Im sure thats a gross generalization but in all seriousness, Pioneer Theater, on Avenue A and 3rd Street is definitely a place to check out. Over the past few years and especially the past few months Ive become a regular there. There is only one theater and it is tiny but they house some of the greatest foreign films, mostly horror, and host events that you cant find anywhere else. Some of my favorites have been the Saturday Night Shock Show and 42nd Street Pete's Night of Perverted Pleasure. At the Shock Show they first play a collection of Grindhouse double-feature trailers and then an actual full-length double-feature, all from the 60s and 70s. 42nd Street Pete's was similar but with 60s and 70s porn instead. Cinema from those eras, and more obscure cinema at that, is hard to come by and it takes true enthusiasts to spend the time to hunt down these rare artifacts and its awesome to know that theres a place nearby that makes these things available to the public.

After having made frienemies with the staff - they love us for showing up week after week and being hot girls must also kind of hate us for getting pretty of rowdy - some friends and I are now invited to free screenings of all kinds of random flicks. Last night we saw a Spanish horror film called Shiver. The title really doesnt make a bit of sense considering there was nothing about being cold, only about vampire kids and sun allergies, but still. European horror is far superior to American horror because they get really crafty with plots and really gory with visuals. A lot of Spanish horror, throughout the decades, is focused on children and Shiver was no different. Definitely a great film to see for free.

At any rate, Pioneer and its pizza neighbor Two Boots are definitely worth checking out, no matter what your interests are. I never see anyone from NYU, or any college for that matter, there and I dont understand why not! They have such a great variety of things playing, something new every few hours, but the Schlocktober lineup is mostly old and new horror. If thats not your thing, wait it out and there will be something for you in November or so, but Id recommend this place to anyone. Cheap tickets (6$ for students, which is less than half the price of any other theater), a good crowd (lots of locals and movie buffs), cheap snacks (only $3 for big candy! and cookies! and authentic old time popcorn machine popcorn!), an intimate theater (less than 100 seats, easily, and its never packed, always cozy), and a great list of showings.