A doorway in the stem

 

"Just think of a doorway in the stem. Once you find it, let yourself be carried up the stem into the leaves."

Peruse these plants and more
at the Garden Plant Sale
all-day Sunday, August 25th
 

THE KIRLIAN WITNESS (aka THE PLANTS ARE WATCHING, 1979) Screening
Sunday, August 25, 2019
6:00 P.M. Reception, 7:00 P.M. Screening
$13 General / $11 VPES Member

Co-presented by UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Velaslavasay Panorama, the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and Atlas Obscura

Can spider plants sense pain? Is fern telepathy feasible? The empathic, ecophilic Laurie (Nancy Boykin) thinks so, most days eschewing human interactions in favor of quality time with her fiddle-leaf fig tree. After a sudden tragedy, her sister Rilla (Nancy Snyder), a photographer and the film's narrator, subsumes Laurie's plant obsession, believing that certain secrets lie within their leaves. Beautifully shot by João Fernandes (Bloodrage), The Kirlian Witness is a botanical thriller of dendritic proportions, and an essential entry in the tiny but rich horticultural horror canon. 

Enjoy a pre-screening reception and plant sale in the gardens of the Velaslavasay Panorama from 6 P.M. onwards. Film program begins at 7 P.M.

This screening is held in conjunction with several city-wide events celebrating Sacred Bones Records’ re-release of Mort Garson’s classic 1976 electronic concept album, Mother Earth’s Plantasia. 

The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents:
MURDER SEASON: CRIME-SOLVING PLANTS AND OTHER VEGETAL HORRORS
Thursday, Sept 12 2019 – 7:30pm-10:00pm at the Philosophical Research Society*

*Please note this event will take place at the Philosophical Research Society.

In the 1970s it was a popular belief – aided by unorthodox experiments, the proliferation of New Age publications and the mass-marketing of Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird’s 1973 book The Secret Life of Plants – that, despite their lack of a nervous system, plants were sentient and emotional, and could communicate their feelings to humans with the help of electronic devices. Conversely, the scientific community found more practical ways of gleaning what plants had to tell us, through the examination of trace elements at crime scenes in the field of forensic botany. Led by House of Psychotic Women author Kier-La Janisse, Murder Season takes a look at the ways that a disillusioned generation became obsessed with plants, and how this obsession manifested not only in horror film and literature, but in real-life criminal investigations.

Founded in 2010, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies offers classes in horror history, theory and production, with branches in London, New York and Los Angeles, as well as hosting special events worldwide.

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Consider watering the seeds of curiousity by becoming a member of the
Velaslavasay Panorama Enthusiast Society!