HHF/B&B Newsletter - THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB, INDIE MEETUPS and more...

Jun 21, 2024 5:00 pm

THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB, INDIE MEETUPS and more...

Hi ,

Welcome to our 11th action-packed newsletter. Lots to talk about this week. Particularly as we're finally launching our new regular venue THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB here in Los Angeles. And we're starting by screening everything on film. And not any old film format. While other theaters screen the usual 16mm, 35mm and 70mm, we pride ourselves on being the only permanent SUPER 8 CINEMA IN THE WORLD! Yes, that's right... in the World! We screen all our classic films on glorious Super 8. Someone's got to. It's Cinema-going like it used to be - only better!

Don't forget to click on many of the images for cool trailers and promos. So without further ado, let's get on with the show…

OUR OWN CINEMA! - OPENING NIGHT Fri. Aug. 16th

THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB 1089 N OXFORD AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90029 (see our trailer here) is the ONLY SUPER 8 CINEMA IN THE WORLD! Pretty unique or what?! When you visit us we promise you'll have a Super 8 cinema experience 2nd to none. It's Cinema-going like it used to be - only better!

OUR AMAZING OPENING NIGHT SUPER 8 "HORROR-THON!"

So join us for our GRAND OPENING NIGHT on Friday Aug. 16. Enjoy over 2 hours of our specially programmed Super 8 HORROR-THON. A host of extremely rare Super 8 classic horror digests, HAMMER HORROR trailers, rare animation, 1970s horror themed commercials & promos. Many having never been screened before in public.

We'll be showing a European print of the opening of George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) - with special guests doing a live commentary. Also screening the original Alfred Hitchcock trailer to PSYCHO (1960) and the original edited abridged version of the film (featuring that classic scene).

STEVE RAILSBACK as CHARLES MANSON (still from actual Super 8 print)

We're also projecting something that's never been screened in a US theatre before. In 1976 a stronger cut of the TV mini-series of HELTER SKELTER (the Manson Murders story) was released in European cinemas only, with added gore, sex, nudity and profanity. It's pretty shocking. This full length print no-longer exists. It seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. Amazingly a 32 minute version was created for the Super 8 market (featuring all the additional sex and violence). It's not available online or on any format, apart from a few remaining Super 8 reels. That's all that's left of this amazing film. And yes, we have a copy. We'll be screening it as part of our unique Super 8 HORROR-THON. And we hope to have a very special guest in attendance too.

Remember we're the only way you can ever see it.

HELTER SKELTER (1976 stronger European version - from the Super 8 print)

The evening will have so much more, including a rare screening of Tim Burton's first ever Disney film, the Vincent Price-inspired short VINCENT (1983). With a very special guest too in attendance.

TIM BURTON'S animated short VINCENT (1983)

Another very rare short is the eternally funny BAMBI MEETS GODZILLA (1969) from the great Marv Newland. Once seen, never forgotten. Particularly in stunning Super 8.

The title says it all - you have been warned!

Doors open at 7.00pm. The show begins 7.30pm and ends roughly 9.30pm, With a short intermission in between. Then join us for a chat and drinks afterwards with all our special guests.

So what's Super 8? I hear some of you say. What makes it so cool? Well it's a film format created in the 1960s and made popular in the 1970s and early 80s. It was THE format for home viewing before VHS and later DVDs and Blu-rays took over. It's film and was projected and mass produced. Pretty much everything conceivable was released on Super 8. From full length feature films (even in Cinemascope and 3D) to cartoon shorts, opens, commercials, promos, soft-core, hard core, music promos and educational shorts.

Since feature length releases were very expensive the vast majority of films were released in shortened digest or abridged versions. Some were 8 minutes in length, others 16 or even 32 minutes long. Most people could only afford those. So when you wanted to rewatch, say PATTON or THE OMEN, in most cases you'd buy (or rent) a 400ft long version. And that would last 16 minutes. These were, in most cases, beautifully edited and gave you enough 'highlights' to make it very entertaining. In fact sometimes just watching an abridged version was all you wanted. Sometimes they're even more entertaining than the full length versions. They're that cool. Digest versions were edited very carefully by filmmakers too. Spielberg even edited the 400ft version of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS himself. The format was taken that seriously.

I've been collecting Super 8 since the 1970s and have a vast collection of over 100 full length feature films and 100s of digests, shorts, 1970s and 80s cinema commercials, cinema openings, promotional oddities, bizarre Euro-sleaze and everything in-between. And I want to share it all with you.

All these we'll be screening at THE SOHO, each program personally spliced together by my good self and projected on our state of the art ELMO GS 1200 Super 8 Projector.

We will give you the absolute best Super 8 cinematic experience in town. In a beautiful 40 seater cinema with incredible sound, tiered plush cinema seats and a huge 16ft screen in the heart of Los Angeles. We'll even have a classic usherette selling popcorn.

In the old days cinemas were also home to 'live' entertainment before and in-between the classic films. At THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB we're proud to continue this tradition with 'live' horror-themed mentalism from the World Renowned INTERMISSION MAGICIAN! Be prepared to be stunned and amazed by his (we hope) awe-inspiring psychic powers from beyond!

Join us for our GRAND OPENING NIGHT on Friday Aug. 16.
Doors open at 7.00pm, the show begins 7.30pm,
A short intermission (while I change reels)
Show continues till 9.30pm.
End with drinks and chat and the night ends at 10.00pm.

We'll be building our audience slowly, screening initially every other Friday. Then moving to every Friday. We'll grow from there.

Tickets for our OPENING NIGHT (Fri. Aug. 16, 7pm-10pm) available here. Seating is very limited. So book early:

BUY TICKETS HERE

THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB, 1089 N OXFORD AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90029. For Parking info, merch and additional info, list our website.

THE SOHO CINEMA CLUB Website

All guests subject to last minute change (you know the score - people get jobs and can become ill...), but we always do our very best. Cheers.

HHF FILMMAKER MEETUP - Monday June 1st

Join us for our 4th indie horror-film fans and filmmakers meetup in Los Angeles. Note that we're on a MONDAY just for this month. Not our usual THURSDAY - due to the Thursday being 4th July.

Enjoy a HAPPY HOUR drink or two (alcoholic or not) to mix and mingle in a truly fantastic venue - the BIGFOOT LODGE. Chat and network with like-minded people. Get your distribution questions answered. Find crew members. And make new friends for life. FREE RAFFLE with tons of amazing movie-related prizes! Arrive any time from 5.00pm - 8.00pm. Hope to see you there.