In Gowanus, NYC, Infinite Good Times Movie Club Ended Its Carpenter Series with In the Mouth of Madness

Infinite Good Times Movie Club wrapped up its John Carpenter series on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Lucky 13 Saloon, the bar on 13th Street where Gowanus meets South Slope. The finale was billed as "The House that Carpenter Built," Part III, and the film was In the Mouth of Madness, which the organizers described as a Lovecraftian classic.

Doors opened at 3pm and the film began at 3:30. A movie pre-show ran first, and writer and critic Sean Gill gave a short Carpenter-centered presentation on horrific unknowableness to set the stage. After the screening, a raffle began at 5:30pm. The prizes came from Nitehawk Cinema and Negative Space Cinema and included free movie tickets. A separate merch raffle was open to anyone who came in, with no extra charge to enter.

Admission was free with an RSVP, with a $5 donation suggested. Free popcorn and snacks were provided, and the event was restricted to guests 21 and older. The Partiful page listed 49 guests as having gone.

The club's pitch, in its own words, came down to camaraderie and good times: a film, a talk, snacks and prizes in a neighborhood bar rather than a theater. It posts information about upcoming screenings on Instagram at @infinitegoodtimes, which is the place to follow if cult and horror films shown to a bar crowd appeal to you.

For Japanese readers, the programming may be familiar territory. Carpenter has a loyal following in Japan, and In the Mouth of Madness is known there as a horror title. In New York, small clubs like this one pair screenings with talks and giveaways in a casual setting, and this afternoon was the closing chapter of a three-part Carpenter run.