Those were the words that set off the most anxiety-inducing business card bout of all time, one that a restless 27-year old named Patrick Bateman would come to lose several times over. It was New York, late 1980s. The staleness of the city air was maddening; the avenues were paved with indifference. It was the sort of place where you could drag a warm, bloody corpse through the lobby of a West 81st Street apartment without batting an eye.
It is not the New York we know today, but it was the one we discovered on Saturday night beneath the Tribeca Grand Hotel (we’re told they couldn’t get a reservation at Dorsia). The nostalgia-twanged trip back in time came courtesy of BBQ Films, a cinema social club whose mission is to bring great movies to life. Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what they did.
The event was packed with Christian Bale doubles decked out in everything from Valentino suits to blood spattered “raincoats.” Sakida popcorn flown in from Atlanta, piles of unreturned videotapes, a rock-and-roll photo booth, Huey Lewis & The News jams, rolled up dollar bills and faux cocaine contributed to the ’80s era mise-en-scene.
Did you know I’m utterly insane?
The film itself, American Psycho, was screened several times throughout the evening. Each offered an intermission highlighted by a dramatic chainsaw chase through the theater. A climactic murder followed before the film continued (true to the spirit of the film, we’ll leave its authenticity open to the reader).
(Don’t touch the clock)
For those who spent a bit more money, the experience deepened, offering American Psycho art, Hors d’ourves from Dorsia, custom mixtapes (yes, cassette mixtapes), and more. One lucky patron even got a chainsaw (yes, to keep). We can only imagine its utility in the city beyond the occasional stairway shaft execution.
BBQ Films offers a refreshingly simple business model – celebrate great films by bringing them to life. They’ve certainly come a long way from their nights on the rooftop of a Spanish Harlem flat. In fact, a tip from the inner circle urged us to pay close attention to news regarding the next event. Gabriel Rhoads, founder, promised it would be much, much bigger. We’re all in. Until then, I have to go return some videotapes.
Be the first to find out about the next event by signing up for BBQ Films’ email list, here.
