tatum O’Neal) and Angel (Kristy McNichol) attend Camp Little Wolf outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Coming from different walks of life, with the privileged Ferris at odds with the scrappy, streetwise Angel, the two immediately end up in a disagreement during their bus ride to camp, which is only exacerbated by their lodging accommodations once they arrive, bunking next to one another. Fueled by their competitive peers, the two enter into a contest to see who will lose their virginity first. Through the trial, the two learn as much about each other as they do themselves, turning a ribald competition into budding days of friendship.

Long elusive on home video, LITTLE DARLINGS was recently restored from archival elements and looks more pristine than ever. This charming teen sex dramedy is an evocative, funny, and surprisingly tender antidote and precursor to the more raucous (and masculine) sex comedies of its era, full of more earnestness and sophistication than its original advertising might lead one to believe. Written by Dalene Young and Kimi Peck, and featuring supporting performances from Armand Assante and a very young Matt Dillon, LITTLE DARLINGS is the epitome of an underrated gem.

Part of our Summer Camp series at Here-After.

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!

“…what’s truly ahead of its time about this cult classic is the respect it showed for the vulnerabilities and preternatural wisdom of a generation of girls forced to grow up fast. O’Neal and McNichol share a magnetic chemistry but McNichol, in particular, delivers a fierce, iconic performance that sparked countless young gay crushes.” UCLA Film & Television Archive

We gnaw what chew did this summer! Seventeenth encore screening!

Our friends at Central Cinema are generously helping us keep the beavers gnawing away while we search for a new home. 60% of ticket sales go to our relocation fund!

In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Created by Mike Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, the duo behind the modern cult hit LAKE MICHIGAN MONSTER (2018).

Named one of the 10 best movies of 2024 by Ty Burr of The Washington Post and Amy Nicholson of The Los Angeles Times.

“Starts strange, gets stranger, and yet remains resolutely adorable… embraces the defiant glee of art cinema and distills it into something so thoroughly pure and sincere that it is surely hard not to fall in love with it.” Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

“It’s sure to develop a significant cult following with its unique mix of silent-era slapstick, animation elements, theme-park-style critter costumes, and general air of inspired absurdity.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Steroidally swollen with gags and smarts.” Guy Maddin

We’ve partnered up with Eastlake Community Council and Scarecrow Video to bring you two free outdoor screenings this summer! Wes Anderson’s whimsical and poignant pre-teen romance Moonrise Kingdom (PG-13) kicks things off on July 31. On August 7 we show the surreal, sci-fi tinged marital comedy The One I Love (R), starring Elizabeth Moss and Mark Duplass.

** Actual showtimes depend on the light conditions each evening. Start times may be adjusted later so that the projector can illuminate the screen properly **

The new film from the visionary director of PACIFICTION, Albert Serra’s AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE is a spellbinding documentary that turns its gaze on the ceremonial splendor and devastating brutality of bullfighting in Spain. With quiet intensity, Serra follows famed matador Andrés Roca Rey, from the solitude of his hotel room and the meticulousness of his preparations to the charged spectacle of the arena. Through his immersive and unhurried lens, Serra reveals Rey’s profound physical, spiritual, and aesthetic commitment to a centuries-old ritual—one that demands he take part in a timeless duel between man and beast.

Winner of the Golden Seashell for Best Film at the 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Please note: This documentary doesn’t shy away, whatsoever, from showing the brutality of bullfighting. Viewer discretion advised.

Critic’s Pick! “The film’s faithful depiction of the bloody Spanish tradition could serve as an argument against the much-protested practice, but Serra’s vision is mesmeric not polemic. He records spangled ceremonies marinated in the fear of death, producing an X-ray of the male ego and its costly upkeep.” Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times

4/4 stars! “Visually beautiful, emotionally unnerving, and—arguably—intellectually confounding.” Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

A mind-boggling, psychedelic techno-satire written and directed by Peter Vack. Rachel (Betsey Brown in an unforgettable performance) doesn’t realize she has grown up in captivity working for an advertising agency where her job is to assess Mommy 6.0 (Chloe Cherry), her favorite pop star in the whole entire world.

Please note: This feature contains material of a very explicit nature. Viewer discretion is advised. 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!

“A bonafide midnight movie!” Eugene Kotlyarenko, director of The Code and Spree

“A genuinely bizarre piece of outsider art… a unique experience that will certainly stick with whoever is willing to roll around with it for a while.” Dan Scully, ScullyVision

IT’S SCENTSATIONAL!

For his first studio picture, filth maestro John Waters took advantage of his biggest budget yet to allow his muse, Divine, to sink his teeth into a role unlike any he had played before: Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw, a heroine worthy of a Douglas Sirk melodrama. Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine turns to the bottle as her life falls apart—until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow (vintage heartthrob Tab Hunter). One of Waters’ most hilarious inventions, POLYESTER is replete with stomach-churning smells, sadistic nuns, AA meetings, and foot stomping galore.

Each attendee will get an official Odorama card at the door in order to smell along with the movie. With Odorama, smelling is believing!

Part of our Summer Camp series at Here-After.

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!

“It’s a very funny [movie], with a hip, stylized humor that extends beyond the usual limitations of [Mr. Waters’s] outlook.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Tickets on sale soon.

Rising musician Jeff Buckley had only released one album when he died suddenly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from those closest to him offer a portrait of the captivating artist.

Like many fans of Jeff Buckley’s 1994 album Grace, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg has long been fascinated by the enigmatic singer/songwriter, who died so tragically in Memphis at the age of 30. Buckley’s voice and songs, with their dreamy and ethereal qualities, have endured and riveted new audiences and emerging musical artists alike over the past 30 years. In IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY, Berg brings her questing curiosity to Buckley’s personal archives, much of it never seen by the public, and to conversations with Buckley’s family, former bandmates, and romantic partners, illuminating the heart and mind of a tender, young, creative soul finding his way in the world – and lost too soon.

“…a stirring tribute made with a lot of heart.” David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“What Amy Berg accomplishes in It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley is to bring Jeff Buckley alive as the insanely charismatic budding rock star he was, but also to color in the underpinnings of his life that lent it an almost mythological aura.” Owen Gleiberman, Variety

A paranoid young man launches a bizarre crime spree against the citizens of Toronto. Rishi Rodriguez, Spencer Rice (Kenny vs Spenny), and Paul Bellini (Kids in the Hall) star in this psycho-spiritual thriller-comedy that blends suspense, absurdity, and satire into a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.

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!

“Amid all the absurdity, the film still manages to capture a lot about alienation, especially in a very digital world, as well as the absolute terror and humiliation of getting poop dumped on you. For all its familiarities, it’s delightfully unlike anything you’ve seen before.” Micco Caporale, Chicago Reader

A gaudily-colored camp-romp satire, Jamie Babbit’s beloved queer comedy stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan, a high school senior with a secret eye for her fellow cheerleaders. Hoping to nip their daughter’s nascent lesbianism in the bud, Megan’s parents send her to the True Directions conversion therapy camp, where she winds up meeting and falling for the rebellious Graham (Clea DuVall). Adding to the fun is a crackerjack supporting cast featuring Cathy Moriarty, Melanie Lynskey, Michelle Williams, John Waters regular Mink Stole, and an out-of-drag RuPaul as the camp’s ostensibly cured counselor.

Part of our Summer Camp series at Here-After.

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!

“A delightfully subversive sendup of homophobia and ridiculously rigid gender roles that still feels all too relevant more than 20 years after its release.” Abbey Bender, Nylon

Tickets on sale Thursday, July 24th.

The long-awaited modern-day retelling of Troma’s legendary 1984 classic, starring Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, and Elijah Wood.

A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Dinklage), into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.

Tickets on sale soon.

In humdrum Fargo, North Dakota, an ordinary man named AJ (AJ Thompson) wakes up on the right side of the bed every day. Content with his mundane existence, his simple routine consists of buttering cinnamon toast for breakfast, eating dinner with his married best friends, and visiting his favorite dog park with his beloved chihuahuas, Diddy and Biff. AJ rejects any interruption to his tranquility, including a promotion at work – offered by his boss who happens to be his dad, but still. Unfortunately, the despotic local mayor has converted his dog park into a “blog park” – where happy dog walkers have been replaced with corporate stooges hunched over their laptops. Thus begins a chain reaction that completely upends AJ’s existence as he trains to embark on an unforgettable odyssey to fight, fish, scrap, scrape, and sap things back into place. Toby Jones (Regular Show, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes!) brings the zany, gag-driven joy of cartoons to this surreal, no-budget testament to the average Joe.

“There’s a handcrafted warmth here, exuding a sort of ramshackle, ‘let’s put the show on in the barn’ energy that relies on building a team from friends.” Richard Whittaker, The Austin Chronicle

“Every frame feels like a labor of love, created by friends who genuinely enjoy making each other laugh. The rapid-fire jokes, sight gags, and wacky situations keep the laughs coming at an exhausting pace, but it never loses sight of its emotional core.” Stephanie Malone, Morbidly Beautiful

25th anniversary of one of the greatest dance movies ever made!

A dozen adolescents begin their training at the renowned American Ballet Academy, where they encounter tremendous physical and mental stress while vying for a coveted spot in a celebrated dance company. Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull) has talent but the wrong proportions, the fiery Eva Rodriguez (Zoe Saldaña in her feature film debut) can’t seem to get along with her instructors, and Maureen (Susan May Pratt) is having a hard time enduring the emotional highs and lows that accompany ballet school.

Along with Schull, the film features a bevy of real-life professional dancers, such as Ethan Stiefel and Sascha Radetsky, both of whom were principals with the American Ballet Company. And although it’s far from the first film one would think of when considering campy movies, CENTER STAGE could conceivably be described as camp-adjacent. Regardless of its camp credentials, our Summer Camp series provides as good an opportunity as any to showcase this cult classic for its silver anniversary.

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!

“…an irresistible mélange of teen movie, dance drama, and clog-stuffed ’00s-era time capsule.” Hillary Busis, Entertainment Weekly

“…has proven itself to be the greatest dance movie of our generation. Thanks to its intense rivalries, dramatic dance-offs, and a memorable soundtrack, Center Stage was granted a place by fans among canonical dance films… It delivered camp… and incredible ballet sequences.” Ilana Kaplan, Marie Claire

Robert Zemeckis’s riotous, vicious black comedy, which features innovative and Academy Award-winning early employment of CGI, unforgettable performances from Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, and has since been adapted to a hit Broadway musical.

Fourteen years ago, aspiring writer Helen Sharp (Hawn) found herself chucked aside by her plastic surgeon fiancé (Bruce Willis) after his wandering eye landed on her narcissistic actress frenemy, Madeline Ashton (Streep). But today, Helen appears to have gotten the last laugh, not having aged a day when she finally reappears in their lives, thanks to a magic potion (courtesy of Isabella Rossellini) that offers immortality—something that comes in handy when this acrid love triangle turns into all-out war.

Part of our Summer Camp series at Here-After.

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!

“Insistently grotesque, relentlessly misanthropic and spectacularly tasteless, Death Becomes Her isn’t a film designed to win the hearts of the mass moviegoing public. But it is diabolically inventive and very, very funny.” Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune

“Death Becomes Her is clever, different and dementedly entertaining, while commenting on our unhealthy obsession with youth and beauty.” Jeff Menell, The Hollywood Reporter

Independent to the bone and shot fully on gritty 4:3 Mini-DV in the backwoods of New Jersey, writer/director Robbie Banfitch’s (THE OUTWATERS) sophomore feature, TINSMAN ROAD, takes the audience on an emotionally winding voyage into the wilderness of death and sorrow. The story centers on a young man as he navigates the serpentine mystery surrounding his long-missing sister and their family home.

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!

“Banfitch’s film plays out like a clenched fist around the viewer’s throat, tensing with the moonlight and releasing with the sunrise, over and over again until, eventually, the night and day meld together.” Richelle Charkot, Rue Morgue

“Tinsman Road builds upon a typical found footage foundation to bring the subgenre to new heights with a deeply moving story about the unbreakable bonds of family, even in the face of true evil… [it] is a harrowing journey into the shuddering soul of a dark mystery, one with its bloody heart on its sleeve, begging you to connect within the sorrow. Begging you to walk down the road alongside it. I hope you’ll take its hand.” Lex Briscuso, Dread Central