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"Based on the shocking true story..."On Thursday 21st August, we are inviting you back downstairs at The Ill Repute for a screening of one of the most twisted, gripping and strangely tender crime films ever made: The Honeymoon Killers.
Shot in stark black and white on a shoestring budget, The Honeymoon Killers tells the harrowing tale of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez — a real-life pair of “lonely hearts” con artists turned serial killers who lured and murdered women across the American Midwest in the late 1940s.
But this isn’t your standard true crime shocker.
What makes The Honeymoon Killers so unforgettable is its strange tone — part domestic tragedy, part pitch-black comedy, part grindhouse noir. Shirley Stoler is unforgettable as Martha, a lovelorn nurse whose fierce devotion to Raymond quickly curdles into something obsessive and monstrous. Tony Lo Bianco (in a role far from his later crime-cop turns) is equal parts charming and chilling as the oily, manipulative Ray.
Director Leonard Kastle — an opera composer making his one and only film — approaches the material with the eye of a documentarian and the soul of a dramatist. The result is raw, awkward, haunting, and utterly unlike anything else from its era. It was banned in several countries on release. François Truffaut called it his favourite American film. Scorsese was originally hired to direct but got fired for working too slowly. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Perfect for fans of true crime, lovers-on-the-run tales, and films that make you feel just a little bit complicit. Join us for a night of bleak romance and criminal codependency, Be Kind Rewind style.
• Doors from 7pm, film at 8pm sharp
• Free entry, as always – just show up and settle in. No admission once all seats have been taken.
• Cocktails and drinks available from the bar upstairs
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Ill Repute , BS2 0DF Bristol, United Kingdom, 16 West Street, Bristol, BS2 0DF, United Kingdom
