CRUISING (1980)

• Director: William Friedkin
• Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Don Scardino
• Film: 102mins | USA | + Intro
• Event: 21:00 – 23:00 [18+]

Queer Horror Nights turns the Rio into a ‘haunted leather bar’ for our Halloween screening of CRUISING (1980). This is a costume, kink and fetish-friendly event that’s strictly for adults 18+ only. Part of a limited double bill with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (1985). 

In William Friedkin’s CRUISING, New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who is preying on the patrons of the city’s leather bars. Tasked with luring the killer out of the shadows, rookie cop Steve Burns (Al Pacino) immerses himself deeper and deeper into the city’s S&M sub-culture.

A controversial film for its alleged stigmatising of the NY leather scene, the filming and release of CRUISING were disrupted with protests by members of the queer community. Pacino viewed the film as “exploitative” and refused to promote it. Friedkin acknowledged the film’s “difficult” timing at the dawn of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

CRUISING has since been reclaimed by queer audiences for its time-capsule insight into a period of free sexual expression before HIV/AIDS. It makes the perfect companion to our second film, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE, which sees Coach Schneider (Marshall Bell) get a good whipping as a BDSM-coded gym teacher.

HALLOWEEN DOUBLE BILL / ‘BRING YOUR FREAK’

Part of a double bill with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (1985). Purchasing tickets to both events entitles you to a discount, applied automatically when booked together. This is a ‘costume, kink and fetish-friendly’ event: step into your finest Halloween costume, or gear-up to enjoy the film in your kink and fetish attire (just cover your ‘bits’). Regular clothes are fine too. Strictly adults aged 18+ only.

// QUEER HORROR NIGHTS is an ongoing series of film nights at venues across London. Follow @tokenhomo or visit tokenhomo.com for all the gory details //