Monday, January 26, 2026
This Monday, January 26th, we turn down the temperature at Hot Wax Coffee Shop with two winter horror flicks that will chill you to the bone. Prepare for desolate isolation shrouded in the blanket of black of night in this glacial edition of Sacrilegious Cinema: Menagerie of Madness, thawing a creature feature of opposing origins, with both breeds operating best in freezing temperatures. 
At 8PM, we join a team of researchers in secluded Antarctica at Outpost 31 after stumbling upon a strange confrontation between a Norwegian scientist and a dog- but it isn’t until the faction interrupts an alien organism in midst of assimilation that they realize this deadly life form has infiltrated their quarters to masquerade as one of their own in this gripping paranoia fueled flick.
Join us for John Carpenter’s reimagining of THE THING (1982), acting as more of another adaptation of the original novella “Who Goes There?”-by sci-fi writer John W. Campbell- than the first feature inspired by the literature, The Thing from Another World (1951), this rendition remains exceedingly faithful to the source material compared with its predecessor. Famously despised upon its release, the brilliance of The Thing was not fully realized until much later, finding its audience as time elapsed, and finally earning its rightful place amid the greats, emerging as Carpenter’s personal favorite amongst his own catalogue of work. Despite initial criticism, Rob Bottin’s ground-breaking show of practical effects set a towering standard for makeup in the movies, excelling in a Lovecraftian use of body horror, with enduring visuals that still hold up decades later. The Thing (1982) persists, the novella itself reverberating the swirling suspicions of McCarthyism, thereby infecting the film with these same anxieties- The Thing analyzes themes of xenophobia in a meditation of mistrust, incorporating the hysteria concerning the AIDs epidemic of the time, retaining its relevancy today in a post Covid-19 climate. Moreover, the innate fear of identity loss in a world that demands normalcy and assimilation is inspected through this extraterrestrial contagion, marking this interpretation a milestone in the annals of cinema. 
Then, at 10PM, we visit the remote town of Barrow, Alaska, as they get ready for their annual 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2007) against a snow laden landscape. But as darkness begins to dawn, and curtain of night begins to fall, the remaining residents of Barrow are faced with a hoard of hungry vampires descending upon the solitary city to feed on more than just their blood.
David Slade’s defiant 30 Days of Night (2007) brings vampires back into the shadows, evoking a more animalistic iteration from the ether- anything reminiscent of romance is vanquished in these feral bloodsuckers in favor of optimal fright. Adapted from a trilogy of graphic novels penned by Steven Niles, Slade helps will Niles vision to celluloid with fanged fury and unbridled brutality in this nihilistic union of ancient fiends. With the incredible Danny Huston as vampire tycoon Marlow and Josh Hartnett as hero and adversary of the brood- Eben Oleson- 30 Days of Night succeeds in providing compelling performers alongside gloomy cinematography culminating in an imposing showdown between good versus evil, where the benevolent do not always prevail in their affairs in an existential albeit realistic approach. This early 2000s survivalist horror speculates where the line between predator and prey lie, exploring the bounds of humanity in a vast bleakness, highlighting the nature of sacrifice even in the face of cynicism. 
Come out for a deep freeze fright. 
As always, no cover charge and FREE POPCORN with purchase. (In addition to psychological insight accompanied by behind the scenes information and observations by your horror hostess).