The authentic woodwork, quaint theatre and aged exterior are just a few things that give the Bijou Art Cinemas its character and niche following. But perhaps it is the theatre’s suspicious ghost sightings that have intrigued local moviegoers to keep coming back.
Many University students and community members may know of the Bijou as just an old theatre, but the building itself has had a very long and unique history that surprises many.
The building was originally constructed in 1925 as a church, but when it was outgrown by its congregation, the building had a brief stint as a wedding chapel. After a few years as a place of love and celebration, the wedding chapel was converted into a funeral home, and that is what it was until 1979.
When the Bijou finally planted its roots on East 13th Avenue, it was not only occupying a newly-empty building, but a space full of lost and wandering spirits.
Bijou employee James Wyant, who gave his name as Madjym, said that every Halloween, ghost hunters come to the theatre in search of what they call lost spirits.
“The Bijou has a really unique background, and since it has been a church, a wedding chapel and a funeral home, it is clearly a place where lost spirits dwell,” Madjym said.
Madjym said the Bijou is home to two ghosts, and although this may scare some away, it provides an element of mystery that keeps the regulars coming back.
“We have two ghosts here: one woman in an off-white wedding dress that floats in Theatre No. 2, and a man in a black suit and top has also been spotted in Theatre No. 2,” Madjym said.
When the Bijou was a funeral home, Theatre No. 2 was the room that once stored the deceased. Many believe that is the reason why the ghosts are frequently spotted in that theatre.
Madjym said he believes in the friendly spirits at the Bijou because he has had an encounter with one ghost himself.
“One night way after hours, I was cleaning out the popcorn machine and saw a man in a black suit through the glass of the machine,” Madjym said. “As soon as I moved my head out of the glass, and yelled, ‘What are you doing in here?’ the person vanished in thin air.”
Along with Madjym, several of the Bijou’s visitors have spotted these spirits in Theatre No. 2, but it rarely stops movie lovers from coming back. Besides the element of mystery, theatre manager Edward Schiessl said the Bijou offers much more.
“It is a cool, funky, old art house, cinema that is truly unique to anything else you can find in Eugene, and besides, every college town has to have a place like this,” Schiessl said.
If it’s not the ghostly spirits or diverse history that attract the Bijou’s crowd, it could be its movies that are often off the beaten path.
Eugene resident Jane Benson said she enjoys seeing a film that everyone else isn’t going to see too.
“Everyone knows what is playing in the big theatres, and chances are everyone has seen it or is going to see it,” Benson said. “However, sometimes I want to see something different and authentic, and plus the concessions are cheaper here, too.”
Schiessl said the Bijou has an outside booker that chooses its films. He said it is based on which movies are available and if they are doing well at other theatres.
“We do have an outside booker, but we also push to get the movies we want,” Schiessl said. “Recently, we got ‘Precious’ to play here and that’s a great example of something you can’t see anywhere else, and it’s also an outstanding film.”
With its unconventional films, occasional ghosts, aged appearance and reasonably-priced popcorn, the Bijou promises to provide audiences with an experience that will keep them coming back.
Like many, Schiessl prefers to see movies at the Bijou rather than going to the large
multiplex theatres in town.
“I find the multiplex insulting, really. It just has a cheap circus appeal,” Schiessl said. “It is all about profit there, and here we are trying to bring art into the community.”