Over the years, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has become the multiplex for people who want to see films not only in a safe, comfortable space—but a cool one. The Austin-based, dine-in-theater empire is basically what the Hard Rock Cafe was in the ‘80s and ‘90s—whenever a franchise opens in a new area, it’s like the area has been blessed with a playhouse filled with pop-culture awesomeness.
I’ve only been to an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema twice in my life—the LaCenterra one in Katy, near Houston—and both of those times were to attend press screenings for movies Netflix was dropping. From the minute I stepped into the lobby and saw that the carpeting resembles the carpeting from the creepy hotel corridors in The Shining, I knew this was a place where film geeks can let their freak flag fly. At this moment, a lot of film geeks are most likely at the flagship location on South Lamar, taking in the yearly showcase of genre films that is the Alamo-founded Fantastic Fest.
However, in the past few years, there have been reports of certain geeks, from longtime patrons to staff members, getting way too comfortable with women, including female Alamo employees.
