World AIDS Day Fundraiser / Double Feature: THE FLY (1986) + THE FLY II (1989) 

• Doors: 4pm | THE FLY: 4:30pm | Interval: 30mins | THE FLY II: 7:00pm
• Subtitles + Intermission between the films
• Adults 18+ only! Dogs welcome
• PLEASE NOTE NEW DAY/DATE OF SAT 15 NOV

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues with its 11^th sensational season — SYNTHETIC FLESH! — a tribute to more than 100 years of monster makeup FX.

David Cronenberg’s THE FLY (1986) and its often maligned sequel THE FLY II (1989) are amongst the most profound allegories about disease in the horror cannon and feature incredible Oscar-winning makeup FX by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis (Walas would also direct the follow-up). With the support of the brilliant team at Beer Merchants Tap, we’re using this double feature as a fundraiser for POSITIVE EAST, East London’s HIV and sexual health charity that’s providing better futures for people living with or affected by HIV.

THE FLY dir David Cronenberg (1986/USA & Canada/96mins)

In this chilling, contemporary remake of an all-time horror classic, Jeff Goldblum stars as Seth Brundle, an overly ambitious scientist who accidentally merges with a housefly while conducting experiments in teleportation. Now a journalist and his girlfriend — played by Geena Davis — suddenly finds herself caring for a hideous creature whose insect half begins to take over. While Cronenberg has denied making specific references to HIV/AIDS — he considers THE FLY to address all forms of disease — The Advocate included it in their ’17 Horror Films Only LGBT People Understand’: “the sad tale of an ambitious outsider who died in his prime will have special meaning for many in the LGBT community, who watched their loved ones experience the same fate.”

THE FLY II dir Chris Walas (1989/USA & Canada/105mins)

Reins for the sequel were handed to special effects makeup artist Chris Walas. It is a direct continuation of THE FLY, which is why the two stories make for an ideal double feature. In THE FLY II, Veronica Quaife (played by Saffron Henderson, briefly replacing Geena Davis) gives birth to Seth Brundle’s mutant son. Martin Brundle grows up in the labs of Bartok Industries as they try to resume his father’s teleportation experimentation. With a genius-level intellect, incredible reflexes, and no need for sleep, Martin knows he is aging faster than a normal human, but is unaware of the true cause, having been told his father died from the same rapid aging disease.

Polite notice: We are showing THE FLY and THE FLY II with subtitles from the best available digital sources.

DOUBLE FEATURE
Limited early bird tickets to see THE FLY & THE FLY II for the bargain price of £10. After those tickets have gone, our films cost £6 each + fees (still a bargain!). Tickets available from Eventbrite. Strictly adults 18+ only! Dogs welcome (especially Robert).

DRINK BEER / DO GOOD
Grab a pint of our special SYNTHETIC FLESH! beer (£2 minimum per pour donated to POSITIVE EAST), or buy some raffle tickets, to help out a great cause. Alongside our usual books and merch, we will be raffling T-Shirts from POSITIVE EAST’s acclaimed pop-up, including Untitled #22 by trans artist Sunil Gupta.

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £6 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. More info at tokenhomo.com ///