The third installment of our Secret Matinee series, now moved to a new home at the Grand Illusion Cinema.

The series had weekly serial episodes paired with secret sci-fi classic features.

Based on the syndicated newspaper comic strip by Alex Raymond, the original Flash Gordon serial (1936, 13 episodes) is an absolute peak of serial entertainment, famously inspiring George Lucas’ Star Wars saga.

The planet Earth is literally being torn apart! A mystery planet has appeared, on a collision course! Just as doom seems certain, three strangers find themselves thrown together: sports star Flash Gordon, the lovely Dale Arden, and the brilliant Dr. Zarkov. Boarding Zarkov's experimental rocket ship, the trio blast off into space and discover the futuristic planet Mongo is actually being directed by the evil emperor Ming the Merciless, in a horrific plot of conquest and destruction. Flash and his friends join forces with sympathetic aliens in a desperate bid to overthrow Ming, and save Earth!

“Flash Gordon represents a near-perfect convergence of superior production values, imaginative scripting, and strong acting... Of all cliffhangers, it is easily the most famous and the most historically important, as well as being one of the greatest.” - The Files of Jerry Blake

The secret sci-fi features were organized into monthly themes: Japanese Giants, Weird Worlds, and Crazy Creatures.