The third documentary in Kenneth Thomas’ trilogy about indie music culture, It Came from Aquarius Records explores the adventurous independent record shop that helped shape the tastes of San Francisco area residents and beyond for nearly a half a century.

Aquarius Records closed in 2016 after establishing itself as one of the greatest champions of underground and experimental sounds, turning the world onto sound and music of limitless varieties, some of which would soon explode in popularity out of the independent music scenes.

Filmed over six years and featuring over 50 interviews, the film takes an in-depth look at the heartbreak of shuttering the beloved store amid the city’s wave of gentrification and traces its long history of influencing music and culture in the city.

Make it a full night of film and live music! After the film, head over to Union Pool (484 Union Ave) to see live performances from one of the bands that Aquarius Records loved, Oneida, preceded by a DJ set from Steve Shelley and Emil Amos! Discount admission into Union Pool for those that attended It Came from Aquarius Records at Nitehawk. Use your seat number to receive the discount.

Starring: Sue Lynn Sanchez, Bill Ushler, Dave Bonavita

One of the most beloved and recognizable ‘shot on video’ movies of the last two decades, and both a Red Letter Media and Rifftrax favorite! When a giant bloodthirsty Bigfoot goes on a killing spree in a sprawling suburban park area of Pennsylvania, it’s up to a couple of park rangers, a novice reporter and a mystical Native American Warrior to try and stop Sasquatch’s limb-ripping, blood-drinking and massive pectoral rampage.

Starring: Nika Feldman, Preston Miller, Arik Roper, George Crowley, Fred Schneider

Co-presented by Screen Slate. Choose the “Repertory Reserved + $5 donation” ticket to add on a $5 donation to support Screen Slate with your ticket purchase!

Teri (Nika Feldman) is a punk who speeds away from her South Carolina hometown in search of more excitement in the New York City scene, where she plans to try to score interviews with bands for her zine “Skid Marks.” Hoping to avoid her biological father, who left her family after coming out as gay and moving to the city, bad luck forces her to his door, and she must reckon with the fact that she was misled to believe he abandoned her.

Shot mostly on digital video in the late 90s, Esther Bell’s film played at the New York Underground Film Festival, then briefly on the Showtime network, but has yet to be available streaming or on home video. Also noteworthy: the cast includes Fred Schneider of the B-52s, Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown) with cameos from cult filmmakers Sarah Jacobson and Bill Plympton.

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph, Glenn Strange

In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur (Lou Costello), the museum’s director, Mr. MacDougal (Frank Ferguson), demands that they deliver them personally so that they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou’s friend Chick (Bud Abbott) has grave suspicions.

Starring: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel

US premiere

Content Warning: This film contains graphic sexual content and violence

If you’ve experienced Gaspar Noé’s incredible IRREVERSIBLE, you know that it’s an assaultive and brilliant look at the psychological damages caused by sexual violence and blood-lusting revenge, one presented as a backwards narrative that unconventionally reveals its characters motivations. Their actions, as well as the nihilism of the film itself, take on a whole new dynamic here, with Noé presenting the narrative in its proper chronological order, giving an already singularly powerful masterpiece the ability to cause a newfound dose of visceral devastation. —Matt Barone

Starring: Kyle Gallner, Holland Roden, Chris Mulkey

World premiere; Q&A with director Laurence Vannicelli

Emmett (Kyle Gallner, JENNIFER’S BODY, DINNER IN AMERICA) enters into a nightmarish game of therapy with his wife Anya (Holland Roden, Teen Wolf, Channel Zero) who has inexplicably taken on the persona of his estranged and recently-deceased mother. Bizarre and creepy in equal doses, this psychological thriller from director Laurence Vannicelli (co-writer/EP of 2019’s PORNO) will keep you guessing if this is truly possession or just a twisted battle of wills? —Joseph Hernandez

Starring: Jena Malone, Cooper Koch, Mark Patton

Q&A with director Carter Smith

A quick, easy drug run orchestrated by his best friend Dom is supposed to send Ben off to his new life in California with some extra cash in his pocket. They arrive at the pick-up location to find Dom’s cousin drugged up and her intense, take-no-bullshit girlfriend Alice (Jena Malone, DONNIE DARKO, THE NEON DEMON) calling the shots. She insists the only way to get their money is to smuggle the drugs past the state border by way of ingesting them. Then it all goes to hell. A new queer nightmare from Carter Smith (director of THE RUINS), SWALLOWED is a dirty and disturbing, body horror love story featuring a delightfully unhinged supporting turn from Mark Patton (SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET). —Joseph Hernandez

Starring: Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray

East Coast premiere; Q&A with director Joe Begos

All that record store owner Tori wants to do this Christmas is drink and hook up—simple enough, right? Apparently not, thanks to a decorative, human-sized robotic Santa Claus that’s come to life for a nonstop rampage of murder and destruction. Picking up where he left off with his 2019 double bill of BLISS and VFW, modern exploitation maven Joe Begos returns with a relentless and stylish Yuletide adrenaline rush that’s part slasher and part ode to ’80s techno sci-fi/horror like THE TERMINATOR. —Matt Barone

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Elyse Dinh, Vivien Ngô

East Coast premiere; Q&A with director Corey Deshon

Held against her will inside an isolated house deep in the woods, a young woman has no choice but to challenge the interpersonal dynamics and self-imposed rules of her captors, a three-person nuclear family that believes the air outside is toxic and that the apocalypse has arrived. Meticulous with its mix of dread and psychological complexities, writer-director Corey Deshon’s unique debut upends familiar doomsday cinema tropes with intelligence and audacity. —Matt Barone

Starring: Eva Green, Mark Strong, Cathy Belton

East Coast premiere; introduced by co-writer Ara Chawdhury

Successful fashion designer Christine (Eva Green, Penny Dreadful) is plagued by a baffling ailment that causes a myriad of issues including paralyzing muscle spasms, memory loss and terrible hallucinations. Much to her surprise, a mysterious Filipino caretaker named Diana arrives on her doorstep claiming Christine hired her to help with the house. When Diana begins to use traditional folk remedies to heal Christine, she causes a rift between her and her husband Felix (Mark Strong, 1917, THE KINGSMAN franchise) and slowly unravels the disturbing truth behind Christine’s illness.

Brooklyn Horror is proud to welcome back Lorcan Finnegan to the fest, director of eco-horror WITHOUT NAME (BHFF 2016 Best Feature winner) and psychological thriller VIVARIUM. Based on the Nocebo Effect—the idea that negative thinking will lead to negative results—NOCEBO is a mind-bending folk horror stunner with haunting real-world implications. —Joseph Hernandez