'Dead Lover' Debuts Stink-O-Vision Scratch-and-Sniff Theaters
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- "Dead Lover" opens in theaters March 20, with select screenings presented in "Stink-O-Vision" using scratch-and-sniff cards the audience unveils whenever a number flashes on screen — a concept that owes a direct debt to John Waters' 1981 "Odorama" release of "Polyester."
- Cartuna x Dweck, better known as a physical media and poster distributor, is releasing its first theatrical film and printed 15,000 individual Stink-O-Vision cards distributed to arthouse cinemas in the US, UK, and Ireland.
- Director Grace Glowicki worked with a company called Scented Storytelling to develop roughly 10 scents (whittled down from 25 smell-tied moments in the film), ranging from "Opium" and "BBQ Stink" to "Ghost Puke" and "Banana" — a few palatable, most decidedly not.
- Roughly 70 Stink-O-Vision screenings have been booked so far, and demand is running high enough that Cartuna CEO James Belfer said the company expects that figure to grow; he added that the fulfillment center smells faintly of the cards.
- Glowicki framed Stink-O-Vision as a deliberate response to what she sees as the performative nature of modern indie theatrical releases, citing "Hundreds of Beavers'" long touring model as proof audiences want a communal experience they can't replicate at home.
Why it matters: For micro-budget indie filmmakers, Stink-O-Vision is a deliberate test of whether physical, multi-sensory gimmicks can convert theatrical bookings into communal events that survive home streaming. With 15,000 cards shipped and roughly 70 dedicated screenings already booked across three countries and high demand reported, Cartuna x Dweck's first theatrical release is essentially a real-world experiment in event-izing the indie theatrical experience.
