Production still from Poor Things 2023 / Director: Yorgos Lanthimos / Image courtesy: The Walt Disney Company (Australia)For generations, science fiction has been brewing some of cinema’s most notorious characters and memorable moments. From camp comedies to eerie period pieces, the genre delves into the dynamics of power, ethics and life – entertaining audiences with a unique sense of unease. This new series from QAGOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque will trace sci-fi’s journey through the years and pay homage to both classic and contemporary takes.

QAGOMA’s curators have stitched together an array of movies for this program, with picks spanning from the 1920s to today. Experience pioneering early feats with the likes of Frankenstein (1931) and its campy counterpart Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Laugh and gasp at playful interpretations with zany flicks like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) or traverse the many re-imagining of the mad-scientist with Andy Warhol’s Flesh for Franlenstein (1974), Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove (1964), Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974), James Bond’s Moonraker (1979), and Steven Spielberg’s giant of the screen Jurassic Park (1993).

Horror fans should prepare to shudder at chilling modern classics like Re-Animator (1985), Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985), the iconic From Beyond (1986) and the Australian shock-flick Body Melt (1993). For a more immersive experience, Australian Cinémathèque will also be hosting Live Music and Film screenings for early flicks Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920) and The Hands of Orlac (1924). You can even discover cinema’s most recent re-imaginings and its mind-bending mediation of the pursuit of discovery and power with screenings of Poor Things (2023), M3GAN (2022) and Club Zero (2023).

Sink your teeth in these ghoulish gems of cinema from May 3 – when the program kicks off with a double bill of Frankenstein (1931) and Poor Things (2023). Screenings are held Wednesday and Friday nights with Saturday and Sunday matinees. Tickets are on sale now.

This article was written in partnership with our friends at QAGOMA. 

^{Image credit one: Production still from Frankenstein 1931 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures Australia
Image credit two: Production still from The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975 / Director: Jim Sharman / Image courtesy: The Walt Disney Company (Australia)
Image credit three: Production still from Bride of Frankenstein 1935 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures Australia
Image credit four: Production still from The City of Lost Children 1995 / Dir: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet / Image courtesy: Studio Canal
Image credit five: Production still from Poor Things 2023 / Director: Yorgos Lanthimos / Image courtesy: The Walt Disney Company (Australia)}