The Backroom of the Pacific Felt Factory buzzed with caffeine-fueled, sugar-crazed art lovers when I stepped inside. The buffet, a sparkling paradise of sweet, sweet cereals, stood ready to satisfy every sweet tooth.
I made an executive decision to indulge only in Lucky Charm marshmallows — because why not? Mid-crunch, however, my eyes landed on the focus of tonight’s ultra-secret, invite-only party: Mr. Lobo, the patron saint of late-night movie hosts and insomniacs — and one-time animated villain on Scooby-Doo.
His face was partially obscured by his signature 1970s-style “Birth Control” glasses, making him extremely recognizable. I scanned the room for Miss Mittens, his houseplant (yes, just a plant) and co-host for his late-night show, but, sadly, she was nowhere to be found.
If you’ve ever watched late-night horror movie marathons, chances are you’ve encountered Mr. Lobo. For decades, he’s been the host of Cinema Insomnia, the show dedicated to bringing you the weirdest B-movies while keeping you awake (but somehow still entertained). The man has cultivated a community of “CInsomniacs” who worship at the altar of midnight movies, or, in his words, “art forms that fuel the popular imagination.”
But what does Mr. Lobo have to do with San Francisco’s avant-garde art scene? Turns out, quite a lot. Enter Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen, curator at Black & White Projects (BWP), a space for experimental art that’s been pushing boundaries since 2013 — located at the Pacific Felt Factory Arts Complex at 2830 20th St.
MacFadyen’s gallery has always embraced art that’s “outside the norm” and deeply connected to underrepresented communities. She describes her mission as one that “holds space for communities’ needs” and fosters environments where art isn’t limited by salability or gatekeeping.
MacFadyen and Mr. Lobo go way back — though not in the usual “we met at an art show” kind of way. She and her colleagues were among the many Bay Area insomniacs who watched Cinema Insomnia on KTEH, the region’s beloved PBS station. Fast forward to the pandemic, and MacFadyen rediscovered Mr. Lobo’s work when he took his show to Twitch. That’s when a collaboration took shape. MacFadyen was drawn to Mr. Lobo’s encyclopedic knowledge of film and television, but more than that, she admired his ability to build a devoted community. Both BWP and Cinema Insomnia cater to a creative crowd that’s a little offbeat, a little weird — so naturally, their worlds collided.
That collaboration, Cinema Insomnia: Zombies of Sugar Hill, premiered in April 2024, but the real magic happened when Mr. Lobo visited California for the Sacramento Horror Fest.
To celebrate, BWP hosted a gathering that brought together two equally offbeat communities — fans of bizarre cinema and experimental art. The secret event this January at Pacific Felt Factory was a love letter to the creative process: artwork, hand-drawn props, and a live display of Mr. Lobo’s fan art, all tying back to the show’s DIY aesthetic. And, of course, it wouldn’t be Cinema Insomnia without quirky traditions like “Chokky Milk Time,” where fans across the globe toast to the show with chocolate milk (or whatever beverage happens to be in reach).
It’s no surprise this collaboration felt so seamless. Mr. Lobo and BWP share a love for outsider culture — the kind that thrives on oddball creativity and refuses to fit inside the lines. His own obsession with B-movies started early, back when he was watching Creature Features with Bay Area TV legend Bob Wilkins. That weird, wonderful world of cult cinema stuck with him, shaping his artistic sensibilities alongside underground comics, poster art, and the countercultural ethos of Northern California.
For Mr. Lobo, Cinema Insomnia was a natural evolution — his way of blending pop culture nostalgia with a generous helping of sarcasm and camp. Late-night horror marathons and midnight screenings weren’t just entertainment for him; they were an art form.
“I’m still that same kid, obsessed with B-movies and cult cinema,” he told me. His work — whether through television, drawings, or writing — is all about fun, expression, and an audience just as delightfully offbeat as he is. Or, as he puts it, “The weirdness of it all is what makes it beautiful.”
But it wasn’t just Cinema Insomnia’s oddball charm that drew MacFadyen to Mr. Lobo — she saw him as a cultural curator in his own right. Over the years, Lobo has cultivated a fiercely loyal fanbase and created a kind of communal space where misfits and movie lovers alike can connect. That sense of connection was central to BWP’s mission, too.
MacFadyen helped secure a grant for Mr. Lobo’s writing projects and a speaking engagement at USF, further cementing the idea that Cinema Insomnia isn’t just entertainment. “Mr. Lobo’s work has always been about community and connection,” she said, “and that was something we wanted to bring to the gallery.”
So what’s next for Black & White Projects? After more than a decade of exhibitions, BWP is shifting its focus toward projects that can be archived and distributed — prints, publications, and documentation that preserve the work of underserved artists. That means supporting projects like Cinema Insomnia and other multigenerational, Black and Brown-led initiatives at risk of being erased by traditional gatekeeping structures.
And for Mr. Lobo? More live events, more convention appearances, and — no surprise here — a book on the art of Cinema Insomnia. In other words, the midnight movie marathon isn’t ending anytime soon.
As Mr. Lobo would say: “All Systems Go!”
- Find Mr. Lobo on Twitch three times a week: Misunderstood Movie Mondays at 7pm Pacific, Way Out Wildcard Cartoon Wednesdays at 5pm, and Cinema Insomnia Episode Watch Party Saturdays at 7pm.
- Learn more about Cinema Insomnia and Black & White Projects.
Vita Hewitt is a Bay Area-based photographer, filmmaker, journalist, and writer.
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