at of RALEIGH Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is almost ready to open its first North Car- olina location in Raleigh at the end of April. The theater at New Bern Avenue will be Ala- mo’s 31st cinema nation- wide. Like its other thea- ters, the Raleigh Alamo will offer an eclectic slate of first-run hits, retro revivals and signature special events presented in an atmosphere that’s pretty much movie-nerd paradise. And that includes Video Vortex, the video rental store and bar in the lobby. We got a sneak peek. Here’s what we found out. 1 The exterior is avery cool mural.Painted by Birds of Avalon drummer and noted muralist Scott Nurkin, it shows various “scapes” – land, sea, sky and so on – meant to evoke fantasy settings for films. While it’s still a work in progress, the fin- ished mural will include lots of movie references, obscure as well as well- known. 2 It’s a pretty roomytheater.Sandwiched be- tween a chiropractor’s office on one side and a Family Dollar store on the other, this strip-center space used to house a Winn-Dixie grocery store. That’s been converted to a good-sized lobby, with 11 screens in separate thea- ters. Capacities in those theaters range from 49 to 109 people. The Alamo has old- fashioned 35-millimeter projectors for screening rare prints, plus the latest new-fangled digital and laser technology for the current films. And the recliner seats in the thea- ters are very comfortable. 3Video is spokenhere.One of the Ala- mo’s unique aspects is a movie-rental operation in which you can rent up to two titles per day – for free. Dubbed the Video Vortex, it has a library of 75,000 titles with foreign films, documentaries and super-weird experimental films. Around 10,000 of those titles are on old-fashioned videotapes, rescued from a San Francisco rental store that went out of business. The entire place is pretty much a homage to the humble videocas- sette as physical artifact, with various works of art and even a couple of video players based on the shape of videotapes. VCRs and Blu-Ray play- ers will be available for rent. Crowlers (canned growlers) also will be available to take home beer. Plus, there will be video-store themed cock- tails, milkshakes and non- alcoholic drinks. Be on the lookout for the VHStival in October, to highlight VHS- only releases. PHOTOS BY CHRIS SEWARD cseward@newsobserver.com Moviegoers don clown outfits for a special presentation at another Alamo Drafthouse, shown in a promotional film played for invited guests at a sneak peek Wednesday at the coming Raleigh Alamo Drafthouse on New Bern Avenue. Alamo Drafthouse, slated to open at the end of April, will offer 11 screens in separate theaters with capacities for 49 to 109 people each. Specialty theater coming to Raleigh will be first for NC BY DAVID MENCONI dmenconi@newsobserver.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Learn more The theater is at 2116-D New Bern Ave. Raleigh. Go to drafthouse.com/raleigh for details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Alamo Drafthouse movie/restaurant complex on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh features VHS and DVD rental as well as a restaurant and bar, decorated with a mural and old-time movie posters. SEE MOVIE THEATER, 4A