Sat. Jul. 29 

Tickets – $6 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM  

First Film – 8:00 PM 

Second Film – 9:30 PM (approximately) 

The Screaming Skull 

1hr 8min | NR | Horror/Thriller| USA 

Manos: The Hands of Fate 

1hr 14min | NR | Horror | USA 

Our Hot, Sweaty & Weird summer cult film series wouldn’t be complete without a movie so bad it’s almost . . . good?

This year, we’re bringing you Manos: The Hands of Fate, a film so legendarily terrible that it makes Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space look like Citizen Kane. In no universe would this independently (and ineptly) made film be considered quality, but we can at least guarantee a quality time at the theater, provided you like laughing at bizarre and strangely unsettling cinematic failures. 

And, yes, much like on Mystery Science Theater 3000, the television series responsible for the film’s cult following, good natured heckling at the screen is encouraged! 

A unique and personal vision, the film was conceived by one man, Harold P. Warren, a fertilizer salesman who had never written, directed, or produced anything. To describe the plot of this cult film about a cult would be useless. That’s not the appeal. It is a strange glimpse into one man’s subconscious and a mood piece that has been described as a “brave experiment,” “a train wreck,” “unnerving outsider art,” “a crime against humanity,” and “made by people with absolutely no business making a movie.” 

In short, Manos: The Hands of Fate is an eccentric failure that fails so completely it just might be a triumph. 

And, since we know bad movie aficionados are nothing if not gluttons for punishment, you’ll be treated to a bonus piece of horror schlock, a not-so-classic of the drive-in era with a title that truly delivers, The Screaming Skull. This ghost story was intended as a psychological horror/thriller. Unfortunately, the road to audiences smirking at accidental humor on screen is paved with good intentions. 

We hope to see you all at the theater for this night of D-movie fun! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue