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Normal Tickets
9:30pm • Wednesday, Jun 17, 2026
Dead Lover: Presented in STINK-O-VISION
Dead Lover is the story of a lonely Gravedigger who reeks so strongly of corpses that she can't attract a lover. She concocts fragrant perfumes in her workshop, but nothing can save her romantic prospects from her ghastly odor... Until one day, when Gravedigger meets Lover, an aristocratic dandy in town for his sister's funeral. Lover is different: numb to the pampered palette of the aristocracy, his loins are downright aroused by Gravedigger’s morbid stank. Before long, Gravedigger and Lover begin a rapturous love affair, become engaged, and dream of starting a family.
Dead Lover is a hilarious, delirious, beautiful, horny, and wholly original Frankensteinian tale about the limits one Gravedigger will go to hold onto love. It is the sophomore feature from Grace Glowicki, who directed and stars as the love-obsessed, shovel-wielding Gravedigger turned mad scientist. Ben Petrie, Leah Doz and Lowen Morrow comprise the colourful cast of supporting characters, each playing multiple roles in the style of great romps such as Monty Python and Dr. Strangelove.
Glowicki broke out as a fearless directorial voice with her debut feature Tito, which she wrote, directed and starred in. The film premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, presented “in honor of a filmmaker whose work strives to be wholly its own, without regard for norms or desire to conform.” Richard Brody atThe New Yorker said “This movie is a tour de force—of performance, in Glowicki’s astounding display of choreographic expressionism... An instant classic of acting.”
"God bless [director] Grace Glowicki for pushing ahead as a genre leading lady who isn’t scared to tackle oddball characters in nutty films." (New York Times)
"If you want to walk away from a film with its particular aroma still sticking to your clothes, then set a date in stone for Dead Lover." (Globe and Mail)
"It’s an absurd film, but also a romantic and quietly radical one." (RogerEbert.com)
"'Dead Lover' is pure DIY, playing like low-budget experimental theater with striking gel lighting and sharp contrasts, and minimal set design that lets its wacky characters shine." (Bloody Disgusting)
Wednesday, June 17
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
The Dead Lover Stink-O-Vision screenings turn cinema into a full-body experience. Each audience member receives a scratch-and-sniff card created by scent artists, unleashing a carefully choreographed bouquet of aromas—funky, foul, seductive, and downright unholy—that sync with key moments in the film. From grave-dirt rot to dandy cologne, ghost puke to BBQ stank, the smells guide viewers through a journey of fetid, funky love where romance and revulsion collide.
DEAD LOVER (Grace Glowicki, 2025 / 86 mins / NR) A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments, resulting in grave consequences and unlikely love.