Skip to main content

Clowns, clowns everywhere! Alamo Drafthouse to hold clown-only screening of 'It'

IT
Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube
Are you scared of clowns? If you answered “yes,” you are correct. If you answered “no,” please try answering correctly.

Alamo Drafthouse — the theater chain which regularly receives “best theater” awards and famously kicks out texters — is holding a clowns-only screening of It on September 9 at its Austin, Texas, location one day after the horror reboot starring Bill Skarsgård premieres nationwide.

Yes, that means what you think it means: The only way to get into the theater is by dressing up as a terrifying clown. Despite the fact that the clown in It is a (spoiler alert) murderous, shape-shifting monster, the Drafthouse is having some fun with the idea, hosting a “Barrel O’ Fun” pre-party prior to the screening where moviegoers will get their faces painted, take pictures in photo booths, and participate in a raffle.

The concept was born of a similar screening the Drafthouse held following the release of Wonder Woman in May, where only women were allowed to attend. In response, someone mockingly wrote on Facebook “…Will there be a male only screening for Thor: Ragnarok or a special screening for It that’s only for those who identify as clowns?” Drafthouse staff steered into the swerve, claiming the idea for themselves and setting up this horrifying event.

The film itself is based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name, following several children who are terrorized by a monster who takes the form of their greatest fears. The movie — for which we received a chilling trailer in July — promises to have a darker tone than the 1990 miniseries starring Tim Curry. In that version, Pennywise the clown (Curry) was equally likely to crack a joke as he was to murder your face, but the new adaptation doesn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor.

If you live near a Drafthouse theater keep an eye out for special showings, which the theater chain often advertises. On August 31, for example, several locations will be showing Blade Runner: The Final Cut in 4K Ultra HD. That will be a great opportunity for replicants — uh, fans — to prepare for Blade Runner 2049, which comes out October 6.

Editors' Recommendations

Nick Hastings
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick is a Portland native and a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California with a Bachelor's of Communication. Nick's…
6 things you need to know before Servant season 4
A first look image from Servant season 3 on Apple TV+ of Leanne holding hands with others out of view, surrounded by candles.

M. Night Shyamalan brought his unique style of psychological horror to the small screen with Apple TV+’s Servant, and the series quickly became one of the most exciting entries in the streaming service’s inaugural lineup in 2019.

Now, with three seasons under its belt, Servant is set to premiere its fourth and final season on January 13, with new episodes of the nail-biting thriller premiering weekly through mid-March. It's been almost a year since season 3 debuted, so it’s a good time for a refresher. Here are a few things you should remember from season 3 before tuning in to the upcoming new episodes of Servant.

Read more
5 more depraved and banned horror movies to watch this Halloween
A still from the movie Zombie Flesh Eaters, showing a zombie.

If you’ve never seen a “video nasty” then you’re in for a dubious treat this Halloween. This was the name the tabloid media slapped on a string of cheap, unpleasant, and gory horror and exploitation films released in the U.K. during the 1980s, forcing a confused and unprepared government to ban the worst offenders.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) created a list of 72 titles deemed likely to “deprave and corrupt” the poor, unsuspecting, and innocent public, and eventually went on to outright ban 39 of those films. Anyone caught distributing them faced jail, and the scare eventually led to the government bringing in official certifications for movies released for home viewing.

Read more
Speak No Evil review: the horror of holding your tongue
Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch scream inside a car.

Horror movies, even the very good ones, have a way of turning their audiences into backseat survivors: “Get out of the house already!” we scream at characters too stubborn or stupid to acknowledge the warning signs around them. It can be part of the communal fun of the genre, pleading aloud for the people on screen to get in touch with their self-preservation instincts.

Viewers will likely have some choice words (or maybe just groans) for the slow-to-flee characters of Speak No Evil. Here, the imperiled — a Danish family enduring a nightmare weekend in the Dutch boonies — actually do make the decision to get the hell out of dodge. Alas, they only go a couple of miles down the road before putting the car in reverse, their escape aborted upon the discovery that a beloved toy has been left behind. What’s more exasperating than someone refusing to get out of the house? How about watching them get out of the house, change their mind, and step right back into it?

Read more