Kenneth Anger's Pleasure Dome at the PRS with Brian Butler

Kenneth Anger's Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome is one of the strangest and most gorgeous films ever made in Los Angeles, and on Friday, October 16, it screens on 16mm at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz. Brian Butler, a longtime Anger collaborator and friend, is on hand to present it. If you are building a list of LA events this weekend or next, this is the one that leans hardest into the season.

When: Friday, October 16, 7:30 to 9:00 PM Where: Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles Price: $27.45

What the film is

Anger conceived the film in the early 1950s and reworked it over decades. It grew out of a "Come As Your Own Madness" masquerade he attended, and revelers from that party became members of his cast, wearing the same or similar costumes. The result is a saturated, layered ritual of masks and double exposures that ties Aleister Crowley's ideas to Hollywood's occult underground. It is less a story than an initiation dressed up as cinema, and it still echoes through underground culture today.

The still above gives you the flavor: superimposed faces, hot reds and chalky blues, and makeup that looks half sacred and half carnival.

Why Brian Butler

Butler brings unusual access to the material. He wrote one of the earliest major essays on Cameron, ran a decade-long friendship with Curtis Harrington, visited the house where the film was shot, and worked with Anger on its restoration. Expect context, stories and the tangled history behind the print rather than a straight screening. The event is co-presented by the Estate of Kenneth Anger.

Come as your madness

The organizers describe this as a special pre-Halloween presentation, and costumes, masks and ritual personae are encouraged. It is a fitting nod to the party that started the whole thing. You do not have to dress up, but nobody will look twice if you do.

Plan your night

The Philosophical Research Society sits on Los Feliz Boulevard, a historic building that has hosted lectures, exhibitions and screenings for decades. Tickets are $27.45 through Eventbrite, and the program runs about an hour and a half, which leaves room for dinner nearby before or after. Street parking in the neighborhood can be tight on a Friday evening, so give yourself a few extra minutes.

If you are scanning things to do in Los Angeles this month, you can find more screenings, talks and gallery nights on the arts and culture page, or browse the wider calendar for upcoming events Los Angeles has lined up. For a night that is equal parts film history, occult lore and costume party, this one is hard to match.