America is a haunted place. Born out of the horrors of colonial genocide and chattel slavery, the brutal reality of this country’s history has manifested itself through legends, witches, demons, and hidden places. Filmmakers like Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust), Charles Laughton (The Night of the Hunter), Oscar Micheaux (Body and Soul), Nicholas Ray (Wind Across the Everglades), and more have cinematically responded to this uncanny, supernatural, and eerie nature of Old America—our pre-modern reckoning with the past. From devilish preachers to psychic visions and beyond, the ghosts of our history are always present.
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Access Programs provided by
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Leadership support for
BAM programming provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Film provided by
The Thompson Family Foundation
Major support for programs in
the Lepercq Cinema is provided by
The Lepercq Charitable Foundation
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FilmEve’s Bayou
May 15—Jul 5, 2026
Eve’s Bayou
May 15—Jul 5, 2026This richly atmospheric Southern Gothic stew of sex, lies, and voodoo follows a young girl as secrets and deceptions tear her wealthy Louisiana family apart. -
FilmMoonrise
May 15—Jul 2, 2026
Moonrise
May 15—Jul 2, 2026This tale of an ostracized man and a murder committed in self defense is a hidden gem within the catalogue of an auteur often neglected in the chronicling of early Hollywood. -
FilmAll That Money Can Buy (AKA The Devil and Daniel Webster)
May 15—Jul 6, 2026
All That Money Can Buy (AKA The Devil and Daniel Webster)
May 15—Jul 6, 2026After a series of mishaps cement a hardworking farmer’s bad luck, his impulsive declaration that he would sell his soul to the devil manifests the personification of evil himself, offering good luck in exchange. -
FilmCandyman
May 15—Jul 8, 2026
Candyman
May 15—Jul 8, 2026This quintessential ‘90s fixture of contemporary horror follows a Chicago graduate student who, in the midst of studying urban folklore, accidentally summons a hook-handed ghost. -
FilmAbraham Lincoln
May 15—Jul 5, 2026
Abraham Lincoln
May 15—Jul 5, 2026This haunted, hushed biopic chronicles Lincoln’s early years as a country lawyer and romance with Ann Rutledge through to his presidency and later assasination. -
FilmTo Sleep With Anger
May 15—Jul 6, 2026
To Sleep With Anger
May 15—Jul 6, 2026Southern drifter Harry (Danny Glover) turns up in LA out of the blue, exposing the smoldering tensions of a seemingly peaceful household in this portrait of family resilience steeped in the traditions of African American mysticism and folklore. -
FilmThe Night of the Hunter
May 15—Jul 9, 2026
The Night of the Hunter
May 15—Jul 9, 2026This eerie story of a serial killer posing as a preacher weaves together elements of Expressionism and the style of silent films, a miraculous rendering of the American South by heavyweight Charles Laughton. -
FilmBody and Soul
May 15—Jul 6, 2026
Body and Soul
May 15—Jul 6, 2026In his magnetic film debut, Paul Robeson portrays both a devious escaped convict attempting to seek refuge by passing himself off as a reverend, and his estranged identical twin brother. -
FilmDaughters of the Dust
May 15—Jul 4, 2026
Daughters of the Dust
May 15—Jul 4, 2026At the dawn of the 20th century, a multi-generational family in the Gullah community on the Sea Islands off South Carolina struggles to maintain their cultural heritage while contemplating a migration to the mainland. -
FilmSinners
May 15—Jul 8, 2026
Sinners
May 15—Jul 8, 2026In an Academy Award-winning performance, Michael B. Jordan portrays twin brothers in the Jim Crow-era American South trying to leave their troubled lives behind, who soon discover an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. -
FilmThe Blair Witch Project
May 15—Jul 9, 2026
The Blair Witch Project
May 15—Jul 9, 2026This immensely terrifying found footage horror begins: “In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.” -
FilmWind Across the Everglades
May 15—Jul 9, 2026
Wind Across the Everglades
May 15—Jul 9, 2026In the early 20th century, game warden and nature conservationist Walt Murdock (Christopher Plummer) is pitted against Cottonmouth (Burt Ives), the leader of a gang of flippant birdpoachers. -
FilmFreaks
May 15—Jul 8, 2026
Freaks
May 15—Jul 8, 2026A devious trapeze artist intent on murdering a dwarf in a carnival troupe to gain his inheritance soon sees the full limits of what these sideshow performers are capable of when one of their own is threatened.
