Hi friends,

When I initially pitched WTF Wednesday, I was explicitly told that the Rosendale Theatre is not a “gore theater,” and that no, I couldn’t screen Dario Argento’s Phenomena or Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive. I could move forward with the series, but I would have to limit it to sub-R-rated movies with no gore.

It’s not that the theater doesn’t show R-rated movies. I saw baby-brained Emma Stone getting pounded at a packed screening of Poor Things, and a few weeks ago we had a couple of families show up and seat themselves for Flow, only to find out they were actually at a screening of Anora (thankfully our Technical Director ran interference before it became a problem).

The issue was what it has always been (albeit unsaid), that horror isn’t seen as real art, and that associating with it is somehow reputationally deleterious. Never mind the fact that horror accounts for 10% of all box office revenue, and that horror fans reliably show up for theatrical releases.

Enter, The Substance.

I cannot overstate the shit-eating grin I had on my face throughout this movie the first time I saw it. Here was an honest to god Cronenberg body horror movie, with a powerhouse performance from an otherwise normie actress getting to be a total freak, and absolute all-timer batshit crazy final reel. It looked great, it sounded great, and it pulled no punches.

I called it the moment we left the theater, The Substance would be nominated for at least one Oscar on the strength of Demi Moore’s performance. Despite The Academy regularly snubbing horror for nearly 100 years, I had faith that the “it’s hard being an aging woman in Hollywood” angle would push it over the edge.

So when The Substance originally came up at our programming meeting in October, I knew it would be a non-starter unless it was in the context of awards season. I told the rest of the committee that I would love to screen it, but I wouldn’t push for it unless it was nominated for at least one major, mainstream award. I don’t think a single one of them took me, or rather the prospect of that happening, seriously at all.

258 award nominations and 109 wins later, including three Critics Choice Awards, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, here we are.

WTF Wednesday is thrilled to present 5X Academy Award nominee, THE SUBSTANCE!

2/19 - WTF Wednesday: The Substance

R | Horror/Sci-Fi | 2 Hours 20 Minutes | $10.00 General Admission/$6.00 Members

Demi Moore gives a career-best, Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley).

The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. Easy, right?

Deliriously entertaining and ruthlessly satirical, Coralie Fargeat’s explosive Cannes sensation is a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages, and is now nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture!

Come early for the preshow, featuring 30 minutes of clips celebrating body horror, scream queens and workout videos (7pm)!

WTF Wednesday Presents: THE SUBSTANCE
Wednesday, February 19
Doors & Preshow: 7pm
Screening: 7:30pm
$10 General/$6 Members
Buy tickets 

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back in your inbox in a few weeks to share some of the awesome stuff we’ve got coming up in March.

Oh, and about those gory movies I wasn’t allowed to screen. I took some of the goriest parts of each and put them in tomorrow’s preshow. Who’s not a gore theater now?

Xoxo,
Rob

P.S. As always, please feel free to forward this to anyone who might be interested.