AWCH The Grindel Sneak

Who would ever imagine that the busiest time at a theater could be a Monday night? But that is indeed the case at the Grindel Cinema at Grindelberg 7a. Every Monday night quite an amazing film event takes place: The Grindel Sneak!

The Grindel Sneak is an English language film sneak preview. And yes, the original versions of the films without dubbing or subtitles are shown. But the Grindel Sneak is more than just a sneak preview. It’s an event with its own cult traditions and following. And it’s the event surrounding the film that keeps people coming back week after week so much so that tickets sell out or nearly sell out every week, despite the fact that one never knows what film will be shown until the lights dim and the projector starts running. But that’s part of the game and the fun. The film could be from absolutely any genre and be fantastic or abysmal. It could be anything: a comedy, a drama, a documentary, or even a zombie film. Hence the bargain price of only five euros. I’ve personally expanded my film horizons through the Sneak and have seen a lot of films I wouldn’t have ever bothered or dared to see otherwise. I’ve been shocked and disappointed, but also pleasantly surprised. The films shown are usually films due to be released in Hamburg within two weeks. If one can guess which film beforehand, one has a chance at winning free tickets to the next Grindel Sneak.

The event kicks off around 20:30 when the trailers begin. But these aren’t necessarily trailers from films about to be released. They can be trailers from years ago. What they all have in common is that there is some sort of connection between the trailer and the film about to be shown, for example, a common actor or director. By the end of the trailers the theater is full. Next the hosts of the Grindel Sneak, also known as the Sneak Team, appear on the scene. They welcome all the Sneak virgins by name, hold auctions for all sorts of things such as videos, DVDs, film posters, T-shirts, occasionally throw free gifts, and always throw lots of free snacks into the audience. One has to be quick if one is hungry as the theatre breaks into pandemonium when the food is flying. Flying food and auctions aren’t the only Grindel Sneak traditions. There is so much energy, audience participation, and cult tradition, For example, the entire audience starts clapping in unison whenever it becomes obvious that something is about to jump out at or attack one of the characters in the film. One can’t help but be reminded of attending showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show back in the States. It’s this atmosphere that makes Monday nights at the Grindel Sneak such a blast. For more information on the Grindel Sneak, see both the Grindel Sneak and Grindel Theatre websites at www.grindelsneak.de and www.ufa-grindel.de. I hope to see you all there soon!