On Saturday I went along to a midnight screening of PIECES (1982) at Rio Cinema, presented by Cigarette Burns Cinema. Although not literally at midnight but close enough for me (it started a bit after 11.30pm), Cigarette Burns Cinema are bringing back late night horror movie screenings for the cult film audience. It’s rare these days that cinemas will screen new releases late at night, let alone older and more obscure films.

Slightly tipsy or just slightly buzzed with the idea of watching a 35mm uncut print shipped from Europe especially for tonight, the atmosphere inside was upbeat and fun. The extreme gore and gratuitous nudity were fully appreciated by the audience, particularly the loud guy at the back with the booming laugh. Post-film drinks were accompanied by the music of a waify, suited DJ who looked like he could’ve come out of the film himself. As with every CBC event, film-goers could also browse and buy hard-to-come-by horror DVDs, soundtrack vinyl and prints courtesy of Psychotronic UK.

Aside from screening classic to obscure horror that I might never watch otherwise, what makes the Cigarette Burns Cinema events special is that they oblige to the tradition of the midnight movie – cult films with an audience who keep coming back. And I’ll be back on May 19^th for The Return of the Living Dead.

Trailer by Paul Martinovic for Cigarette Burns Cinema

PS: short person tip: the auditorium of the Rio is one of my favourites because I can sit back, comfortable in the knowledge that the guy’s head in front of me won’t block off a large portion of the screen.