A Nightmare on Elm Street. Image: Wes Craven, 1984.
R18+ | 91 Mins | 1984 | DCP | US | D: Wes Craven
Arc Cinema presents a series of irreverent Friday night filmic feasts, curated and hosted by drag artist and culture warrior Venus Mantrap. Cult Classics with Venus Mantrap plumbs the archives to showcase cinema with bite: films that unnerve, push buttons, ask questions and just look good on the big screen! Gather your tribe of misfits and rowdy rebels and join Venus for edgy movies, fan favourites and hidden gems.
Blurring the boundaries between what’s real and imagined, Wes Craven’s slasher masterpiece is without a doubt the OG teen-horror film that, 40 years later, still manages to unnerve, shock, gross-out and thrill its audiences.
Birthing Freddy Krueger, everyone’s favourite bogeyman, Nightmare also spawned an epic franchise and countless imitations. But it’s the original movie that remains beloved for its clever story, deliberate casting and innovative approach to special effects.
This sinister and darkly funny film can be analysed for its exploration of Freudian themes or enjoyed as a terrifying rollercoaster ride inside the dreamscapes of Elm Street’s teenagers. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!
‘Turning slumberland into a twisted murderer’s den is a masterstroke by Craven, who has brought new blood to a genre that seemed as if it might choke on its own excesses’ – Empire
Includes a pre-screening introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap.
VENUS MANTRAP
Venus Mantrap is an androgynous construct whose roots are firmly planted in the world of drag. Exploring aspects of cabaret, performance-art and comedy during live shows, Mantrap has produced The Bowie Ball and starred in the one-person-shows Life, Love and Lip Syncing and Valley of the Molls. Venus is regularly found at Smith’s Alternative as the MC of Cabaret Voltaire and has been a featured artist at Glitterbox, LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club, Drag Cabaret and Finucane and Smith’s touring show Dancehall. Follow them on Instagram at @the_venus_mantrap.
The details
What: A Nightmare on Elm Street 40th anniversary screening + introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap
When: 8 pm, Friday 30 August 2024
Where: Arc Cinema, NFSA Acton
Cost: $14–16 via the NFSA website
Loading ...
