Mad Science

The Australian Cinémathèque at GOMA is pulling back the curtain on an experiment you’ll be dying to be part of. Mad Science sparks to life at GOMA and the cinema curators have stitched together a ghoulishly scientific thrill-ride of movies to sink your teeth into from 3 May – 23 June, 2024.

From playful interpretations of mad-cap scientists, through to horror and thrillers that tease the uncertainty of our future.

These fiendishly-fun films look at how iconic cinema has influenced our views of science and humanity, and engage with our sneaking suspicion that our thirst for scientific investigation may be getting out of hand.

Screenings include early horror classics from Frankenstein (1931) and its campy counterpart Bride of Frankenstein (1935), to Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City of Lost Children (1995), alongside the modern re-imaginings of researchers pushing the boundaries of decency in pursuit of discovery and power, in Poor Things (2023), M3GAN (2022) and Club Zero (2023).

Catch a chilling back-to-back screening of The Invisible Man (1933) and The Invisible Man (2020), and shudder through body horror gems Re-Animator (1985), Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985), the iconic From Beyond (1986), and the undeniably Australian shock-flick Body Melt (1993). Pass the popcorn Lisa McCune!

Whip out the smelling salts for Live Music and Film screenings of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920), and The Hands of Orlac (1924) that will have you clutching your pearls with delight.

Andy Warhol, Dr Strangelove (1964), Frankenstein’s Monster, James Bond’s Moonraker (1979), and the OG earth shaker T-rex, in Steven Spielberg’s giant of the screen Jurassic Park (1993), will all be on hand to guide you through this unmissable journey of mad cinema.

Screenings take place at the GOMA Cinema on Wednesday and Friday nights (if your dare) as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees.

Ghastly creations, evil schemes, and experiments gone wrong – what more could you want from a night at the cinema?

QAGOMA is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com

Image credits:
Production still from The City of Lost Children 1995 / Dir: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet / Image courtesy: Studio Canal

Production still from Bride of Frankenstein 1935 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures Australia

Production still from Poor Things 2023 / Director: Yorgos Lanthimos / Image courtesy: The Walt Disney Company (Australia)

Production still from M3GAN 2022 / Director: Gerard Johnstone / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures Australia

Production still from Frankenstein 1931 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures Australia

Production still from The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975 / Director: Jim Sharman / Image courtesy: The Walt Disney Company (Australia)