Alamo Adds Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday to Virtual Cinema
By Richard Whittaker, March 31, 2020, 12:01am, Picture in Picture
Before the Alamo Drafthouse was a national chain, it was a home to obscure gems of cinema in themed evenings like Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday. Now as the Austin-based theater company has its sire shuttered, it's taken those beloved institutions online in all their exploitation wonder, starting this week.
Earlier this week, the Drafthouse joined the wave of cinemas going virtual as a response to coronavirus closures. However, these were for new releases, and did give a venue for their huge archive of rare titles.
Until now.
The Drafthouse has announced that it will bring back the horror-themed Terror Tuesday, followed by the grindhouse/exploitation pleasures of Weird Wednesday, with a screening from each on alternating weeks, drawing from the vaults of the American Genre Film Archives (the Drafthouse's film restoration and preservation non-profit). Screenings will come with the traditional Alamo preshow of clips, trailers, and other madcap nonsense, plus a pre-recorded intro. Tickets will be $7.75 for a week's rental, and the money will go to support the Drafthouse and AGFA.
Drafthouse Senior Director of Programming and Promotions Sarah Pitre explained, "Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday aren't just film series - they're communities, and even though our theater doors are currently closed, it's vital that we continue to foster these communities, because they are truly the heart of the Alamo Drafthouse."
Echoing those sentiments, Drafthouse founder and CEO Tim League said, "Our theaters are currently closed, but that doesn’t have to mean our communities have to remain shuttered as well. We intend to hunker down, weather this storm and reemerge on the other side. Until then, we’ll continue to work to share the movies we love with this community, and find ways to support each other."
The return of Terror Tuesday starts this week AGFA's 2K restoration of 1982 gonzo Hong Kong horror Centipede Horror, director Keith Lee's impressively disgusting story of a sorcerer unleashing hordes of flesh-eating, wriggling bugs. You can pick up your tickets now via www.vimeo.com. The screenings will begin at 7pm Central on Wed, March 31; then get ready for the first virtual cinema Weird Wednesday next week on April 8 with the utterly berserk Godmonster of Indian Flats.
Copyright © 2025 Austin Chronicle Corporation. All rights reserved.