Join us on Tuesday, April 15th at 7:30PM, as we once again partner with the nationwide Science on Screen® program to present The Devil’s Backbone, Guillermo Del Toro’s chilling ghost story from 2001. And make sure to stick around after the screening for a pre-recorded 21 minute presentation on the Neurobiology of Horror Movies by Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa!
ABOUT THE FILM
Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.
ABOUT DR. LAURI NUMMENMAA AND THE PRESENTATION
Ever wondered what happens in your brain when you watch a horror movie? Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa will explore the neurobiology of fear, explaining how filmmakers use techniques like vicarious simulation and unpredictability to create a chilling experience. We’ll uncover the scientific reasons behind our paradoxical love of horror and how it allows us to explore dangerous situations from the comfort of a movie theater.
Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa leads the Human Emotion Systems laboratory at the Turku PET Centre and Department of Psychology, University of Turku in Finland. He earned his PhD in neurocognitive mechanisms of social attention from the University of Turku and conducted postdoctoral research at the MRC CBU in Cambridge, UK. Dr. Nummenmaa has published over 150 scientific articles on the brain basis of emotions and social cognition and his research focuses on the neural mechanisms of human emotions and social interaction using various neuroimaging and behavioral techniques.
ABOUT SCIENCE ON SCREEN
Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and their grant initiative brings science to cinemas nationwide. The Coolidge Corner Theatre’s series has enhanced film and scientific literacy with this popular program, which launched at the Coolidge in 2005 in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and its pioneering nationwide film program. Since 2011, Sloan has awarded the Coolidge over $4 million to develop and administer Science on Screen programs around the US through partnerships with other nonprofits. The Coolidge has in turn awarded 393 grants totaling over $2.5 million to 121 film and science-focused organizations in 44 states (plus Washington, DC) across the country. Learn more at scienceonscreen.org.
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A young mother, contending with a rare brain condition and desperate to save money for her daughter’s future, takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, and gets entangled in a web of revenge, deceit, and murder. Shot in magnificent 16mm and co-written with the magnetic lead actress, Ariella Mastroianni, Gazer gazes fondly back on the masters of the 70s paranoid thriller while keeping itself grounded firmly in the cutting-edge of today’s independent filmmaking.
From Cannes Film Festival to Fantastic Fest, this indie noir is a potent reminder of how exciting American independent filmmaking can be!
“Critic’s Pick! Marrying the manic paranoia of ‘After Hours’ with a ‘Memento’-esque unreliable protagonist and touches of flesh-bending body horror that could be ripped straight from ‘Videodrome,’ ‘Gazer’ is the kind of debut that should restore your lost faith in independent cinema.” -Indiewire
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Our A24orror series comes to a very spooky conclusion with Bring Her Back, a disturbing descent into psychological dread from directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou (Talk To Me).
Bring Her Back tells the story of a brother and sister that uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. With another great performance from Sally Hawkins and a number of horrifying sequences, it’ll have you thinking long after you’ve left the theater.
Brace yourself for a haunting you won’t forget.
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You sold out the first screening, so we’ve added two more! Director Ari Aster’s sun-drenched nightmare Midsommar is coming back for one final screening!
Following a tragic family loss, Dani (Florence Pugh) joins her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends on a trip to a rural Swedish village for a midsummer festival. What starts as an idyllic escape soon spirals into an unsettling and grotesque series of rituals, as the group becomes entangled in the dark secrets of the commune.
Bathed in bright daylight and set against an idyllic backdrop, Midsommar takes a deeply disturbing look at grief, trauma, and the lengths people will go to in the name of tradition. Aster’s trademark slow-burn tension, paired with surreal imagery and shockingly graphic sequences, creates a haunting atmosphere that feels suffocating yet oddly captivating.
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Kicking off our A24orror series, celebrating 10 years of A24 horror since the Sundance premiere of The VVitch, is writer/director Ari Aster’s Hereditary, a film that shocked an entire generation of new horror fans.
This chilling, family-centered nightmare follows Annie (Toni Collette), a mother reeling from the death of her estranged mother, and her family as they begin to unravel dark, supernatural secrets. As tragedy and terror pile on, the Graham family’s dark legacy comes to light in ways that will make your skin crawl.
With Hereditary, Aster doesn’t just bring jump scares—he dives deep into grief, trauma, and generational curses, crafting a horror experience that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Toni Collette gives an iconic, Oscar-worthy performance (snub of the century, anybody?) that’ll leave you shaken up long after the credits roll.
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Join us on May 3rd as we screen Tinsman Road, the second film from writer/director Robbie Banfitch (The Outwaters). And stick around after the screening for a Q&A with the director!
Shot fully on gritty 4:3 Mini-DV, Banfitch’s sophomore feature takes us on a raw, 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 missing sister and their family home.
Starring Robbie Banfitch, his real-life mother Leslie Ann Banfitch, Salem Belladonna, Heather Middleton, Nancy Bujnowski, Noelle Faccone, David Fekety and Keith Bixby.
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Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents special 40th anniversary screenings of the cult classic Vampire Hunter D!
In the year 12,090 AD, technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate, she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.
This screening will be presented dubbed in English.
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Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents special 40th anniversary screenings of the cult classic Vampire Hunter D!
In the year 12,090 AD, technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate, she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.
This screening will be presented in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
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Get ready for one of the wildest cinematic experiences of your life as Play It By Fear (@playitbyfear.33) kicks off their brand new Sunday Scaries series by screening Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 surrealist masterpiece Hausu (aka House).
The story follows a group of schoolgirls headed to a haunted house for summer vacation, only for things to go from weird to…weirder. From floating pianos to killer stuffed animals, the film is an explosion of colors and chaos.
Join us for this Japanese cult classic (and certified Frida Cinema Favorite) that has become legendary for its bizarre special effects, haunting visuals, and wacky storytelling. It needs to be seen (on the big screen) to be believed.
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For the first time in over 5 years, The Frida Cinema is proud to bring back one of greatest films of all time–Jaws! For Memorial Day Weekend only, come celebrate Steven Spielberg’s industry-changing, pop culture-shifting, era-defining movie right where it belongs to be seen: on the big screen with a packed crowd!
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.
What else can be said about Jaws that hasn’t been said by every film scholar for the past fifty years? Featuring career-best work from its all-star cast of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton, the film has kept audiences from ever going back into the ocean (or their pool…or bathtub) for the better part of a century. It’s one of the best examples of man vs man, man vs himself, man vs society, and man vs nature ever put on celluloid.
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