The Queen's Film Society upcoming events

BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL (David Kittredge, US 2026) (20 Oct 2026)

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How do you follow one of the most successful horror movies ever made? If you’re John Boorman, you spend a fortune making something so strange, ambitious, and spectacularly ill-advised that audiences laugh at its premiere and critics compete to find new ways to destroy it. Boorman and the Devil tells the extraordinary story of the making of Exorcist II: The Heretic—the notorious 1977 sequel that nearly derailed Boorman’s career and became shorthand for the disastrous Hollywood sequel. But was it really that bad? Is it maybe a (highly flawed) masterpiece? Through remarkable behind-the-scenes material and reflections on Boorman’s wildly unconventional vision, the documentary makes the case for looking again at a film that Martin Scorsese thought surpassed the original even as influential critic John Simon called it “the stupidest major movie ever made.” Funny, fascinating, and unexpectedly moving, Boorman and the Devil, with interviews with the film’s cast and creators, admirers and stunned onlookers, is both a first-rate tale of filmmaking gone spectacularly wrong and a celebration of the kind of audacious cinematic failure Hollywood rarely risks anymore.

Reviews:

A funny, surprising, revealing and altogether fascinating document, bursting with crazy details about gonzo 1970s filmmaking.”

—Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating, funny and fully riveting film about the making of one of history’s most notorious critical and commercial failures.”

—David Hughes, Time Out

“An essential film for would-be critics, and, well, for anyone with a real passion for the cinematic art.”

—Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film

“Thoroughly enjoyable.”

—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

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This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (José Mojica Marins, Brazil 1967) (22 Oct 2026)

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (José Mojica Marins, Brazil 1967)

Forget "elevated horror"--what a scam. This is the kind of movie you want to see with a (drunk?) crowd—one ready to gasp, laugh, and wonder what on earth they're watching! In THIS NIGHT I'LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967) Brazilian horror legend José Mojica Marins returns as Coffin Joe, the top-hatted, cape-wearing, impossibly long-fingernailed undertaker whose search for the perfect woman leads him to commit acts of spectacular depravity. What follows is a delirious carnival of sadism, spiders, screaming women, philosophical rants, and a jaw-dropping descent into a Technicolor Hell that has to be seen to be believed. Part Gothic nightmare, part grindhouse exploitation, part deranged philosophical treatise, this is horror filmmaking at its most outrageous, inventive, and gloriously excessive. Is it frightening? Absolutely. Is it ridiculous? Frequently. Is it the work of a genuinely original cinematic imagination? Without question. Bring your friends, leave your inhibitions at home, and prepare for a night of collective terror and unrestrained laughter. Coffin Joe awaits!

Reviews:

“Exotic, hallucinatory and just plain twisted… A psychedelic blasphemous fever dream.”

—Hal C. F. Astell — Apocalypse Later

"There may be a riotous celebration of carnality, and it's part of the thrill, but there is also a dark nihilism at play that openly criticises all levels of society.”

—Kat Ellinger, Senses of Cinema

“The plot has to do with Ze do Caixao’s [Coffin Joe’s] desire to find the perfect woman to bear him a son … and he’s pretty picky. If a woman doesn’t enjoy having spiders crawl all over her body or have snakes wrapped around her neck, she’s not good enough for Coffin Joe. And if you’re are not good enough for Coffin Joe, well, you face certain doom…”

—John Douglas, The Grand Rapids Press

“Coruscating study of monstrous aestheticism” [We don’t know what this means, either].

—Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Free and un-ticketed.

Trailer

Exorcist II: The Heretic (John Boorman, US 1977) (27 Oct 2026)

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC

(John Boorman, US 1977, 118 min.)

Few sequels have crashed and burned quite as spectacularly—or as fascinatingly—as John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic. Made as the follow-up to one of the most successful horror films ever, Boorman’s film largely abandons the original’s grim realism for something altogether stranger: a delirious mixture of science fiction, mysticism, African mythology, psychic communion, tap dancing, locusts, and Richard Burton portentously delivering some of the most wonderfully solemn dialogue of his career. (Why say "evil" when you can say "eeev-el"?) Audiences and critics were baffled, and The Heretic quickly acquired a reputation as one of Hollywood’s legendary disasters. Yet its hypnotic images, extraordinary Ennio Morricone score, and almost reckless ambition have earned it a devoted cult following. Is it a misunderstood masterpiece? An unmitigated catastrophe? Or that rarest of cinematic pleasures—a genuine disasterpiece? Whatever the verdict, there is nothing else quite like it.

A zoom Q&A with David Kittredge, director of the new documentary about the making of Exorcist II, Boorman and the Devil, will take place immediately after our screening.

Reviews

"There's enough visual magic in it for a dozen good movies... A horror fairy tale gone wild."

—Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

“There is a very strong probability that Exorcist II is the stupidest major movie ever made.”

—John Simon, New York Magazine

“I like the first Exorcist, because of the Catholic guilt I have, and because it scared the hell out of me; but The Heretic surpasses it.

—Martin Scorsese, Film Comment

“The only time you’re likely to hide your head will be in shame for watching it.”

—Jack Lewis, Daily Mirror

“The sequel is as much of a masterpiece as the first movie is.”

—Park Chan-wook, Director of Oldboy and No Other Choice

"Staggering in its ineptitude."

—Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"A masterpiece of special effects and horror... James Earl Jones is excellent."

—Jerry Klein, Journal Star

Trailer

MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon Ho, South Korea 2003) (3 Nov 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Memories of Murders (Bong Joon Ho, South Korea 2003)

Before Parasite made him an international sensation, director Bong Joon-ho created one of the most extraordinary crime thrillers of the 21st century. Based on a notorious series of real-life murders that terrorized South Korea in the 1980s, MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003) follows two provincial detectives whose increasingly desperate efforts to catch a serial killer expose the incompetence, brutality, and absurdities of the police investigation. What begins as an almost darkly comic police procedural gradually transforms into something far more disturbing: a haunting meditation on violence, institutional failure, and the limits of human understanding. Anchored by a remarkable performance from Song Kang-ho (Parasite), the film combines Hitchcockian suspense, savage social satire, and moments of unexpected tenderness, all building toward one of the most unforgettable final shots in modern cinema. Frequently ranked among the greatest South Korean films ever made, Memories of Murder is a masterpiece that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Reviews

“Brilliant… [A] masterly blending of drama, horror and black humour.”

—Tony Rayns, Sight and Sound

“Bristling exuberance, go-for-broke acting, and top-notch craftsmanship.”

—Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

“Spellbinding and mysterious.”

—Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice

“Quite extraordinary.”

—Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

“A genuinely dynamic piece of filmmaking.”

—Mike McCahill, Sunday Telegraph (UK)

Trailer

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, US 1962) (10 Nov 2026)

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, US 1962)

Two icons from the golden age of Hollywood, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, take their famous feud on-screen in Robert Aldrich's thriller. In fierce, no-holds-barred performances, Bette Davis portrays aging ex-child star Baby Jane Hudson while Joan Crawford plays Blanche, the crippled sister Jane torments psychologically. As the sisters descend into madness, the tension builds to a shocking ending in this unforgettable Academy Award-winning classic.

Reviews

“A lurid melodrama of hate, revenge and murder, a high-class horror film, in the Hitchcock vein, with virtuoso performances from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and moments both searing and poignant.”

—James Powers, Hollywood Reporter

“Fascinatingly warped: an extended study in decaying flesh, set to a score mordantly trying to break into Hooray for Hollywood.

—Mike McCahill, The Guardian

“One of Hollywood’s best gothic grotesqueries.”

—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“One of the best shockers since Hitchcock’s Psycho.”

—Harrison Carroll, LA Herald-Examiner

Trailer

THE SACRIFICE (Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden 1986) (17 Nov 2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden 1986)

As a wealthy Swedish family celebrates the birthday of their patriarch Alexander (Erland Josephson, Scenes from a Marriage), news of the outbreak of World War III reaches their remote Baltic island — and the happy mood turns to horror. The family descends into a state of psychological devastation, brilliantly evoked by Tarkovsky's arresting palette of luminous greys washing over the bleak landscape around their home. (The film's masterful cinematography is by Sven Nykvist, Ingmar Bergman's longtime collaborator). For Alexander, a philosopher troubled about man's lack of spirituality, the prospect of certain extinction compels the ultimate sacrifice, and he enters into a Faustian bargain with God to save his loved ones from the fear which grips them. The director's last film, made as he was dying of cancer, The Sacrifice is Tarkovsky's personal statement, a profoundly moving, redemptive tragedy steeped in unforgettable imagery and heart-wrenching emotion.

Reviews

"Andrei Tarkovsky’s last film is a grand, unworldly, even antiworldly religious vision."

– Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“The first and penultimate shots—ten-minute takes that are, in very different ways, remarkable and complex achievements—manage to say more than most films do over their entire length.”

– Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader

"Hang on to the very end and you may find yourself moved as you have never been moved before."

– Andrew Sarris, The Village Voice

"An epic vision... Spiritual mastery... A work of genius."

– David Robinson, The Times (UK)

"Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film, among his closest to perfection, is a traversal of agonies, exploring the savage compromises and bargaining that make up life and death."

– Vanessa McDonnell, Screen Slate

Trailer

THE NIGHTINGALE'S PRAYER [Doa al karawan] (Henry Barakat, Egypt 1959) (1 Dec 2026)

Wed, 02 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

THE NIGHTINGALE'S PRAYER [Doa al karawan] (Henry Barakat, Egypt 1959)

Revenge, forbidden desire, and a haunting birdsong converge in one of the great masterpieces of Egyptian cinema. When a young woman is murdered for bringing dishonor upon her family, her sister Amna (the legendary Faten Hamama) vows to avenge her death by seducing the man she holds responsible. But her carefully laid plans take an unexpected turn when hatred begins to give way to feelings she cannot control. Adapted from a celebrated novel by Taha Hussein, Henry Barakat’s ravishingly photographed drama transforms a tale of betrayal and vengeance into a psychologically rich exploration of love, guilt, and the cruel demands of a patriarchal society. At once an intimate romantic tragedy and a devastating indictment of social hypocrisy, The Nightingale’s Prayer is a spellbinding reminder of the extraordinary artistry of Egyptian cinema during its golden age. Frequently ranked among the greatest Arab films ever made, it is a classic that deserves to be discovered by a much wider audience.

Reviews

"An extraordinary melodrama, a critique of patriarchy anyone interested in cinema's treatment of these issues should see."

— José Arroyo, Notes on Film and Culture

“One of the greatest films tackling gender inequality in Upper Egypt, as well as a fine tragedy adapted from an author who was a modernist in his support of women’s rights and emancipation.”

—Mayra Nassef, Afikra

“A true timeless masterpiece. Faten Hamama’s performance is absolutely beyond comparison.”

—Youssra El-Sharkawy, Cinemayaat

"An immensely powerful social melodrama... well-performed, well-written, and well directed."

—Diego Pineda Pacheco, Collider

“An important story of betrayal and love… humane and beautifully made.”

—Pamela Dimitrova, Arab America

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A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, UK 1964) (8 Dec 2026)

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, UK 1964)

Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. A Hard Day’s Night, in which the bandmates play cheeky comic versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems, including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell,” A Hard Day’s Night, which re-conceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of the most deliriously entertaining movies of all time.

Reviews

“A completely wacky off beat entertainment that’s frequently remindful of the Marx Brothers.”

—Rose Pelswick, New York Journal American

“An hour and a half of pure, chaotic bliss.”

—Stephanie Zacharek, Salon

“The kind of timeless artifact that, decades after its making, still hits the senses like a burst of fresh air.”

—Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

"Manages to be both sweet and subversive... A winner."

—Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald

“The movie never feels like a nostalgia trip. It moves, breathes and sings with life.”

—Rafer Guzman, Newsday

“Part musical bonanza, part laugh-out-loud farce, part satirical social document.”

—Mark Kermode, The Observer (UK)

Trailer