[EVENT REVIEW] Carrie’s Prom Night fundraiser at Gardena Cinema
Gardena Cinema is a charming single-screen theater that opened its doors in 1946 and has been family-operated since 1976. Recently, efforts have been made to raise funds to ensure the theater's continued operation.
On May 29th, Fan Mail Cinema Club hosted their fundraiser there, themed “Carrie’s Prom Night.” Since this place is just oozing with coolness, I knew the fundraiser would come with that same energy. Fan Mail Cinema Club was founded last year by Rocky Avalos and has since then hosted multiple wonderful events.
The lobby was full of amazing vendors, all with themed merchandise specifically for the event. Keely’s Cake Studio had gorgeous mini cakes with Carrie on them . The colors were perfectly resonant of Bate’s High School Senior Prom. Multiple artists were there showing off their Carrie art, zines and merchandise. (IG: @cass.sew.strange @zoetropestudios, @artbyclem, @fringevault & @bwanadevilart) The most beautiful flower arrangements from Final Girl Flowers, in case you forgot to get your date a corsage. VHS for sale featuring women in horror from Video Hero VHS, and as a VHS collector myself, of course I picked a few up.
Also in the lobby was a big, beautiful, sparkly photo-op designed by the amazing Fan Mail Cinema Club team, complete with flower bouquet props. Impressive would be an understatement,
Something that I love about Gardena Cinema is their concession stand. Very true to their roots, buying concessions at Gardena feels like you time travelled, with wood paneling, bright neon signs and marquee styled menu display. If you weren’t in the mood for generic movie theatre food and wanted to have a little more fun for prom night, Perpetual Wine Party had you covered, with a curated wine menu.
This Carrie prom night featured, of course, a screening of the original Carrie movie directed by Brian De Palma. The movie played three times just in case you couldn't make the other screenings. Before each screening, a prom king and queen were crowned, and I am thrilled to announce that you are reading the words of the first prom queen of the night! It was an unexpected honor that made the evening unforgettable for me and my friend. We even had the fun experience of being doused in "pig's blood," which was, in reality, sparkly red confetti! But who likes being grounded in reality?
Seeing Carrie in theaters was truly phenomenal, especially since I had never experienced it on the big screen before. As one of my favorite films, it was an incredible experience to watch it on their massive 35-foot screen while also supporting a local family-owned theater!
Fan Mail Cinema Club has another fundraiser coming up this weekend, June 14th, for Stand Up To Cancer. This will be a 40th Anniversary Screening of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and will feature appearances from a bunch of the original cast members! If it is anything like their past events, it is sure to be an event you don’t want to miss.
Words and photos by: Hailey
