It’s a new month, which means a brand new lineup for Frida After Dark. Our most eclectic series, FAD celebrates late-night cult classics and fan favorites spanning the genre spectrum. This March calendar may feel like Halloween has come early this year, and frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
With not two but five audience-engaging events, the experiential aspect of FAD is really gonna shine through with YOU, the audience!
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1995)
March 13th
Just like the slasher that can’t be killed, the Friday the 13th franchise returns to Frida After Dark – for the fifth time, to be exact! Horror fans are in for another, outrageous evening with the man in the hockey mask!
This installment of the classic horror franchise follows Tommy Jarvis, five years after part IV’s string of Crystal Lake murders. Still haunted by dreams of Jason and the horrible events that transpired, Tommy finds himself in and out of halfway houses, landing him in a gaggle of comically troubled delinquents. Of course, when folks start getting murdered, things spiral out of control while Tommy begins to wonder whether it’s his past that’s haunting him, or Jason himself.
Featuring even more gratuitous nudity than usual, the classic staple of 30-year-olds playing teenagers, and some serious 80s hairdos, this flick also boasts a high body count along with a “twist” that’s gone down in infamy.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
March 13th
This Friday the 13th is going to be a wild one! After Jason finishes slashing yet another batch of horny teenagers to pieces, the Transylvanians will be coming out to play!
No Frida After Dark is complete without our monthly presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the original interactive midnight movie we all know and love! Ever talented and dedicated, the K.A.O.S. shadow troupe continues to turn Friday nights out with lip-syncs, sexy négligée, and sin-sational performances that transport you right into the world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s castle.
Rocky Horror is a mish-mash of campy science-fiction, brilliant songs, cheesy wordplay, and unapologetic sexuality that just might awaken something in you. More than just a time to be fun and wild, Rocky Horror screenings are about community and the freedom to be yourself! Costumes are always deeply encouraged, so put on the best Transylvanian duds you’ve got, and round up your crew for an awesome night out.
Don’t forget to bring cash to buy your prop bags before the show! For just a few bucks, you can simultaneously stock up on ammo to throw and support K.A.O.S. to improve their costumes and stage gear. But don’t get hot and flustered if you’re a Rocky virgin! Check out this classic guide for what to expect when going all the way with us at midnight. Half the fun is in the pre-show, so don’t skip the foreplay!
The Room (2003)
March 14th
Right after cleaning up all the confetti and popcorn from Rocky, we’re making a mess all over again with an interactive screening of The Room, an absolute masterpiece of failure!
Unlike Rocky Horror, The Room is not a musical. Instead, it’s a film so terrible in every way conceivable, that it’s hard to believe even while experiencing it. Perhaps that’s simply the genius of the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau: director, writer, actor, producer, casting director, etcetera, etcetera.
Johnny (Wiseau) works as a successful banker in stock-footage San Francisco with his fiancee Lisa (not Tommy Wiseau). Despite their engagement, Lisa is unhappy in her relationship and seduces Johnny’s best friend Mark. Despite the simple premise, there’s several dozen unrelated subplots that make things far more entertaining and worthy of a monthly cult classic celebration.
Think you know how bad it is? You don’t! It’s much worse, and live screenings are all the better for it! There’s truly nothing like a theater fill of complete strangers instantly becoming bonded together by the same bizarre dialogue and pelting of plastic spoons. So what are you waiting for? Grab a football and make a date for Saturday, March 14th — just make sure to close the front door on your way out!
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
March 20th
The Frida is being graced with two different shadow casts this month, thanks to another overdue screening of the 2008 cult favorite Repo! The Genetic Opera! After nearly a decade of getting the Rocky Horror treatment, Repo! has truly claimed a top spot on the midnight movie roster. Thanks to Addicted to the Knife’s return, we’ll get a much needed injection of gory, industrial cybergoth goodness.
In the not-so-distant future of 2056, a global epidemic of organ failure has given rise to GeneC, a megacorporation that creates and distributes organs just like any other business. The catch is this: if you fall behind on your payments, the Repo Man will hunt you down and take back what was given, with little to no surgical finesse. That’s far from the only plot line however: there are threads regarding back-alley transplants for fashion reasons, an addictive injection called Zydrate, and even a character that wears women’s actual, flesh faces. Also, said character’s sister is played by Paris Hilton, who gives it her all in the best way possible.
An outlandish rock-opera that has no business being as musically and visually great as it is, Repo‘s dystopian (and quite horrifying) premise becomes a delightful, exhilarating time. Make sure to arrive early and join our troupe for the preshow at 11:30!
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
March 21
Last but certainly not least for this month is the return of An American Werewolf in London, presented by Horrorbuzz’s Horror Movie Night!
A truly iconic and enduring classic, Werewolf follows the young New Yorkers David and Jack as they tour through the moors of Yorkshire, England. Despite warnings from local pub patrons, the pair veer off the road and into the heath, where a vicious, crazed animal mauls Jack to death. When David awakens from his coma weeks later, he’s face-to-face with the mutilated ghost of Jack, who informs his friend that what they experienced was a werewolf attack. That’s far from the end of David’s troubles, as he endures both a grueling physical transformation and mental torment.
Not in spite of but because of John Landis’ comedy background, the film has a complex, intriguing tone that’s both humorous and devastating, parodic yet innovative. Because of this, HorrorBuzz has paired the feature presentation with the short film, We Summoned a Demon, from the Die Laughing block of Midsummer Scream 2019.
As always, Horror Movie Night will include a video preshow, specialty beverage, and trivia game, so definitely come early for a howling good time. Luckily, the moon will be in its waning crescent phase, so all creatures of the night can come out and enjoy the show.
In the meantime, learn more about this fascinating film and some crazy production stories from the cast and crew themselves, from the groundbreaking makeup behind the transformation sequence to how they crafted that cryptic werewolf cry.
And hey, why not get in the mood with some unrelated yet surprisingly perfect music?
So while you’re shaking off those residual winter blues, why not get ready to spring into the next season with some classic late-night fun? That’s all for now, but look forward to even more extra-special participatory delights in April!
