Movie screenings, midnight shows, movie marathons, and other interesting events that we think you should know about.
Hard to believe that it has been five years since the release of the independent film Dead Weight. Sure, this post might be a little jaded since I’ve known one half of the writing/directing team for, Mr. John Pata, for something close to ten years now, when he was trying to peddle his little zombie short film, Better Off Undead. I can’t say how impressed I’ve been with what John has accomplished in those ten years either, and can’t wait to see where the next ten take him.
That’s right…an indoor drive-in.
When I first heard news of this new $10 million indoor drive-in near Nashville, I actually thought it was a regular drive-in but had a cover over it, like one of those indoor sports field. At that point, I thought that was the coolest idea since the invention of the corndog! But the more I read through a few different articles on this, it isn’t what I thought it was. While it is an indoor theater, the cars are just permanently parked there. Not sure if they are actual even real cars or just seats fabricated classic car. So while it has the look and set up of a drive-in, not sure if it is going to have the real feel of one.
Chicagoland horror fans have two new flicks coming to the Music Box Theatre in February, ones that have been making quite a rumble in the horror world!
The first one is The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which I seen on a lot of Best of 2016 lists. Directed by André Øvredal (Troll Hunter) and stars Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch, and Ophelia Lovibond. The story is about a small town in Virginia where the local sheriff comes across a terrifying murder scene, with multiple bodies. During the search of the residence, they discover another body in the basement, which is an unidentified female corpse, which is named Jane Doe. Once the body gets to the family-owned morgue, things start to get even more weirder. The more the coroner and his son dig deeper into Jane Doe, unnatural forces take hold of the place. This film opens this Friday at the Music Box.
So Chicago area horror fans…getting bored with all this cold weather and nothing to do? Then how about coming out on Thursday, January 26th for the first Dead of Winter Film Fest! This is a film fest highlighting some of the best Horror Short Films and will feature 11 different shorts from directors like Adam Krause, Daniel DelPurgatorio, Jerry Pyle, Jill Gevargizian, and more!
Back in the early ’80s, when I worked at a movie theater, we had a strange movie playing there that looked very grainy for some reason. Years later I would find out that it was actually shot on video and then transferred to film to get an actual theatrical release. It looked cheesy, terrible acting, ultra gory, and one of the strangest films I’d seen. It was called BoardingHouse. And now, I’ll have the chance to see it in the theater once again!
This coming weekend, on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th, the Music Box Theatre will be having a midnight screening of this film, presented by Odd Obsessions Movies, and co-presented by Chicago Film Society. Though the film starts at midnight, there is a pre-party in the Music Box Lounge at 11pm. The fact that this is being screened from a 35mm print is just unreal.
I have checked with the theater and was told that it will in fact be screening in the large theater, which makes this event even better! If you haven’t seen this film and love cult and strange cinema, not to mention a gorefest, then you will want to check this out. Just watch the trailer below and see if it doesn’t make you want to see it!
The very following Saturday, on the 22nd of October, was when the other 24-hour marathon, called simply The Massacre, was being held at the Patio Theater. This is another old Chicago theater that is just beautiful. The lobby is just incredible, like stepping back in time. It thrills me to no end that someone is trying to keep this place open and alive. The theater itself is just huge, with plenty of seating for all the fans coming out to enjoy these movies. In the past, there had been issues with heat, either not having any or in the summer being just way too warm. Lucky for all of us, there weren’t any of those issues now, which was a great relief. Plus, I was not working this event, but was there just to sit back and enjoy the films, which was going to be a nice change of pace after the previous week. Since this time of year tends to be pretty busy for me, it’s tough for me to actually have time to sit and watch a flick every now and then. So this was going to be a great opportunity to do just that.
It’s times like this when I wish I was just a little bit closer to New York City. This Saturday, Oct. 29th, the Anthology Film Archives will be screening both Demons and Demons 2, both directed by Lamberto Bava & produced by Dario Argento. And to make it even better, the star of Demons 2, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, will be making a personal appearance there at the screening of Demons 2.
When I tell some of my non-horror friends that I am going to a 24-hour horror movie marathon, a few might be slightly intrigued, while most give me that strange look of “why in the hell would you want to do that?” If you are a horror fan, then you know exactly why we’d do it. If you’re not, then I’m not sure I could explain it. It is something that each year I tell myself I’m getting too old to do them, but then the next year, I’m right back there for more madness.
The DePaul Humanities Center will be hosting their fourth annual Horror of the Humanities Halloween event this October 26th. This time out, they will be screening the film Pontypool, followed by a Q&A with the director Bruce McDonald and star Stephen McHattie. The film starts at 6:30pm with the Q&A afterwards, around 8:15pm.
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