“The resulting film, with its wildly original soundtrack that glides from wistful ballads to disco to show tunes to Europop to punk, is a colorful, exuberant, and absurdist genre experiment that introduces a distinctive new directorial sensibility in Smoczyńska. You can practically taste the salt water—and the blood.” - Angela Lovell, Criterion
“It's an unabashedly loony genre mash-up of musical, romance, and '80s-style horror... Good fun through and through, this surprising delight from Smoczynska is nothing short of a stunning feature debut.” - Laura Kern, Film Comment
In this bold, genre-defying horror-musical mashup—the playful and confident debut of Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska—a pair of carnivorous mermaid sisters are drawn ashore in an alternate '80s Poland to explore the wonders and temptations of life on land. Their tantalizing siren songs and otherworldly aura make them overnight sensations as nightclub singers in the half-glam, half-decrepit fantasy world of Smoczynska's imagination. In a visceral twist on Hans Christian Andersen's original Little Mermaid tale, one sister falls for a human, and as the bonds of sisterhood are tested, the lines between love and survival get blurred. A savage coming-of-age fairytale with a catchy new-wave soundtrack, lavishly grimy sets, and outrageous musical numbers, THE LURE explores its themes of sexuality, exploitation, and the compromises of adulthood with energy and originality.
Awards & Nominations
2016 Sundance Film Festival - Winner, Special Jury Prize
Creature Features
October 2–November 1, 2026
The movies have always loved a monster. From early cinema’s demons to Universal’s classic creatures to Toho’s city-destroying kaiju to countless contemporary permutations of all of the above, Creature Features showcase cinema’s incredible ability to transform a character into an irresistible other. The eight films in this series trace creature-making craftsmanship from in-camera practical effects to digitally-enhanced creature augmentation and offer a slate of scary and sweet strangers to match every spooky season mood.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu