The Grand Illusion

Tickets on sale October 17th, provided the forecast for the 24th looks promising.

20th anniversary of one of the most terrifying horror movies of the 21st century, shown outside in the dark!

After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other.

Tickets are pay-what-you-will with a $5 minimum. All money from ticket sales will go to the Grand Illusion’s relocation fund. Please note that this movie is not appropriate for the young’uns.

The movie will start at approximately 7:30 pm, but be sure to come early to hang out and get great drinks and good food from the brewery. The fine folks at Dirty Couch will also be making wood-fired pizzas for purchase!

“Finally, a scary movie with teeth, not just blood and entrails — a savage and gripping piece of work that jangles your nerves without leaving your brain hanging.” Jim Emerson, RogerEbert.com

“The Descent sustains a level of intensity that most horror films can barely muster for five minutes.” Scott Tobias, 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 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

Additional showing added, Nov 2nd, due to popular demand!

THE LAST CLASS is a nuanced and deeply personal portrait of master educator Robert Reich teaching his final course and reflecting on a period of immense transformation, personally and globally. It is a love letter to education. The former Secretary of Labor might be famous for his public service, best-selling books, and viral social media posts, but he always considered teaching his true calling. Now, after over 40 years and an extraordinary 40,000 students, Reich is preparing for his last class.

Over the course of the film, Reich confronts the impending finality, and his own aging, with increasing candor, introspection, and, ultimately, emotion. He displays a rawness of feeling he has never shared publicly before. Drawing on his lifetime in politics, he uses his class, “Wealth and Poverty,” to offer us all a deeper look at why inequalities of income and wealth have widened significantly since the late 1970s, and why this poses dangerous risks to our society.

One thousand students fill the biggest lecture hall on the UC Berkeley campus, the last class to receive Reich’s wisdom and exhortations not to accept that the world has to stay the way it is. His belief in the next generation’s ability to take on the fight is inspiring.

“Reich is an eloquent extemporaneous speaker who knows how to keep people’s interest while coming across as authentic. That makes him a perfect subject for a documentary… it’s heartening to hear a major figure in American political history talking about the future as if it might actually happen.” Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

Inspiring work of passionate filmmaking or bloated vanity project? Or perhaps something in-between? Released just over a year ago, Francis Ford Coppola's MEGALOPOLIS caused much debate among people who love movies. Not available to stream and without a physical release in North America, one of the only ways to see Coppola's long-gestating epic is in a theater, the way the legendary director intended.

Genius artist Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) seeks to leap the City of New Rome into a utopian, idealistic future, while his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.

“Megalopolis is exactly what movies can and should be—unflinchingly earnest.” Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

“Megalopolis might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every single batshit second of it.” Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

A raw, fly-on-the-wall documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long journey in creating his self-financed passion project, MEGALOPOLIS. The bold and unrelenting epic returns in Mike Figgis’s portrait of Coppola’s creative process – weaving together archival material, unfiltered cast interviews, and a close-up view of how the legendary filmmaker drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of Megalopolis. This isn’t a record of a production on the brink, it’s a personal memoir unfolding in real time.

Critic’s Pick! “Well worth watching not only for Coppola completists, but also because it offers an instructive peek at what it takes — logistically, financially, temperamentally and philosophically — to follow your muse without bowing to the demands of American industrial cinema.” Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“If you love movies and you’re interested in behind-the-scenes movies, this is as cool as they get.” Sean Fennessey, The Big Picture

4/4 stars! “Watching Coppola land on his head and then pick himself back up again and point himself at another brick wall is ultimately strangely inspiring.” Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

Part 1: My log has a message for you.

Part 2: The stars turn and a time presents itself.

Part 3: Call for help.

Part 4: ...brings back some memories.

Part 5: Case files.

Part 6: Don’t die.

Part 7: There's a body all right.

Part 8: Gotta light?

Part 9: This is the chair.

Part 10: Laura is the one.

Part 11: There’s fire where you are going.

Part 12: Let’s rock.

An X-Rated descent into demented comedy and maniacal horror, as a desperate mother drags an innocent stranger into an absurd, filthy nightmare beyond comprehension. An unflinchingly loyal adaptation of transgressive artist Johnny Ryan’s joyfully disgusting comic book. Adults only.

Only in theaters, never streaming! Official selection: TIFF, Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest

Writer/director Todd Rohal in attendance for Q&As after each screening!

Exclusive Nude Blok/Perv-o-Vision reversible glasses will be for sale at the door (while supplies last).

Part 13: What story is that, Charlie?

Part 14: We are like The Dreamer.

Part 15: There’s some fear in letting go.

Part 16: No knock, no doorbell.

Part 17: The past dictates the future.

Part 18: What is your name?