Starring: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, Samantha Robinson
After introducing shocking acts of self-mutilation to her performances, webcam girl Alice flies up the charts of FreeGirlsLive.com just like she’s always wanted. Before she can enjoy her newfound success, her account is stolen by someone who looks exactly like her and performs in an identical room yet is nowhere to be found.
Inspired by writer Isa Mazzei’s experiences as a cam girl, CAM pulls back the veil on an industry that’s mystery is predicated on the separation between fantasy and reality, proving ripe cinematic ground for exploring obsession and paranoia. A modern erotic thriller with a fire lead performance from Madeline Brewer, Daniel Goldhaber’s feature debut details in disturbing fashion just how obsessed we may be with our online lives.
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Dylan McDermott, Samantha Mathis
East Coast premiere
Young church-going boy scout Tyler’s reputation takes a hit when his crush finds a pornographic bondage picture in his dad’s truck believing it to be his. Ostracized from his group of friends, he falls in with Kassi, a teenage orphan obsessed with the Clovehitch Killer, a serial killer with a penchant for the clove hitch knot who once terrorized their town and was never found. After discovering more photos hidden in his dad’s work shed he’s left to fear the worst.
Rising talent Charlie Plummer is excellent as the innocent Tyler, but it’s Dylan McDermott playing his father Don who really owns the film with his paternal suburban transformation that’s every bit as campy and creepy as you would hope it to be. Directed by newcomer Duncan Skiles and written by Christopher Ford, frequent collaborator of Jon Watts’ on films such as CLOWN and COP CAR, this small town thriller has a sinister edge and sports an exciting narrative device that flips the story on its head.
Starring: Kristen Ruhlin, Lily Newmark, Eileen Davies
World Premiere
After returning to her family’s native Latvia to mourn her father’s death, American single mother Madaline begins suffering from inexplicable visions and physical scars, all of which point to the gift—or curse, rather—the Holy Stigmata. To seek help, Madaline travels to an island convent and ingratiates herself within the sisterhood of nuns. But much to her detriment, Madaline’s new acquaintances pray to something far more sinister than the Holy Spirit, leading her to realize that those newfound afflictions come from anywhere but Heaven.
Providing an effectively retro spin on modern religious horror, WELCOME TO MERCY utilizes the best sacrilegious genre tropes, everything from evil nuns to weaponized crosses, to weave a powerful story of tested faith and hard-earned redemption. Anchored by a fierce performance from lead actress Kristen Ruhlin, who also wrote the screenplay, WELCOME TO MERCY packs a serious punch.
Starring: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laila Costa
The stress of parenthood is seemingly too much for Reed (Christopher Abbott), who, as a soul-cleansing ritual, meticulously plans the perfect murder. But as his plan unfolds, he realizes that meticulous planning has nothing to do with execution as Reed’s cat-and-mouse game quickly becomes a visually arresting, strange, S&M-infused battle between he and a mysterious call girl named Jackie (Mia Wasikowska).
Based on Ryū Murakami’s novel, Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore film (the follow-up to his 2016 black-and-white shocker THE EYES OF MY MOTHER) is a remarkably unusual experience, infused with colorful visuals and an intoxicating score. An Argento/De Palma homage hidden behind the facade of a dark comedy about stabbing, PIERCING cements Pesce as one of the boldest and brightest new directors in the genre.
Starring: Vanessa Paradis, Kate Moran, Nicolas Maury
Known for productions like Anal Fury and Homocidal, successful gay porn producer Anne (Vanessa Paradis) takes her skin flicks as seriously as the most greatness-minded auteur would his or her own prestige dramas. But Anne isn’t the only one who’s infatuated with her company’s films—one by one, and in an exceedingly brutal fashion, someone is butchering Anne’s actors. As she tracks down the killer, Anne begins recreating the murders as part of an elaborate new project, all while losing track of what’s real, who’s dead, and who’s next on the chopping block.
Shot on 35mm and featuring a killer retro score from M83, Yann Gonzalez’s Knife + Heart is an ultra-stylish and blood-soaked ode to ’70s-era De Palma, Argento, and Friedkin. The kills are impeccably staged and gruesome, the performances are campy and spot-on, and the whodunit twists are relentless. Take note, slasher and giallo fans: This will be your new obsession.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, M. Emmet Walsh
Part of our recipe book series NITEHAWK CINEMA PRESENTS. Show your ticket at the bar after the movie to buy a copy of the book for only $20!
This is the The Final Cut version of the film, released on the 25th anniversary in 2007
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to kill a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Introduced by author Chris Nashawaty, whose book The Future Was Now will be available for purchase after the screening.
Touring punk rock TV show The Eyeslicer has returned with their craziest, most ambitious, and spookiest episode yet!! Join Nitehawk Cinema for an encore, midnite screening of The Eyeslicer’s feature-length Halloween Special, only in theaters and on limited edition VHS this October.
Featuring a dozen segments of spine-tingling surrealist terror, The Eyeslicer Halloween Special takes viewers on the cinematic equivalent of an acid trip down the Halloween aisle at Party City. From an X-rated Halloween party hookup to a coming of age story set on the eve of Ted Bundy’s execution; from a documentary about pumpkin carving and misogyny to a supercut about the gendered dangers of the bathtub; from a cursed stand-up comedy set to a woman trapped inside a Red Lobster commercial; from a John Carpenter homage (featuring a cameo by Carpenter himself) to a sequel to The Eyeslicer’s now infamous Gwilliam, The Eyeslicer Halloween Special is an experience like no other – a deranged, proudly transgressive anthology carving out bold new space in the Midnight movie genre.
The Eyeslicer Halloween Special is created by Dan Schoenbrun & Vanessa McDonnell.
Directed by Robin Comisar, Laura Moss, Emma Debany, Brian Lonano, Jennifer Proctor, Nellie Kluz, Sophy Romvari, Joshua Yates, Jacqueline Castel, Carlos Alberto Fernandez Lopez, and The Eyeslicer
Plus! Video Halloween Cards by D E E P, Cannonball Roarers, Chachi’s Suitcase, Krewe of Vaporwave, and Sasha Gransjean.
Supported by Meow Wolf
Starring: The Monkees, Victor Mature, Annette Funicello
The Monkees — Mickey Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Davey Jones, and Peter Tork — didn’t really enjoy being labelled the pre-Fab Four. They expressed their displeasure in this non-sequitur masterpiece. This film literally has no plot; it is instead a patchwork of loopy sight gags, instant parodies, and musical numbers.
