Stranger Suggests: Your Agenda This Week, November 2–8

MONDAY 11/2

Kwaidan

(FILM) This anthology film is based on four Japanese ghost stories collected in a book by the Greek/Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn, who spent the last part of his life in a Japan that was rapidly modernizing due to the Meiji Restoration (1889-1912). Hearn’s Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things was published in 1904; Kobayashi’s film was released in 1964. The latter is, to be honest, far better than the former because, again to be honest, Hearn was not a great writer, but Kobayashi was one of the masters of post-war Japanese cinema. The first film in the anthology, “The Black Hair,” has a stimmung and sets whose beauty is almost supernatural. (SIFF Cinema Downtown, 6 pm) CHARLES MUDEDE

TUESDAY 11/3

The Devils 4K Restoration

(FILM) When Ken Russell’s film The Devils came out in 1971, it was met with intense controversy because of its portrayal of sex and violence and anti-religious themes, garnering it an X rating (since updated to NC-17). 55 years later, it’s now being re-released in a new 4k restoration that puts all its horny, shocking glory on full display. Oliver Reed stars as the original hot priest, Father Urbain Grandier, who is accused of witchcraft for simply being too sexy. Vanessa Redgrave plays the sexually repressed mother superior Sister Jeanne des Anges, who becomes fixated on Grandier to the point of sparking an outbreak of fake hysteria and “demonic possessions” among the convent’s nuns. Massive orgies, frenzied masturbation with crucifixes, and public executions ensue! (SIFF Cinema Downtown, 4 pm) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 11/4

Heavens to Betsy

(MUSIC) When Corin Tucker’s pre-Sleater-Kinney band with Tracy Sawyer, Heavens to Betsy, announced their first show in 32 years, they did it the old-fashioned way: by plastering fliers around Portland. Nevertheless, the show sold out almost immediately, and I, all the way in Seattle, was seething with envy. The 1994 album Calculated is one of my most treasured pieces of music and my favorite to come out of the riot grrrl movement, and it soundtracked so many angry walks through my high school hallway. When Tucker shouts, “I’m going crazy, do you wanna watch? Do you wanna come?” on the lyrically and sonically seething “Axemen,” I felt that in my bones. Luckily for me, the duo has since announced a reunion tour with a stop at Neumos alongside Olympia-based psychedelic-rock band Nudity. (Neumos, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Big Star Quintet

(MUSIC) Band reformations featuring only one original member should always draw skepticism—such as this one with drummer Jody Stephens representing Memphis power-pop legends Big Star. Would you really want to see Ringo performing Beatles songs with a pick-up group of acolytes? Wait… Anyway, Big Star should’ve been at least half as popular as the Beatles, but instead they’ve become perhaps the ultimate cult rock unit. Led by guitarist/vocalists Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, Big Star released three studio albums that abound with ebullient, earworm-heavy rockers and heart-melting ballads. I’ve listened to #1 Record (1972), Radio City (1974), and 3rd (1978) hundreds of times without tiring of their brilliance, and I’m far from alone. For this tour, Mike Mills, Jon Auer, Pat Sansone, and Chris Stamey join Stephens in reanimating Big Star’s timeless tunes. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

THURSDAY 11/5

I Am Love: Rituals in Resistance

(VISUAL ART) Curated by tom manzanarez, I Am Love: Rituals in Resistance stems from a broader project (I Am Love) aimed at forming new connections and providing platforms for queer artists in the PNW through exhibitions, workshops, and other opportunities. It’s only continued to grow since its inception, and this month’s exhibit at RailSpur offers a window onto the region’s multidimensional, robust queer scene. Objects like Michael Espinoza’s pairing of embroidery with i-Type Polaroids exemplify the kind of work that’s both conceptually rigorous and intimate, dexterously touching on themes of domesticity and ephemerality. (Have you ever seen a print transfer applied to a slice of processed cheese product? The poetics of the show will surprise you.) (RailSpur) AMANDA MANITACH

FRIDAY 11/6

Baba Obscura

(MUSIC) As you may have heard, Freakout announced back in May that their annual psychedelic festival isn’t returning this year. Thankfully, Baba Yaga has stepped in with their own new Baba Obscura festival, which is not associated with Freakout, but fills the psilocybin mushroom-shaped hole in the heart of Seattle. The four-day, six-venue festival will feature big-name acts, like the Black Angels (who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Passover), post-punk trio Provoker, Nigerien rock guitarist Mdou Moctar, Portland alt-country stars Rose City Band, psych-rock outfit Black Mountain, and garage-rock revivalists the Gories. There are also plenty of local favorites on the lineup, including Dark Chisme, the Black Tones, Zookraught, and Linda From Work. (Various venues, times vary) AUDREY VANN

SATURDAY 11/7

Polish Fall Bazaar

(FOOD) If you’re new to Seattle, attending a festival at precious little Dom Polski, aka Polish Home Association, is mandatory to becoming a local. The Polish Fall Bazaar is the less-crowded version of Dom Polski’s Pierogi Fest in the summer. Much more chill, more diverse dishes, and the food is always the tiiiiiits: pierogis, pickle soup, white borscht, cabbage rolls, crêpes, baked goods like pączki and poppyseed cake, pyzy and other Polish dumplings of variety, and so on. Upstairs, there’s imported Polish stuff for sale: kielbasa, frozen dumplings, amber jewelry, and beeyoootiful hand-painted Bolesławiec pottery. They’ll be raffling off baskets of Polish treats as well. Admission is free, but bring lots of snack money. (Dom Polski, noon–5 pm, all ages) MEG VAN HUYGEN

SUNDAY 11/8

SECS Fest 2026

(FILM) I am obsessed with vintage erotica, and not for the reason you probably think. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, directors of pornographic films had an equal dedication to erotic visuals as to artistic integrity. The result is a movement of psychedelic softcore porn films with some of the most beautiful costumes, soundtracks, and cinematography I’ve ever seen (see: Just Jaeckin’s The Story of O, Radley Metzger’s The Lickerish Quartet, and Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales). Seattle Erotica Cinema Society is dedicated to preserving this movement of artistic blue movies with their annual film festival, SECS Fest, screening both old and new artsy, innovative, and often queer erotic films that range from straight-up porn to softcore, sexploitation, art films, and sexy experimental works. Highlights from this year’s program include the 1981 campy feminist erotic film, Outlaw Ladies, the 2025 documentary The Story of James Bidgood (and the Making of Pink Narcissus), and plenty of saucy short films. (Beacon Cinema, 2 pm and 4 pm) AUDREY VANN

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