Fans of animated psychedelia, this one’s for you. Provocative and phantasmagoric in equal measure, BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is a triumph of unique animation and uncompromising storytelling, following a young woman who conspires with the Devil himself, taking the form of an elf, to seek vengeance on the sinister overlord who raped her, turning her into a black-robed agent of destruction. With its watercolor-esque visuals, surreal energy and explicit edge, director Eiichi Yamamoto’s film is the perfect animated midnight movie and ripe for a rediscovery. —Matt Barone
Hatched
Heavy Metal
4K restoration
In celebration of Heavy Metal magazine’s triumphant return to print, Brooklyn Horror is proud to present the influential adult animation classic HEAVY METAL in a beautiful 4K restoration. Replicating the experience of reading an issue of the revered magazine, this anthology style film tells the tale of an evil green orb that infects the lives of all who dare to cross its path. Helping bring the pages to life is an all-star creative team including the likes of Bernie Wrightson, Dan O’Bannon and Ivan Reitman. —Joseph Hernandez
This is Not a Test
Featuring a post-screening Q&A with director Adam MacDonald.
Caught within the chaos of a zombie outbreak, suicidal teen Sloane (Olivia Holt, HEART EYES) and a small group of her classmates escape their suddenly apocalyptic hometown streets and barricade themselves in their high school. The 90’s period set THIS IS NOT A TEST packs an emotional gut punch to go along with the zombie guts, balancing affecting drama with the horror as director Adam MacDonald did so wonderfully in 2017’s PYEWACKET. Adapted from the popular YA novel by Courtney Summers and celebrating its World Premiere at Brooklyn Horror. —Joseph Hernandez
Tinsman Road
Featuring a post-screening Q&A with director Robbie Banfitch.
Robbie has not visited his home town in New Jersey since his sister disappeared years ago. Finally he returns to document any information he can gather from his mother and the locals in town, but the longer he spends there the more it becomes clear he has stumbled upon something otherworldly. After his stunning found footage feature THE OUTWATERS, Robbie Banfitch returns with a haunting investigation that will reel you in with mounting terror and dread. —Tori Potenza
1000 Women in Horror
One of the best critics covering the horror genre, award-winning Australian writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas showed love to the countless women who’ve made their marks on scary cinema, whether they’ve been publicly celebrated or unfairly overlooked, with her excellent 2020 book 1000 WOMEN IN HORROR, 1985–2018. Using that book as an inspiration, filmmaker Donna Davies has assembled a surplus of film clips and an extensive list of notable interviewees—including Akela Cooper, Kate Siegel, Nikyatu Jusu, Mary Harron and Lin Shaye—to chronicle the female gender’s longstanding history of tapping into themes both universal and specifically feminine to create some of horror’s greatest achievements. —Matt Barone
Don’t Leave the Kids Alone
Starring: Ana Serradilla, Juan Pablo Velasco, Ricardo Galina, Jesús Zavala, Paloma Woolrich, Armando Silva, José Sefami
Recently widowed, a single mother leaves her two pre-teen sons home alone so she can attend a work function. What starts off as a fun night for the boys begins spiraling out of control once an entity starts messing with them in increasingly malevolent ways, kicking their sibling rivalry into full gear via mistrust, paranoia, and abject terror. As playful as it is mean-spirited, Mexican filmmaker’s Emilio Portes’s return to horror after his well-received 2017 film BELZEBUTH plays like an early Amblin production from Hell in all the most delightfully nasty ways. —Matt Barone
Queens of the Dead
Featuring a post-screening Q&A with director Tina Romero. (THEATER 1 ONLY)
A drag show in Brooklyn is interrupted when the zombie apocalypse breaks out across the borough. The survivors seal themselves off in a warehouse but as the night goes on it becomes clear they need to work together if they want to survive. Tina Romero adds glitz and glamour to her undead family lineage and a killer cast including Katy OâBrian, Jack Haven, and Margaret Cho. The zombie apocalypse has never looked this fierce. —Tori Potenza
A Movie and a Walk: The World Before Your Feet
For over six years, and for reasons he can’t explain, Matt Green, 37, has been walking every block of every street in New York City – a journey of more than 8,000 miles. From filmmaker Jeremy Workman (Secret Mall Apartment) and executive producer Jesse Eisenberg, The World Before Your Feet tells the story of one man’s unusual personal quest and the unexpected journey of discovery, humanity, and wonder that ensues.
Following the film there will be a brief Q&A, then join Matt on a walk through the surrounding neighborhood! The walk isn’t a strenuous hike. Nor is it a guided tour of local sights or highlights. In the spirit of the film, it’s a casual and eye-opening stroll that allows people to re-discover their city and find the beauty hiding in plain sight. The walk is about 2 hours and is casual, relaxed, and convivial.
Cyborg
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn, Alex Daniels, Dayle Haddon
Step into a rusted-out, plague-ridden future where hope is scarce, denim is eternal, and only one man can roundhouse kick the world back into shape!
Jean-Claude Van Damme is Gibson Rickenbacker, a lone gunslinger with abs of steel and a heart full of vengeance in Albert Pyun’s Cyborg, the 1989 sci-fi martial arts fever dream that mashes up Mad Max, kung fu, and robot guts. There’s a killer synth score, slow-mo spin kicks, evil pirates, cybernetic secrets, and enough shirtless brooding to power a small generator.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Starring: Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Elizabeth McGovern, Paul Giamatti, Dominic West, Hugh Bonneville, Joely Richardson, Laura Carmichael
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the cinematic return of the global phenomenon, follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.
