The Grand Illusion

Presented by The Sprocket Society.

The Saturday Secret Matinees are back for an epic 16th season, with weekly serial episodes plus secret classic features, all on 16mm film! Save with a series pass!

In FLASH GORDON’S TRIP TO MARS (1938), galactic dictator Ming the Merciless has escaped certain death and fled to Mars! Aided by the evil Queen Azura, Ming is destroying Earth as a mere stepping stone in a new war of interplanetary death and conquest! Intrepid Flash Gordon, steadfast Dale Arden, and super-genius Professor Zarkov once again fly between worlds and against all odds in a desperate bid to stop Ming’s ruthless campaign of fascist doom! Rarely screened, this second of the three Flash Gordon serials is considered among the best cliffhangers ever made.

Each week’s show also includes a secret feature film. Bi-weekly themes provide clues, but it could be almost anything: mysteries, sci-fi, art house, or monsters; a forgotten gem or a beloved classic.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is “a nearly ideal sequel…it’s also a nearly ideal serial. …It balances good acting, atmosphere, action, and plotting in such fine style that it would still be a notable achievement if it were the sole entry in the Flash Gordon series.” – The Files of Jerry Blake

“The beauty of the film is that it manages to outshine its extremely primitive background and create a world of pure wonder.” – Moria Reviews

Jan. 6: Flash vs. Ming: The epic begins!

Jan. 13 & 20: Forgotten British Sci-Fi
Lost gems from across the pond

Jan. 27 & Feb. 3: Weimar Noir
Dark tales from a dark time, by German masters

Feb. 10 & 17: Revenge Westerns
Two legendary actors redefining the genre for grown-ups 

Feb. 24 & Mar. 2: Deadly Intrigues
Life or death plots and thrilling battles in the distant past 

Mar. 9 & 16: Pulp Detectives Strike!
Dime magazine faves in B-movie mysteries

Mar. 23 & 30: Kookoo for Kaiju
Japanese giant monster classics