“[A] hallucinatory psychodrama of the creative process… [Ken] Russell’s exuberant style is perfectly suited to a libertine story which finds entirely visual means for showing the complex, often grotesque workings of an author’s imagination. It is a reflexive orgy of future horrors.” – Projected Figures

As a storm rages outside, Lord Byron and his guests conjure up their deepest fears by means of a séance in this wild imagining of the origins of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Directed by cult favorite Ken Russell (The Devils, The Lair of the White Worm) and celebrating its 40th anniversary, GOTHIC plunges us into an orgy of surrealistic horror. Starring Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley (née Godwin), the late Julian Sands as the legendary poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Timothy Spall as the reclusive Lord Byron, GOTHIC is an explosive horror-drama in which the devilish, omnisexual Byron leads his crew of aesthetes in a laudanum-assisted night of playful games and erotically charged rituals. The poets and artists are “beckoning the spark of creation” for a storytelling contest in a castle full of gothic props – cobwebs, skulls, suits of armor, automata, mirrors, a mask, a goat and a snake. Traumas are triggered, nightmares come to life, and visions of future doom dance in the night as a tripping, terrified Mary will be galvanized into merging her past grief and present panic into one of the greatest horror stories ever told.

Come out early for a Psychedelic Horror pre-show starting at 6:30 pm.

Why should Jessie Buckley have all the fun? We’re celebrating brides, monsters, mad doctors and more this month with our FEMALE FRANKENSTEINS series, featuring thrills, chills, dark laughs and twisted loves, all culminating with our April 10 premiere of the widely-acclaimed new horror-comedy DEAD LOVER!

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.