starlite cinema series - halloween spook show

well, we managed to fend off the rain long enough to get tonight's program in. thanks again to annie street arts collective and the folks who came out. it was an evening full of steam-driven, gaslit wonders of the age. we learned some valuable lessons, not the least of which was "when in doubt, listen to gertrude the duck".

next month's installment is going to be something special. halloween is my favorite time of year so we are expanding the film lineup to make it a festival of sorts and we are going to have a musical guest as well. country willie and the zombie apocalypse are going to kick off the evening with a selection of heart-rending and brain-eating tunes about how hard life is, or isn't, as the case may be, for our zombie brethren. the result lies somewhere in between lefty frizzell and george a. romero. willie's songs touch your heart while reminding you to aim for the head. music will start at about 8:30, so make sure you come early. you don't want to miss it. there will be a special dedication to all you zombie mothers.

the films will start soon after, beginning with the legend of hell house (1973), quite possibly my favorite haunted house movie of all time. the haunting (1963) and this one are constantly vying for top honors. it is the story of a group of mediums who take on "the mount everest of haunted houses" haunted by the spirit of an aleister crowley-type who manages to inflict his debauchery from beyond the grave upon a cast headed up by roddy mcdowall. horror stalwart richard matheson adapted the screenplay from his own novel. good pedigree, shivers all around.

next, we have the mexican import misterios de ultratumba (1959), known in the states as the black pit of dr. m. this one sidesteps the atomic age/cold war vibe that was populating american movie screens with giant insects and shrinking men at the time and takes things back to the golden age of universal monsters. it concerns itself with the ramifications, spiritual and corporeal, of men overstepping their bounds and trying to peer behind the veil. fernando méndez cloaks it all in a gorgeous black and white atmosphere that would make karloff proud. it's a far superior product to what was being produced by its contemporaries north of the border, i'll tell you that.

rounding out the evening, at just about midnight, we will be collectively marveling/jeering at troll 2 (1990), the best worst movie ever made. i can't begin to do it justice with my description. it is a milestone of horrendous filmmaking. simply off the scale. i can't think of any better way to see it than with a backyard full of friends as the witching hour tolls. i promise it will be worth your while. madness of the first order.

so come, eat hearty. all this will take place on friday, 10.29.10 starting at 8 p.m. here is the facebook event page for those of you that can use it. as always, if that's not an option and you'd like to attend, please send me a message and i will make sure you get the pertinent information. costumes are absolutely encouraged. we look forward to seeing you there.