New Buffy-inspired Trans Erotic Horror THE SERPENT’S SKIN (2025) — Friday Night WTF!
June 12 : 9:15 pm – 10:30 pm
Friday Night WTF screenings are cheap, weird, and out of control! Cult trashterpieces, so-bad-they’re-good crapfests, movies that make you ask “What the hell am I watching?!” — we’ve got ’em all on Friday night.
Judging by THE SERPENT’S SKIN, you would never guess director Alice Maio Mackay is only 20. The wunderkind filmmaker from Australia returns with her sixth feature—maybe you caught T Blockers at Hysteria Fest 2024?—and this one may be her best yet! Inspired by the WB-led golden age of fantasy TV, Mackay’s atmospheric and erotic new movie pays vivid homage to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed by way of a witchy girl-on-girl love story. Alexandra McVicker stars as Anna, a young trans woman with supernatural powers. Soon after leaving home to live with her sister, Anna meets a seductive tattoo artist (Avalon Fast) who shares her cursed gift. Together they plot, fuck, and unleash their inner demons to the world. Think The Craft with more queer kissing and a visual style that finds the exact midpoint between Buffy and Mandy — thanks, in part, to The People’s Joker auteur Vera Drew, who served as editor on the film.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING…
“Groundbreaking”
Alice Maio Mackay’s film is a groundbreaking trans romantic horror film with a unique vision, cementing her status as one of cinema’s brightest stars.
10/10
Screen Rant
“Spellbinding”
The vibe is so, so right. Anyone looking for an empowering, forward-thinking, and trippy watch will feel right at home slipping into this movie’s, well, skin. It’s quite literally spellbinding.
Next Best Picture
“Sapphic Goth Girl Delights”
Amid all the sapphic goth girl delights of the film, there’s a clarion call for community and its importance for queer people”, messy and imperfect as it may be.
RogerEbert.com
This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s Pride Month-long spotlight on queer cinema.
Theater Policies
- All seats are first-come, first-served.
- The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.
- All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.
- Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.
- If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.
- Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.
- When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.
- All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.
- Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.