Movie screenings, midnight shows, movie marathons, and other interesting events that we think you should know about.
I started writing this on very little sleep over the last 24 hours. Not for any bad reasons, but just choices we make in life. Sure, some of them might not be too smart, especially at my age, but it is one bad choice I will continue to make as long as I can. What is this poor choice that I am talking about? Going to the Dusk to Dawn Horrorfest at the Midway Drive-in last Saturday!
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I know we’re always promoting and talking about how great the Music Box Theatre here in Chicago is (because it is!), but I recently found out about a theater in Wind Gap, PA that seems to not only play some amazing genre films quite a bit, but they also have some mini fests coming up that makes me want to take a road trip! The Gap Theatre (click HERE to get to their website) has plenty of amazing titles, double features, and other screenings lined up on their schedule. But there were 3 different ones that had me drooling.
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The final lineup has been announced for this year’s Dusk to Dawn Horrorfest at the Midway Drive-in, taking place on Sept. 20th. And what a lineup!
Re-Animator (1985)
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
Not to be satisfied with just having their annual 24-hour marathon, for the last few years, Chicago’s own Music Box Theatre has lined the entire month of October with a wide variety of horror offerings, some with special guests, others with just some rare opportunities to see some very unique films. And this October is no different.
If you are in the area of the Music Box, I can’t recommend enough coming out and supporting the theater during this month of programming, for a few reasons. First and foremost, it shows the theater that these kind of events are worth it, meaning they will continue to program events like this in the future. For a guy that used to drive out the this theater in the 90s for a midnight screening of some cult title, only to have 5 other people in the theater, its a wonder they continued at all! So when you can, make sure you show your support by attending one or more of these incredible screenings.
Second of all, you are getting the chance to see some truly great and interesting titles in this lineup. For us classic horror fans, getting to see Charles Laughton as the mad Dr. Moreau in Island of Lost Souls, a film that has themes of bestiality in 1932, not to mention some incredible makeup effects. And then there is having the chance to see Lon Chaney Sr. in The Phantom of the Opera (1925), the original love obsessed stalker! Even though its a silent film, you will be amazed at Chaney’s performance. And that is just the start!
And there so many more listed here. Mark your calendar and make those plans! Just click HERE to go to the Music Box event page.
Oct. 1st – 9:15pm
In My Skin (2002)
Theatre 2 DCP
Back in the early ’90s, I saw an episode of the British TV show, The Incredibly Strange Film Show, with host Jonathan Ross, which features some of the best of cult directors, from Ted V. Mikels to George Romero. In one of the episodes, it featured Stuart Gordon in one part, and then Hong Kong producer/director Tsui Hark on the other part. One of the films they showed clips from blew me away, showing me creatures and monsters that I had never imagined before. From a long-tongued tree-demon, to stop-animated undead, to flying heads, and so much more. It was from the film A Chinese Ghost Story (1987). I knew I had to find this movie and immediately started my search. My first copy was a shabby looking bootleg on VHS, with no English sub-titles. And I just loved it. To this day, it remains one of my all-time favorites.
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Figures. The same weekend that we’ll be at Monster Bash, the Skyline Drive-in announces their incredible lineup for their Cinema Scares 2-day event. And to make it even worse (for me), they are screening a Paul Naschy film!!! If I could only clone myself…
None the less, if you are free the weekend of Oct. 10th and 11th, and can make it out Shelbyville, IN, then I would strongly suggest planning a weekend at the Skyline. Not only do they have an amazing lineup of films but have 4 special guests that will be attending on both days. Here’s the list of features and guests:
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The fine folks behind the Super-Horror-Rama screenings the Music Box Theatre have announced their 2 features for July, and they both will gnawing at your feet if you don’t come out to support them!
On Friday, July 18th, at 11:45pm, they will be screening Lewis Teague’s 1980 film Alligator, starring an amazing cast including Robert Forster, Dean Jagger, Syndey Lassick, Jack Carter, and Henry Silva. While most movie-goers might consider this film cheesy schlock, us horror fans know it’s actually a really good film!
Then on Saturday, July 19th, at 11:45pm, they will be screening Italian director Bruno Mattei’s Rats: Night of Terror (1984), starring Ottaviano Dell’Acqua (who played the poster zombie in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie), Geretta Geretta (from Lamberto Bava’s Demons), and Massimo Vanni. Sure, this might not be one of the greats from the Italian horror genre, but when is the last time you had the chance to see the work of Mattei in the theater?
Head over to their Facebook page HERE for all the latest details on this, and future events.
Over the weekend, we travelled out to Dixon, IL, once again, to the Midway Drive-in, for their John Carpenter Fest, where they screened The Thing (1982), Halloween (1978), Prince of Darkness (1987), and Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). We were one of the vendors set up outside for the event. Now, let’s just say that not only is the sun not my friend, but neither is the heat. But those are two things we had to deal with for most of the day. Getting there around 1pm to make sure we can unload everything and set up, such as our tent and all the merch, takes time. Doing it in those conditions makes it even more of a challenge, especially as I’m about to hit the big 60. In fact, standing there in the blazing heat was just brutal. And it makes one ponder why we even bother going through that misery.
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Next month, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, at the Ohio State University, will be holding an International Horror Film Festival showcasing films from around the world, from Italy to Japan to France and more. It’s one of those times when I wished to be retired and wealthy, only to be able to travel around attending these different festivals! They have a great lineup here with some truly amazing examples of the horror genre, but also incredible pieces of cinema as well. The festival runs from July 10th through Aug. 14th. Most of them are single screenings, but there are a couple of nights where there is a double feature. Below is the list of films playing:
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Next month, the Logan Theatre in Chicago will be hosting a 50th Anniversary Giallo Celebration, hosted by Stephanie Sack. Taking place from July 18th to the 21st, each night will feature a film that came out in 1975. As listed on the site, “These sensational films — equal parts murder mystery, fashion fantasy, and fever dream — were Italy’s post-war answer to Hitchcock and the drive-in grindhouse, where sleaze meets style, art meets arterial spray, and every killer indeed comes dressed to kill. To celebrate the 50th anniversaries of four notorious 1975 cult classics, Sack presents GIALLO GELATO: a four-night spree of sleaze, suspense, and stylish psychosis at The Logan Theatre’s Late Nights.”
Here are the films that will be screening, each of the four nights, at 11pm:
Friday July 18th – Autopsy
Saturday July 19th – Dario Argento’s Deep Red
Sunday July 20th – Strip Nude for Your Killer
Monday July 21st – Footprints on the Moon
For more information about the theater and this event, just click HERE.
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