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 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).

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!

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

VHS ÜBER ALLES IS BACK FROM THE DEAD!

Natalie, a vampire killed by Buffy (yes, THAT Buffy) calls to her dear sister Lorelei from beyond the undead grave , demanding revenge. Bad news, Lorelei has been nailed in a coffin for five years–how could she possibly get back at Buffy? Luckily, horny teens lured by the promise of an abandoned porno stash pry open the coffin, releasing weakened vampire Lorelei… With fangs no longer strong enough to bite necks, now she must bite her victims in a softer, more posterior region!

NEVER RELEASED ON DVD! ONLY ON VHS! ONLY $3!

20th anniversary of the final film in Park Chan-wook’s thematically-linked “Vengeance Trilogy”, with special intros from film educator Hannah Baek before each screening.

Following 2002’s SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and 2003’s OLDBOY, director Park Chan-wook gave us one last tale of revenge to cap off the series. After being wrongfully convicted of kidnapping and murdering a young child, a beautiful young woman (Lee Young-ae) is imprisoned for 13 years and forced to give up her own daughter. While in prison, she gains the respect and loyalty of her fellow cellmates, all the while plotting her vengeance on the man responsible (Choi Min-sik). Upon her release, she sets in motion an elaborate plan of retribution, but what she discovers is a truth so horrifying, even revenge doesn’t seem punishment enough.

The theater is your living room for this trip back in time to the heyday of made-for-TV horror movies.

For this year’s triple feature pizza party, we’re broadcasting three chilling tales straight from 1970s and 80s network TV, when original horror movies haunted home television screens on a regular basis. The evening’s program consists of a trio of lesser-known gems, featuring spine-tingling phone calls, paranoia, isolation, creepy kids, and a ghost or two. The titles are secret though, so you won’t find out what frightening fables are in store for you until airtime.

Regular concessions will be available for purchase at the beginning of the transmission and throughout the night. The main course will arrive following the first feature. And in addition to satiating the more carnivorous appetites, we’ll have options for our vegetarian and vegan friends too. Plus, during intermissions, you’ll be treated to period-specific Halloween commercials to complete the experience… and one or two other surprises might be on the docket as well.

This month, the Grand Illusion and Scarecrow team up at Northwest Film Forum to bring you a free member screening of Lamberto Bava’s 1985 blood-thirsty thrill ride, DEMONS! Free for members, $10 at the door for non-members. Come see it if you dare!

Welcome to the most life-enriching Italian terror-party of 1985. Produced by Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA) and directed by Lamberto Bava, DEMONS follows a panorama of punks, preppies, and ne’er-do-wells as they get trapped in a movie theater and possessed by gut-shredding Satanic demonoids. Featuring songs by Mötley Crüe and Billy Idol, gloopy effects, and the iconic Geretta Geretta in a lead role, this is the most fun you’ll ever have in a movie theater while watching a movie about beasties on the loose in a movie theater.

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

“DEMONS is a monument to the horror genre’s potential for Grand Guignol beauty.” Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine

Presented in partnership with our friends at Central Cinema!

Showcasing epic battles led by dashing heroes against an onslaught of human, monster, and supernatural enemies, DEATHSTALKER is the brainchild of director Steven Kostanski (THE VOID, PG: PSYCHO GOREMAN, FRANKIE FREAKO). A reimagining of Roger Corman’s cult sword-and-sorcery film series of the same name, this action fantasy adventure utilizes creature suits, prosthetic FX make-up, and stop-motion animation from Kostanski’s Action Pants FX shop.

The Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege by the Dreadites, heralds of the long-dead sorcerer Nekromemnon. When Deathstalker recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse-strewn battlefield, he’s marked by dark magick and hunted by monstrous assassins. To survive, he must break the curse and face the rising evil. Death is just the beginning… of great adventure!

Executive produced by Guns N’ Roses’s Slash and starring seasoned stuntman and actor Daniel Bernhardt as Deathstalker and Patton Oswalt as the voice of Doodad.

“The fights are fun, the monsters are beautifully realized, and the sheer number of genre tropes this film packs into its 100 minutes is enough to make the most battleworn Dungeon Master drop their jaw… another midnight movie essential.” Matthew Jackson, AV Club

From the depths of space, Dracula has devised his most dastardly plan yet: turning the residents of the small town of Marlow into his personal army of vampire zombies! A motley crew consisting of a grizzled detective, a skeptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman band together to save the world from… (see title).

Featuring appearances from Lloyd Kaufman, Judith O’Dea (Barbra in Night of the Living Dead), David Liebe Hart (Tim & Eric), and more.

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 makes Michael Stasko’s Vampire Zombies…From Space! such a pleasant surprise is it’s not only the rare parody that’s actually funny but the even rarer one that takes chances at being original.” Andrew Kidd, High on Films

A double feature of horror movies by writer/director Jeremy Saulnier (BLUE RUIN, REBEL RIDGE).

First up, in Saulnier’s underseen and recently restored debut, MURDER PARTY, an average Joe loser named Chris finds an invitation to a costume party on Halloween Eve in Brooklyn. Arriving at the “party,” Chris discovers he’s fallen prey to a lethal trap set by deranged artists. As the night wears on, rivalries within the group flare up. A body count accrues, and Chris must take advantage of the ensuing chaos if he’s to survive the night.

Then, in GREEN ROOM, struggling punk band The Ain’t Rights get an unexpected booking at an isolated, run-down club in the backwoods of Oregon. After witnessing a terrible act of violence backstage, they find themselves facing off against the club’s depraved neo-Nazi owner, setting the stage for an ultimate life-or-death showdown. Don’t miss your chance to catch this intense horror/thriller for its 10th anniversary in a building that houses multiple music venues (and is thankfully operated by FAR better people than those who run the venue in the movie).

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!

“[MurderParty is] the best horror movie you never saw… deserves to be included in your annual Halloween marathons.” Cody Hamman, JoBlo

“Green Room is a smart, sick and suspenseful thriller that is perfect for a night out with friends.” Kristy Puchko, Pajiba

A very special presentation! Born out of novelties, toys, and camera tricks, early filmmakers formulated the first horror cinema in the nickelodeons. THE BIRTH OF HORROR presents a global survey of monsters, goblins, and things that go bump in the night, from the first screen conception of Frankenstein, to early home invasions and escaped psychos!

These films are presented by Portland’s Church of Film with atmospheric original soundtracks by Seattle’s Hexafoils—meticulously constructed horrorscapes crafted from synthesizers and foley design. A project years in the making!

The Sprocket Society presents mad doctors, monsters, and dungeons galore in a secret seance of shivers, all on 16mm film!

You’ll be dragged screaming back to the classic horror era when you dare to enter our cinematic charnel house of gruesome shocks! Boris, Bela, and all the gravest mon-stars will tickle your spine with terror in this cortège of spooky shorts plus a scary secret feature!

Gasp with sadistic glee at the full-length horrifying tale of a deranged surgeon and supercreep mutilating his captive henchman in a psychotic plot of vengeful lust! See the “complete” (ish) Frankenstein saga in less than an hour with abridged digests of the original movies, a corpus delicious stitched together from all the best parts! Plus: 1950s Abbott & Costello TV skits with monsters, and still more 16mm surprises from our crypt!

Your ecstatic exsanguination will have you jumping for jolts at this ghoulish gathering of ‘30s and ‘40s frights! Step inside…the Secret Vault of Torment!

From original reviews of our secret feature:

“Should click with patrons who go for the bizarre stuff.” The Film Daily

“An orgy of sadism…cruelty for cruelty’s sake.” London Telegraph

Nothing is as it seems when filmmaker Emily Wyland (Brittany O’Grady) teams up with cinematographer Danny (E. J. Bonilla) to shoot an intimate documentary about reuniting with Emily’s estranged mother after a decade apart. When her mother suddenly goes missing, possibly succumbing to the addictions that first tore her family apart, Emily and Danny must piece together increasingly sinister clues to find her before it’s too late.

Directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Pedro Kos (Rebel Hearts, Lead Me Home) in his first narrative feature, IN OUR BLOOD masterfully blends psychological mystery with chilling horror. The film weaves a twisted tale of reconciling with the ghosts of our past and confronting the complicity we share in creating a world that preys on the most vulnerable.

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!

“…offers a fresh take on the found footage subgenre… The film defies any and all expectations, wrapping itself in the visual language of documentary filmmaking before cannibalizing itself in intriguing and incisive ways.” Chase Hutchinson, Collider

“With his expertise in the documentary format and a smart script by Mallory Westfall, [director] Kos is able to craft an emotionally affecting story while also making use of genre tropes when you least expect them.” Mary Beth McAndrews, Dread Central

Twenty years ago, irreverent Japanese genre wizard Shinya Tsukamoto (TETSUO: THE IRON MAN) wrote, directed, and starred in the truly frightening, claustrophobic experience known as HAZE.

A man awakes to find himself trapped in a dirty, confined crawlspace. He barely has enough room to move. He also has no memory of why he’s there, or why he’s bleeding from a stomach wound. Apparently drugged, he occasionally ‘zones out’ of his surroundings as he tries to edge his way towards freedom. But the more he explores, the more pain he has to endure, and the more frightening his predicament becomes.

In Japanese with English subtitles.

“…packed with tense atmosphere and wonderful sound design.” Niina Doherty, HorrorNews.net

“Many directors would no doubt take a god’s-eye perspective of Haze’s hero, but Tsukamoto favors an intimate camera style that offsets the genre film sturm und drang and grounds his movie in a terrifyingly mortal perspective.” Keith Uhlich, Slant

Tina Romero’s directorial debut is a riotous blend of horror and comedy, infused with queer sensibilities and sharp social commentary. With standout performances from Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, and Margaret Cho, QUEENS OF THE DEAD delivers a fresh take on the zombie genre, celebrating community and transformation amidst the chaos.

On the night of a colossal warehouse drag show in Brooklyn, a zombie apocalypse erupts, transforming the venue into a battlefield. A diverse group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must set aside their personal dramas and unite to combat the brain-hungry undead. As the night unfolds, they discover that survival requires more than just flamboyance—it demands resilience, unity, and a touch of glitter.

“It is legitimately exciting that there is another Romero picking up the torch of horror film… Not only is [Queens of the Dead] an unabashed zombie film, it also nods to her father’s films and legacy, along with plenty of other pop culture ephemera.” Deirdre Crimmins, Rue Morgue