The second feature directed by Todd Haynes, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of Far from Heaven and Carol, Poison is the next film up in our Art House 101: Global Queer Cinema series. Thank you to our friends at OC Pride for presenting these screenings!
This groundbreaking American Indie was the most fervently debated film of the early 1990s and a trailblazing landmark of queer cinema. A work of immense visual invention, Haynes’ spectacular follow-up to his legendary Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is audacious, disturbing and thrillingly cinematic.
Inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Poison deftly interweaves trio of transgressive tales-“Hero,” “Horror” and “Homo”-that build toward a devastating climax. “Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; while “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates.
A runaway hit which made national headlines when it was attacked by right-wing figures including Dick Armey, Ralph Reed and minister Donald Wildmon, Poison is unsettling, unforgettable and thoroughly entertaining.
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We are paying our respects to horror legend Reggie Bannister with a one night only screening of Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm!
Like The Shining and Dawn of the Dead, Phantasm is a cerebral nightmare that we never want to end. Written, produced, directed, shot, and edited by Don Coscarelli when he was only 23-years-old, the movie follows a group of small-town friends as they battle the “Tall Man”—a mysterious force of cosmic horror who wields flying silver murderballs. This Lovecraftian vortex deftly combines gothic horror, surrealism, and a killer prog rock score into a concoction that horror fans have never stopped worshipping.
Thanks to a stunning restoration and 5.1 surround sound mix produced by J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot and Coscarelli, Phantasm has never looked or sounded better.
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Portal to Hell, the new indie horror gem, is coming to The Frida Cinema! And stick around the screening for a Q&A with writer/director Woody Bess and producer Lucas Ford!
After a debt-collector finds a portal to hell in a washing machine at his local laundromat, he’s propositioned into feeding it sinners to save his neighbor’s soul, maybe even at the expense of his own.
Check out the trailer below and come see it on the big screen!
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Come celebrate the new movement of young filmmakers devouring the medium with their intense, cinematic visions with this double feature of two bold, boundary pushing, & incendiary debut feature films that compliment each-other: the hot-boiled angst of the timely ABRAXAS (Written, Directed, Edited, & Starring Charles Tyler Kinder) & the synthetic, neon-drenched, liminal nightmare fuel that schizoids out of the screen into your senses with FaceTape (Written, Directed, Edited, Shot, Sound Designed by Manny Liotta).
Made in unison with each other with a blend of cast members between the two films, this is a double feature that you won’t walk away from feeling the same as when you entered the theater!
ABRAXAS (85 min): Struggling to complete his college thesis, a frustrated environmentalist starts to receive “divine inspiration” which liberates him from writer’s block. However, as his ideas intensify, he spirals into a dangerous fixation, crafting an enraged manifesto against techno-industrial civilization. Watch the trailer for it here!
FaceTape (84 min): A junkie decides to come clean from abusing an analog VR drug called FaceTape only to find his life outside of his addiction is far from stable. Watch the trailer here!
There will be a 10 minute intermission between each film and an introduction by the filmmakers!
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Some legends really bite.
Ken Russell season continues at The Frida, as we are presenting a late night 0ne-off of The Lair of the White Worm on September 18th!
This deliriously unhinged adaptation of Bram Stoker’s final novel follows a young archaeologist who uncovers the skull of a mythical serpent. Of course, it awakens an ancient evil and its seductive priestess, Lady Sylvia Marsh. That old story!
Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Peter Capaldi, Catherine Oxenberg, and Sammi Davis, The Lair of the White Worm is Ken Russell at his most gloriously deranged, and that’s really saying something! British folk horror, pagan mythology, sexual decadence, surrealist imagery, pitch-black comedy…it’s the perfect Friday night flick!
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See It On 16mm is back at The Frida to unspool the 1933 adventure classic King Kong!
Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.
Over 80 years later, King Kong has been remade and ripped off a hundred times over, but nothing can ever compare to the original! See it where it deserves to be seen: on the big screen!
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It’s Buddy time, folks!
Remember Buddy? The bright orange unicorn and star of that classic childrens’ television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of “It’s Buddy!”, a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased…he’s not pleased at all.
From Casper Kelly, the creator of Too Many Cooks, comes this new hilarious, creepy, and downright disturbing descent into pop culture madness. It’s Buddy!
Enhanced Accessibility: this movie has Closed Captioning, Assisted Listening, and/or Audio Description!
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Some wrong turns last forever.
We’re getting lost with a one week run of the buzzy new horror-mystery film It Ends!
A group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two-lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding. Cramped together inside a Jeep Cherokee and with the miles stretching infinitely ahead, they face a choice: embrace their new existence or fight to escape it.
Premiering at SXSW all the way in Spring of 2025, It Ends announced an exciting new voice in horror with its young director, Alexander Ullom. If you’re a fan of the new trend of liminal horror films, this is right up your alley.
Enhanced Accessibility: this movie has Closed Captioning, Assisted Listening, and/or Audio Description!
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Our Classic Movie Nights series is entering the halls of Hill House with the terrifying 1963 version of The Haunting!
Dr. John Markway assembles a small group of guests to investigate the notoriously haunted Hill House, a sprawling mansion with a dark history of death and tragedy. Among them is Eleanor Vance, a shy and emotionally fragile woman who soon finds herself increasingly convinced that the house has chosen her as its next victim.
Directed by Robert Wise, The Haunting is widely regarded as one of the greatest haunted house films ever made, creating terror almost entirely through suggestion and atmosphere rather than explicit horror. With its disorienting camera work and unsettling sound design, the movie has survived as one of the most genuinely spooky movies ever made!
Please make sure to get to this showtime early, as our beloved Marketing Director, Bekah, will be doing a pre-screening presentation on the film!
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Just added: Horror movie legend Brian Yuzna will be joining us to moderate the Q&A after Bloody Bridget!
Come one, come all to an evening of voodoo, vampires, revenge, and bloody burlesque as The Frida Cinema is teaming up with Peepshow Menagerie and Anastasia & Richard Elfman to present a ghoulish double feature extravaganza of 1990’s Frankenhooker and 2024’s Bloody Bridget!
7:30PM – Frankenhooker: A grief stricken med student builds the perfect woman from dead prostitutes…then discovers his resurrected bride has a killer mind of her own.
9:30PM – Bloody Bridget: Anastasia Elfman plays a “Valentine Vampire,” sucking blood only whets her appetite…she must eat their beating hearts! LIVE MUSIC & BURLESQUE PRE-SHOW with Richard Elfman and the Mystic Knights of the Forbidden Zone. Q&A with Richard and Anastasia after film!
Make sure to get there early for the first feature, as we have the Peepshow Menagerie pre-show, a burlesque performance from Pinky Petite as Frankenhooker, AND as an introduction for the film by Fangoria writer Pat Jankiewicz!
Tickets for this event are $25. Frida Cinema member discounts and comp passes do not apply.
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