Ex-soldier Frank Brayker is the guardian of an ancient key that can unlock tremendous evil; the sinister Collector is a demon who wants the key so he can initiate the apocalypse. On the run from wicked mercenaries for almost 90 years, Brayker finally stops in at a boarding house in New Mexico where — with the help of its residents — he plans to face off against the Collector and his band of ghouls, preventing them from ever seizing the key.

TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, the genre-blending Rio Bravo meets Evil Dead gore-fest was pronounced DOA by critics in 1995, but were they wrong? DEAD wrong??

Taking place over one night in a decrepit boarding house, this supernatural siege sees a smooth-talking demon known as the Collector (Billy Zane) hunting down a drifter named Brayker (William Sadler) in order to obtain a mystical artifact that will allow demons to rule all of existence. Rounding out the cast is a murderer’s row of character actors including CCH Pounder, Jada Pinkett Smith, Thomas Hayden Church, and…. Dick Miller (gasp!).

Legendary cinematographer Ernest Dickinson (Do the Right Thing) brings his trademark kinetic energy to the director’s chair alongside Todd Masters’ hog-wild special effects to create 93 minutes of PURE. CINEMATIC. MAYHEM.

More than a feature-length episode of Tales From the Crypt (not that there’s anything wrong with that!!!), this well-oiled machine sings with its collaborators working at the top of their game (and having a ball).

Joining us to offer their passionate defence is the Cryptkeeper’s no. 1 fan Alison Lang, long-time programmer of Tender Prey at @eyesore_cinema and the founder and editor of film zine Movies Men Ruined for Me.

But in the end, only the audience can decide: is this a “direct-to-video affair” or an undeniable genre classic? Don’t miss this chance to experience it on the big screen. The morgue the merrier! The gore the merrier? You get it!! – MARC BASQUE & LACEY NOVINKA

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.