Small, Dirty Theaters

We've been thinking a lot about independent horror and the state of the theatergoing experience in general these days. And high school.

Perhaps we should explain. Let's look at the wide and wonderful world of cinema. Now think of it terms of high school (try to do this without getting a bad case of PTSD.) The huge films that gross hundreds of millions of dollars? Those are the cheerleaders and varsity football players: sure, they may be interesting, but they don't stand out. Teachers may wish some of them were a little brighter (you know who you are), but they don't rock the boat. Not so with independent horror. No, indie horror -- with its transgressive elements, dark outlook and/or outlandish gore -- are the outcasts. The kids smoking pot in the parking lot, punching in lockers and creating weird art projects that freak the school board out.

Where do the cheerleaders and football players hang? The big, multiplex cinemas. They're usually playing big, multi-million dollar movies (often in 3D) for big ticket prices. That doesn't mean they can't be a lot of fun -- hell, I liked AVATAR. But small, independent, quirky, dark or gory films have a hard time finding a home here. They just don't fit in.

Let's remember, though, that in most big (and not-so-big) cities, there are small "arthouse" theaters that play much more obscure fare. Our last two movies had small runs in limited theaters -- and it was a hell of a lot of fun. In the last year, I've driven by and gone to theaters playing such films as Lars Von Trier's ANTICHRIST, HUMAN CENTIPEDE, Gaspar Noe's ENTER THE VOID, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and WINTER'S BONE. None of these films would be described as mainstream fare -- and many of them play unrated.

So what's the problem? We fans don't go see them. We filmmakers consider an arthouse run second prize. So here we are, the rebels and outcasts, wanting to hang with the cool kids. Fuck that! Do you really think a dark film like HUMAN CENTIPEDE is ever going to play next door to TOY STORY 3? Of course not -- but it's been doing just fine in small theaters for months, proving that there are plenty of people out there ready to sit in a dark room with like-minded perverts, watching three people crawl around with their noses in each others' asses for an hour and half.

So let's support the arthouse theaters. Put a 40 in a paper bag and watch the blood fly. Meet up with your friends and let your local arthouse theater know that if they show dark, edgy and independent horror, you will come. Don't get lazy and say you'll just catch it on DVD or worse, download it illegally on some bit torrent site. Support these theaters now, when you have the chance -- because if we don't go, they will eventually shut down, leaving the cinematic landscape much less rich.

You want unrated? Go see it where it thrives -- in the arthouse theater, where ENTER THE VOID and ANTICHRIST have found homes. (Let's face it -- "R rating" and "clitorectomy" really don't belong in the same sentence. Hey, someday maybe we'll do a mainstream movie and hang at the multiplex -- until then, you can find us at the NuArt, Laemmle's Sunset 5, the New Beverly and the Cinematheque. And when they show A SERBIAN FILM, we'll be there.