Carolina Theatre - Durham

Phil L.

Reviews
Written: 2

5.0

The Carolina is surely the finest movie theater in the Triangle. In addition to a steady selection of art house fare the Carolina plays host to many special screenings and film festivals, including the Full Frame documentary festival, the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian film festival, the Nevermore horror festival, the Escapism genre festival, and, my personal favorite, their monthly Retrofantasma double features of classic horror films, which have garnered an enthusiastic fan following.

Their two regular screens are perfectly good (one as good as any in the area and the other small but quite servicable), but the Carolina really shines when it screens films in Fletcher Hall, a traditional auditorium restored in the late 80s while retaining it's original splendor. It's also the only movie theater in the Triangle I know of where you can view films in the balconies, which is always a treat.

On top of all this the Carolina offers a superior snack bar selection (including a range of beers and, bless them, seltzer water), is manned by an enthusiastic staff, and works very hard to instill a sense of community among it's loyal followers. If there's a drawback, it's that finding it in downtown Durham involves navigating enough one-way streets that it's a bit of a hassle the first couple of times, but it's well worth the trip and there's a garage across the street to park in.

Note that I'm only enthusing about the movie side of things; the Carolina is often host to musical acts and theater productions and does a damn fine job with those as well.

Movie lovers of the Triangle are very luck to have an institution like the Carolina at their disposal. I cannot recommend them highly enough.