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Nightmares: The Art of Halloween Movie Marathons
By Chris DeKalb
In the dark of an October night when the vampires, ghosts and werewolves
are begging to be released what should one do?
Why, invite your friends over…and then release everything!
One of the nice things about Halloween is that it is the perfect time to
throw together a bunch of films and watch them with a group of people,
laughing at the jokes and jumping at the scares. Whether you want to do
a classic double-feature or an all-nighter (5 or 6 films) we’re here to
help.
Making the
(Human) Guests Comfy
If you’re hosting the marathon at home be sure to
have plenty of space for people to sit back. Clear off the couch, bring
in some chairs and leave plenty of floor space for late-comers to sit down
in. Keep the view of the screen unobstructed, so no chairs in
front of the sofa.
If the marathon is at a business or theater you should have plenty of space
and possibly even chairs already setup.
Don’t forget to include the snacks. Popcorn is a must.
Caffinated drinks are also good as they help keep you awake for the
late-night stretches. Thanks to the season candy can be bought in bulk
for decent prices.
With food you can go as far as you want, possibly ordering pizza or baking
things for the night of chills. Be careful with things that stain as
people will be sitting in the dark and it will be easy to spill things.
Hmmm..Nosferatu
or The Stuff?
Once you have everything set your marathon needs one more
thing: the films. There is a massive number of horror films to choose
from. What will keep your viewers screaming but not screaming for the
door?
Variety is your friend in this case. One of the strengths of a mix of
movies is that people will be willing to sit through the films they don’t
care for because they know something else is coming up. IE people will
suffer through Blacula if they know Urban Legend is next, and
vice versa. Dave Alexander, Managing Editor of Rue Morgue Magazine,
says:
“If you're putting together a horror film movie marathon for friends,
the most important thing to keep in mind is that there are many different
tastes within the genre. The subjective nature of horror means that some
people are more into supernatural horror, such as Dracula or The
Amityville Horror, than they are, say, human monsters, in films along the
lines of Silence of the Lambs or The Hills Have Eyes. Will it
be serial killers, space monsters, Japanese ghosts, gore-comedy, classics,
cult? Be sure you gauge your audience, and if everyone doesn't all like the
same sorts of horror subgenres, be sure to get a little something for
everyone.”
Ian M. Judge, the Director of Operations for F.E.I. Theatres (including
the Somerville and Capital Theatres), suggests the following:
“There are some great 70's horror flicks that younger people
today might not be into overall, but if you mix one of these older titles
with something guaranteed to draw attention (like an Evil Dead 2
for example) then it makes the event more interesting. Plus, some of
these movies are, um, repetitive to say the least - 6-12 hours of Jason
or Freddy alone would be a lot to take!”
You can also look at which movies tend to be attractive in
marathons. Horror from the Eighties is one as Judge notes:
“In terms of popularity, 80's flicks (horror or otherwise) are one of
the most (and only) popular realms for repertory cinema right
now. For some reason, the generation that is into 80's movies are
more likely to go out of the way to see them, be it on DVD or in a
theater, whereas you could show a great film from the 60's or even the
50's that nobody wants to see, even if it is a great one.”
In choosing the style of the films you may also go with laughs or shocks
as Tony Timpone, Editor of Fangoria Magazine, mentions:
“Horror comedies and over-the-top bloodbaths seems to work best for
horror movie marathons. Horror comedies are always a good choice, as there is
something for everyone. Gorefests allow for lots of audience reactions as
well.”
On a final note you should try going with at least some films that few
people have seen, older forgotten classics or weird foreign titles. A
little research can turn up some interesting finds as Rue Morgue’s
Alexander points out:
“It works particularly well to try some films that no one has seen
but you've researched well enough to know they'll fit the mood of the
audience. For example, any real horror fan has the original Texas Chainsaw
Massacre, but may not have seen Deranged, the fantastic Canadian
movie made the same year, which is also based on cannibalistic murderer Ed
Gein.”
There Should be
an Order to the Madness
You’ve setup the viewing area, invited your friends
and have the movies picked out. But there is one other important thing
to consider. What order do you play them? (and hitting “random
play” on a multi-disc is not the correct answer)
There are four parts to a movie marathon. The Opener, The Middle,
The Stretch and the Kicker. Below there are do’s and don’ts
for each part. You will also see what the Cambridge Movie News
Marathon (if it existed) would look like following these rules.
The Opener
The very first movie you show is special. Everybody is still awake and
in a good mood, they know that they have several films coming up and thus are
willing to forgive a lot. You can put just about anything you want
here. You can start off strong with a classic well-done horror
film. The Somerville Theatre does this each year in their Halloween Double-Feature.
The original Halloween starts the night off. A strong opening
can give some good chills as well as providing a great change of pace when
you hit them with sillier stuff later on.
You can also use your gimmicks here. A few years back the Coolidge Corner
Theatre used their opening slot to show 1953’s The House of Wax
in 3-D! When handing out cheesy 3-D glasses you want the audience
awake.
If you have a slower atmospheric film this is about the only time you can
show it (see The Stretch later in this article).
The purpose of the Opener is to get your audience in the mood. Whether
it’s enjoying the cheesiness of a silly beginning or chilled by a strong
horror flick they should be getting into the marathon feel now.
CMN Choice: The Spanish version of Dracula
(1931). Shown with subtitles. Widely considered to be the
superior version of the ’31 film plus rare enough to get horror
fan’s attention. It is early enough in the evening that the subtitles
shouldn’t be a problem.
The Middle
After the Opener your audience is still awake and should be settling in for
the marathon. Now you use that variety we talked about earlier.
Make sure the next film is different enough from the Opener that it grabs people’s
attention quickly. This is also a fine spot for grade B films or
peculiar oddities. Your only obstacle is to make sure you don’t
put a movie in the Middle that outshines the Kicker (see below).
CMN Choice: Trilogy of Terror. Just re-released on
DVD everybody should have a killer fetish doll. Good mixture of action
and blood.
The Stretch
After midnight and a few movies in you’ve entered the Stretch.
People are getting tired now, downing caffeine and you may have lost a few
people (especially if they had to leave to catch the last subway). At
this point you can still mix things up with your choices but you want to keep
things moving. Timpone points this out:
“Films with a lot of energy and adrenaline help keep the audience
going during the long hours of a horror movie orgy. You don't want slow, soft
and subtle; you want loud, hard and over the top.”
Films such as Ghost Story or The Changeling, both excellent
horror films and true classics, become brutal to sit through at 3am. If
the film depends entirely on atmosphere instead of laughs, blood or boobs…don’t
put it in the Stretch.
CMN Choice: Maximum Overdrive. Completely silly
Stephen King vehicle (ahem) about machines killing everybody. Bloody,
silly and loud fun.
The Kicker
And now you have it, your last film of the marathon. Some people will
wake up, others will have managed to stay awake all night. Make it
worth it. This should be a no-holds barred classic or a recent A-grade
film. Classics like Halloween, Ghostbusters or Texas Chainsaw
Massacre are all good choices. Remember this is the
last film they’ll see before heading back out into the light of our
normal world. Hit them with Dawn of the Dead (either version)
before they stumble out to see people going about their lives.
CMN Choice: Black Christmas. A classic and one a
slasher-style film before the Slasher sub-genre defined itself. Also
best to show the original before Hollywood finishes the remake.
Please remember that these are just suggestions. If you really have
your heart set on doing a marathon of Wes Craven movies…with The
Thing as the midnight show and the rest being lesser lights go for
it. At the end of the day (or night as the case may be) it's still your
marathon.
And there you have it. One eventful evening of ghosts, slashers and
blob monsters. Just remember to sweep up all the candy corn after
people leave.
The Macabre
Marathon Museum
F.E.I.’s Ian Judge Marathon:
Halloween (which we continue to show every Halloween)
Bubba HoTep (Bruce Campbell as Elvis versus a mummy - need I say more?)
The Shining (some people love it, some hate it, but it still scares
me)
Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors (the most fun of all
the
Nightmares - and how about that Dokken song?)
Dave Alexander’s “Food for Rot Four-Shot” Marathon:
I'm a big fan of the living dead-style films pioneered by George Romero, but
everyone's seen his four Dead films, so I'd do an international quartet of
zombie movies inspired by the great director, each of which take a twist on
the rotting cannibal theme. First, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (a.k.a. Living
Dead at the Manchester Morgue, 1974, Spain/Italy, Anchor Bay
Entertainment), a frightening and atmospheric early entry in the cycle that
moves the zombie story to the countryside and blames the outbreak on a
radioactive pesticide alternative. Second, Return of the Living Dead
(1985, USA, Fox Video), a high-energy spin on the subgenre where the zombies
can talk, crave brains specifically and keep moving around even with their
heads cut off. Third, Cemetery Man (a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore,
1994, Italy, Anchor Bay Entertainment), a surreal black comedy zombie love
story starring Rupert Everett, which is beautifully shot and stunningly
original. Lastly, Shaun of the Dead (2004, UK, Alliance), which
hilariously riffs on Romero's apocalypse story with plenty of clever zombie
gags, an impressive amount of gore and characters you can't help but
love.
Fangoria’s Tony Timpone Marathon:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (either version)
Dead Alive
An American Werewolf in London
Shaun of the Dead
The Cambridge Movie News Marathon (reprise)
Dracula (1931, Spanish version)
Trilogy of Terror
Maximum Overdrive
Black Christmas
Brattle
Update
Compiled by Chris DeKalb
The Brattle Theater posted the following announcement on their website on
August 1st:
“Since The Brattle Film Foundation announced the Preserve the Brattle
Legacy Campaign in late 2005 we have raised $279,000. We said in that initial
announcement that significant community support was going to be vital to the
continuation of the Brattle as a repertory cinema at its current location in
Harvard Square. We are happy to report that, due to the success of the
campaign so far, it is clear that the community values the Brattle and what
it stands for. What we have seen over the past 9 months is extremely
encouraging for the future of the Theatre but the Campaign, and the fight,
isn't over yet! Our final goal - one that will stabilize the Brattle for years
to come - is to raise $500,000 by the end of 2006.”
More information, about both the fundraising and the Brattle in general, can
be found at www.brattlefilm.org.
Here are Some of
the Upcoming Brattle Benefits:
Riding Shotgun and Buffalo Soldiers
Saturday, August 12 at 7pm
$5 suggested
Hosted at the the Lily Pad club in Cambridge’s Inman Square B-Line films
will be presenting a screening of their film Buffalo Soldiers.
After the screening two sets from the musical group Riding Shotgun will be
performed with a special preview of an upcoming B-Line film in between the
sets. Buffalo Soldiers is a documentary about the Jamacian
immigrants who work on US tobacco farms.
More information can be found at www.lily-pad.net
and www.blinefilms.com.
Brattle Trivia Night II
Sunday, August 20 at 3:00pm
A movie team trivia contest in three-rounds at the All Asia Bar in
Cambridge.
For more details check out www.allasiabar.com.
“Save the Brattle” Improv Festival
Sunday, August 27 at 8:00
Tickets $15/$10 students
Taking place at Improv Asylum in Boston six local Improv troupes will take
place in the 4-hour comedy event (with an intermission). Troupes
include Midnight Snack, Improv Asylum, Big Deal, ImprovBoston, Bartlett
High Presents and Improv Jones.
Reservations for this event can be made by emailing Michael Guerra at brattleimprov@gmail.com
More information can be found at www.improvboston.com.
Save
the Brattle!
By Chris DeKalb
As you may have heard the Brattle Theatre is in trouble. The Brattle
has been trying to raise money in several ways for most of this year, but in
October they announced that these actions are falling short. The
Brattle Foundation announced that if they do not raise $400,000 by the end of
2005 then the Brattle will close.
The problems facing the Brattle are vast. The main thing is that,
according to ticket sales, the Brattle is loved by many and attended by
few. Think about it. When was the last time you saw something at
the Brattle? And how full was the audience? (for this editor? Godzilla
Final Wars and the house was maybe 50% full on a Friday night)
This is just adding to the existing problems at the theatre. The
Brattle is a small 1-screen cinema hidden in Harvard Square with an entrance
buried under street-level. Fewer independent businesses are in the
neighborhood and the HMV building is still vacant.
The Kendal Theater now shows various documentaries, indies and foreign films
for 1-week runs vastly increasing the exposure of films that used to be only
at the Brattle.
Given these problems can the Brattle be saved? Or is it doomed
to go the same way as Drive-Ins and most other Cinemas with less than 5
screens?
The Cambridge Movie News believes that the Brattle can and should be
saved. It’s going to take some work but the Brattle has
consistantly brought great things for cinema lovers. Their
festivals are top-notch (the BFFF is the best horror and sci-fi festival in
Boston), they have managed to bring in some truly amazing artistic and
foreign films (they showed Undead over 2 years ago!).
The Brattle is a funky treasure and it is within our interests as good movie
buffs to try to keep it alive.
So how do we do that?
There are two things that can be done to save the Brattle:
Long Term:
In the Long Term there are three things that can be done to keep the Brattle
alive.
First, See More Movies. Remember that the theater is very much a
‘use it or lose it’ thing. If you don’t go to see it
than don’t complain when it leaves.
Second, Hit the Concession Stand. One of the open secrests
about movie theaters is that they get almost all of their proceeds from
Concessions. Selling popcorn and soda (or ice cream and bottled water
at the Brattle) is what pays the bills. Next time you go think about
buying the candy at the Concession Stand instead of sneaking it in.
Third, Buy a Membership. The Brattle offers several very
attractive membership options. You get to see a lot of films and the
Brattle gets a nice little income stream outside of the Box Office.
Short Term:
In the Short Term there are several things that the Brattle is offering:
Buy a Seat: You can have a seat named in your honor for a donation of
$175. (Or if you’re modest buy a seat and name it after your
favorite saturday morning cartoon character).
Make a direct donation: On the Brattle website (www.brattlefilm.org) you can make a
direct contribution through Paypal. You can call 617 876-8021 Mon-Fri
10AM-5PM to make a credit card donation. Or you can mail in the payment
to:
Brattle Film Foundation
Attn: Ivy Moylan
40 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Sure you don’t get a nifty seat or a membership, but it’s very easy
and a good option if you’re strapped for cash.
Join the Watch-a-Thon: Just like a walk-a-thon you can sign up (and
pay a $50 fee, or $30 for students) and have people pledge money to the
cause. From Nov. 11th to Dec. 4th catch as many films as you can and
have people pay pledges for each one you see. Plus if you raise more
than $1000 your registration fee is refunded.
Still trying to decide? Remember that these are the people who
showed the original Godzilla film uncut and subtitled. They put The
Muppet Movie in a Halloween festival. They actually showed Goodbye
Dragon Inn. (err some of you probably shouldn’t consider that one)
Back to top
What's Your
Favorite Scary Movie?
Back in 1996 a little horror flick called Scream
made the question “What’s your favorite scary movie?” famous.
While it is also a bit of a cliché now, we’ve decided to do some digging
and find out just what people think. The answers turned up a surprising
range of answers, from the classics to some relatively recent. We have
Ghosts, Demons, and even an attack by Nature.
Meanwhile take a look below to see what people are afraid of, and wether your
favorite scary movie is shared by anyone else.
Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds
“I was a little kid and to this day I still can remember the chills I
had when I see alot of birds sitting on a telephone line.”
Michael Sullivan
Mayor of Cambridge
I think I would have to say Carrie is my favorite horror film
In the end when the end comes up from the grave....i think the first time I
saw the film I screamed and jumped about 10 feet in the air...talk about
popcorn flying everywhere....actually I think every time I saw the film I
screamed and jumped...
Julie Kramer
DJ, WFNX-FM
Phantasm
I used to watch this film when I was 4 years old. I was so scared to go to
bed at night for fear there were the nomes under the bed that would come up
and get me. And the Tall Man, he freaked the hell out of me. That ball
in that guys head and all that blood all over the floor was the best. I
am a HUGE horror fan and Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday! I wish
it was Halloween 365 days a year! You can't get me to leave the
television set during the month of October because of all the horror films
that are running.
Stephanie Beaton
Scream Queen, (www.stephaniebeaton.com)
The Omen
“I ran home after seeing a matinee of the movie. It was bright daylight
and I lived in
one of the smallest cows and corn town in the state, so I doubt I was in any
real
danger.”
thanks,
”Shred”
The Middle East Club
The movie that freaks me out the most is: The Stepfather (1987).
Not so much a blood and guts film, but a psychological thriller that will
stay with you long after the movie is over. The lead character gives the
performance of a lifetime.
Henry Santoro
News Director
WFNX-FM
The Devil’s Backbone
Guillermo del Toro’s film about a haunted orphanage set against
Franco’s Spain is meticulously crafted, philosophical and tragic and
rises above mere genre to become something else entirely – a ghostly
moving picture poem.
Rod Gudino
Editor-In-Chief, Rue Morgue Magazine (www.rue-morgue.com)
The Shining
Jack Nicholson gives a chilling performance in this classic horror film. The
scene where he is chasing his son Danny through the garden maze outside in
the middle of winter is quite intense.
Laura Yellen
Assistant Director
Massachusetts Film Bureau
The Exorcist
Tom Savini
Actor/FX expert, (www.savini.com)
The Shining
There's nothing better than watching Jack Nicholson do his Johnny Carson
impersonation on a snowy winter night! It has been 25 years since it's
release and it still scares me every time!
Sherri Belski
Booking Agent
FEI Theatres (Managers of the Somerville and Capital Theatres)
I would have to go with 1963's The Haunting (avoid the 1999 remake
like the plague.)
The pervasive sense of dread throughout is hard to shake off, and if you have
an anxiety disorder, just skip over the sequence with the bending door and
the one with the spiral staircase! The best kind of terror is created
in the mind with a tiny bit of stimulus, and this film is pure
stimulus. Plus the opening has some footage of downtown Boston circa
1963.
Gary!
Chief Data Entry & Inventory Administrator (and sometimes Chief
Engineer)
Hollywood Express Video
Re-Animator (1985)
Stuart Gordon's beloved gore-a-go-go splatter comedy does to H.P.
Lovecraft's original short story what Dr. Herbert West (a prissy
Jeffrey
Combs) does to corpses: shoots it up with neon green chemicals until it
rampages around the room with its intestines bursting out. When the
lovely
Barbara Crampton is assaulted by the severed head of her deceased
professor, you know you've crossed the line into the land of the very,
very
wrong. Bonus points for the zombie cat. Stick with the great Bride of
Frankenstein (1935) if you're looking for classic horror, but if you
want
everyone at your Halloween party screaming at top volume in grossed-out
disbelief, this is your bucket of high-camp chum.
Ty Burr
Movie Critic, Boston Globe
The Fly
"My kind of story. Part SF, but mainly horror!"
Brian Lumley
Novelist
The Exorcist
I know, it's kind of cliche... but I didn't muster up the courage to watch
the entire movie until I was in my 20s, and even now it still unnerves
me.
Adam Kempenaar
Co-host, Cinecast (www.cinecastshow.com)
The Shining
OK maybe it doesn't make a lick of sense under closer scrutiny, and maybe
Nicholson is pretty much off the rails of sanity from the very earliest
frames of the film, but DAMN Kubrick just creates such an upsetting
mood. Forget about Bartok, I can hardly listen to certain types of Big
Band music without getting the willies thanks to this movie. Leaves a
psychic scar. And maybe that's the highest praise you can give any
horror film.
Sam Hallgren
Co-host, Cinecast (www.cinecastshow.com)
Nosferatu's not bad but I guess I'll stick with The Uninvited
starring Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey.
Ingrid Pitt
Actress, (www.pittofhorror.com)
My favorite horror movie is Night of the Living Dead. Unlike many
modern horror movies, this one takes the scares seriously all the way
through. The only brush with humor is right at the very beginning, when a man
mocks his sister's fear. After that, it's a descent into dread and terror.
Though it's a zombie movie, it's more than just a munchfest. It's a social
morality play, and stands up to repeated viewings.
Other favorites are The Shining, Invasion of the Body Snatchers,
the original Carnival of Souls, and Session 9.
Scott Nicholson
Thriller Writer, (www.hauntedcomputer.com)
Back to top
The Big Screen vs. The Shiny Disc
Editorial by Chris DeKalb
Note: This is the full version of the editorial
that appears in Issue #49. It was edited in the print edition due to
space issues
This year, especially this summer, has seen a lot of press
coverage of the slipping Hollywood box office. 4 of the last 5 years
has seen a decrease in the amount of money brought in at American movie
theaters, cineplexes and multi-plexes. Hollywood Producers and studios
love to talk about how they’re hurting (especially if they’re
talking about file-sharing, a favorite scapegoats).
But the truth is a lot more complicated than just less ticket sales. As
the old Chinese proverb goes, Hollywood is living in interesting times.
The Box Office
Take(s)
Every Sunday evening the news media discusses who won the
battle at the box office, listing the top 10 films in the country for the
previous 3 days. They list the movies, how many millions they took in
and how long they’ve been around. Commentators then discuss how
strong or weak the movies are doing. You’ll always hear
about the big blockbuster that did well (Star Wars III), the blockbuster
that didn’t (The Island), the film that is holding on
surprisingly well (Wedding Crashers), any documentary that made
more that $1 million (March of the Penguins) and the critics'
favorites that nobody is going to see (Cinderella Man, Murderball).
Another thing you’ll notice is the drop in movie attendance from the
first weekend. This averages 50% and can be up to 75% if the movie is
not well received. Very few movies are holding up in weeks, and those
tend to be movies doing well on word-of-mouth and who tend towards the
mid-range of box office takes (Indies, dramas, documentaries).
The box office take is the biggest bit of glamour for the movie. Everyone
wants to be #1, even if you’re not. That’s why you see ads stating
“the #1 Action film” or “the #1 Comedy” for films that
were actually #2 or #5 in the total accumulation. Quite simply the
opening box office is the prom dance and everyone wants to be King or
Queen.
Now here are a couple dirty little secrets about the Box Office:
1. The movie cost more than they’re saying
2. The studios don’t get all the money
The first secret is that when the critics and the studios talk about the
movie’s budget they’re leaving out something: the marketing costs.
All those TV ads, the magazine ads and the Burger King toys all cost money
that is being spent on the film, but because it is spent after the film is
completed it’s not recorded in the budget. There are rumors that
for a few films marketing has added 20-50% to the total cost of a film.
The second secret is that the box office take is split between the Studios
and the Movie Theaters (which are separate companies by law).
Each film has a different contract with the cinemas for how the split is
done, but it is always slanted towards the studio at first and then decreases
each week. The percentages vary but the big films will see a starting
80%/20% split. Remember that 50-75% drop-off after opening
weekend? That’s smashing the cinemas and is a large factor in all
those ads that are increasingly being used before the movie.
Dropping Proceeds
Another little dirty secret is that the dropping box
office receipts is that it’s not hitting all the studios equally. The
big boys such as Fox and Universal are about equal to last year, it’s the
smaller studios that are taking it in the stomach.
Still, the continuing drop will affect all the studios eventually. That
means less money coming in while their costs stay about the same or
increase. (you can guess what the odds are that movie stars will ask
for a decrease in pay).
Add to this that studios are making a very nice profit in another area: the
aftermarket. The aftermarket for a film includes the Pay-Per-View
release, the DVD/VHS release, the Movie Channels (HBO) and Airline releases
and finally the sale to one of the TV networks. The big one of all of
these is the DVD release, which are now seeing marketing campaigns of their
own.
So the financial landscape is changing. Unfortunately the Glitz is
not. Red-carpet premieres are were the studios and their stars get to
shine. The DVD release is heralded by a slot at Tower Records and sale
rankings at Amazon.
Shrinking Windows
Studios are looking at the changing financials and are
thinking, what should we do about this? One thing has been shrinking
the time between the premiere of the movie and the release of the DVD.
That way the marketing campaign for the film will still be fresh and will, in
theory, boost sales of the DVD as well. Some studio insiders have gone
so far as to say the theatrical film will become a 2-hour trailer for the
DVD.
There is one teeny tiny problem with this. The movie theaters are
having none of it. They get no money from the aftermarket
releases and are already getting pummeled by the speedy decline in weekly
ticket sales. Their fear is that with such a short window customers will
sit back and say “I’ll wait for it on disc”. Anecdotal
evidence suggests that this is already happening. Plus the theaters are
doing more than just complaining. A German movie chain refused to carry
the film Herbie: Fully Loaded due to the planned quick release of the
film to DVD in that country.
So what will the future bring? Hard to say, there’s still an awful
lot of money flowing around and nobody honestly expects to see the demise of
the Movie Theater. But you will see more ads, both at the theater and
for the DVD releases. But beyond that is anybody’s guess.
A Short History of the War of the Worlds
The Book
The War of the Worlds came to Earth originally as a book by H.G. Wells.
Published in 1898 the book tells the tale of Martians forced to flee Mars and
attempt to colonize Earth. The novel takes place in Victorian England,
at the time one of the most powerful human nations. The Martians wipe
out all resistance with minimal losses. The narrator must cross over a
devastated England to try to survive and re-unite with his family. But
the Martians prove to have no resistance to earth germs and soon begin to
die. Earth is saved by its tiniest of inhabitants.
The Radio Drama
In October of 1938 on of the most famous versions of the War of the World
was broadcast. The radio show Mercury Theater Show, with Orson Welles,
adapted the story as one of the radio dramas. The story was changed in
that the aliens now arrived in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey and the time
was set to the present. Welles also shifted the story to a fake
news-broadcast format which proved to be very effective. So effective,
in fact, that it caused a small panic among people who caught only part of
the broadcast. (this was despite some serious time jumps in the
narrative and three announcements that it was not a real event in the
program).
The 1953 Movie
The first cinematic attempt at War of the Worlds was the George Pal film
from 1953. It move the story to America updated the invasion to the
1950s. This time a love story is introduced and the Martian war
machines hover over the ground instead of walking tripods (this is mostly
because the special effects of the time couldn’t do the tripods justice
and they didn’t have the money to do the ‘lightning’ legs that
they wanted to do). This is also the first version where the Humans try
to nuke the Martians…to no effect. This version gives the Martian
war machines an impenetrable force shield to withstand the human
weapons.
Despite the updating and Hollywood limitations the movie holds true to
several points of the film and is a classic.
The Musical
In 1978 a record was released with the Martians invading England
again. It was Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds.
This version was a retelling of the original with the machines invading
England back in the late 1800s. The record was released with a book of
artwork as well. The musical also expanded a bit on the Martian machines
(including the flying machines) and the reasons behind the Martian
invasion.
The Musical is being re-released in 2005 and a cgi film version is also in
production.
The TV series
In 1988 the small screen got a little Martian attention. A syndicated
TV show called War of the Worlds: The Series began and lasted for two
seasons. The show was set in the eighties where the 1953 War of the
Worlds movie had happened humanity had attempted to completely forget about
it (yes it’s weak but they little choice if they wanted today’s
society and still have the alien invasion). The series only lasted two
seasons and suffered from a massive thematic change during the season
hiatus.
This version of the story used the alien vehicles from the 1953 movie and added
a few twists like the Martians being able to take over human bodies.
The 2005 Movie
Steven Spielberg decided to update the Martians again for the summer of
2005. The time is now and the action is set along the northeast United
States. The Martian war machines have legs again but also have the
shields from the ’53 version. Also the Martian’s origins are
obscured. They’re mentioned as aliens but their home planet is
never actually revealed. .
The DTV movie (2005)
A small independent version of War of
the Worlds hit DVD (and Scifi Channel) was also produced in 2005.
It was released direct-to-video two weeks before the opening of Spielberg’s
version. Alas critics have not been terribly impressed with the film
although it is the only version of the film to incorporate the poison gas
that the Martians use in the book.
Other Movies of Note:
H.G. Wells and the War of the Worlds: A Documentary
A new documentary released by Delta DVD about the history of Wells and his
famous book. The film suffers a bit from a lack of clips from the
various movies it talks about, although rumors are that the studios gave this
documentary little to no help at all (and thus didn’t hand over any
clips).
The Night that Panicked America
This is a tv-movie talking about the 1938 radio broadcast and includes a few
stories (fictionalized) of people panicking. Although well-liked by
critics the film has not been released on DVD or VHS as of this
printing.
Websites:
If you’d like to know more about the War of the Worlds series you should
check out the following sites:
www.imdb.com (for the movies)
www.tv.com (for the tv series)
www.war-of the-worlds.co.uk
(a great all-encompassing site)
www.mercurytheatre.info
(all of the Mercury Theatre broadcasts including the 1938 broadcast)
Editorial: 2005
Wish-list
By Chris DeKalb, Cambridge Movie News Editor
As the new year starts here are a few things that I would like to see happen
in the movie industry, especially the DVD field. Agree with any of
these? Disagree? Drop me a line at cdkboston@earthlink.net. I’d
like to hear what ~you~ would love to see in 2005.
Stop Showing the Whole Movie in the Menus
Animated menus on DVDs can be a lot of fun. But some companies *cough*Lucasfilms*cough*
go overboard and show either a summary of the key scenes or a visual montage
of the entire movie while we’re waiting for the ‘Play’ option
to show up. Art is good, spoiling the movie is not.
Commentaries with Controlled Movie Playing Time
Audio commentaries are one of the more interesting special features on a
DVD. Depending on who they get you can hear behind-the-scenes stories,
impressions of what the director was going for and advice on how a scene
worked or failed. But there is one problem with them. As they are
talking the movie continues to play. And describing how a scene works
usually takes longer than the scene takes to play out. Thus the
commentators have to shorten their stories or skip over some entirely because
the film has moved on.
But what if the commentator could slow down, stop or fast forward the film
while they’re recording the commentary? If they want to discuss a scene
in detail they can slow it down, if they’re in a straight-forward scene
they can fast-forward ahead.
This would obviously take up more room on the DVD as another version of the
film would have to be added, but with the increasing use of multi-DVD sets
this would hardly be a problem.
Reduction of “Security Device Enclosed” Stickers
Depending on who produced the DVD you will have up to three stickers on the
DVD case under the plastic wrapping. Usually on the top there will be a
sticker with the name of the movie on it. No problem, it makes it far easier
to flip through the display cases. But generally there will be two
other stickers. One on the side and one on the bottom proclaiming “Security
Device Enclosed”. These stickers are annoying and
useless.
Worse, they have a tendency to pull at the plastic of the case when they are
peeled off, sometimes damaging the cover art.
Producers have claimed that the stickers are there because the stores want
them. As the device is inside the case, instead of on the tag like with
other items, the have to put a sticker on. That’s fine and dandy,
but there are two solutions to this. One, put the sticker on the
plastic wrapping outside the case. You still warn the customer and no
damage is done to the case. Or, use one smaller sticker on the
side. We don’t need the sticker on the bottom. Less stickers
are used and damage is minimized.
Reasonable Release Dates from Miramax
This could have been a banner year for Asian films. Five films were set
for wide release in the American market, mostly through Miramax films.
But things did not go smoothly, release dates were jumbled, promised wide
releases never happened and a few only saw play at festivals before being
dumped on DVD. Shaolin Soccer was briefly brought
out after 4 different release dates and Infernal Affairs never got its
promised wide release (it also has a strange cover for the American release:
a woman with a gun is prominent on the cover even though there are no major
female characters).
But things are improving. Hero, despite some initial release date
probs, was released wide to critical acclaim. Ju-on: The Grudge
received a small but favorable release before the American remake was
released. And finally the House of Flying Daggers is also
receiving a wide-release and public attention.
We are thankful for the improvements, but seeing more films and less release
date fiascos would be very nice.
Comparison DVD
Guide 2004
Holiday Buying Guide
I selected four films to search for in each of the stores, both online and
physical. I wanted four categories: a New Release, a General
Catalog title, a Foreign Film and a Classic.
For the New Release I chose Spiderman 2. It came out in late
November to great reviews and massive sales. I expected every store to
have this.
For the General Catalog film I chose The Hunt for Red October. It’s
been out for awhile, but the star power and general quality of the film led
me to believe everyone would have it. And since it was out for awhile I
expected the price to be fairly low.
For Foreign Film I chose Ringu, a Japanese horror film that The
Ring was based on. It had fairly wide distribution for a foreign
film, so I had moderate expectations that it would be around but might be
pricey.
For a classic I went with Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.
It is a classic film but there has not been any buzz about it lately and no
special reason for it to be stocked. I expected it to be at maybe half
of the places I went too.
Online
I chose four websites to check:
Amazon (www.amazon.com
), the big boy of dvd sales on the Internet. It generally has good
prices and reliability. I expected Amazon to have all of the films and
be quite competitive on price. Amazon is known to modify its prices,
however, based on customer habits so you may find a different price than what
I found.
Overstock.com (www.overstock.com ). The
website tends to be great with prices but spotty on availability and shipping
times can be erratic. I expected Overstock to have the best prices but
worst availability.
DVD Empire (www.dvdempire.com),
which represents the movie-specific sites. It has a clean search engine
and should have all the films. It was the dark horse in prices as other
sites tend to discount more.
And last I chose Movies Unlimited (www.moviesunlimited.com
). It specializes in collectables and OOP movies so I wasn’t
sure how it would do on selection or pricing.
The results were:
*Listed as Spider-man 2
Prices do not include shipping costs.
As you can see every site had every title, which was pretty much
expected. Finding the movies was easy for most of the sites, with
Amazon and DVD Empire having the cleanest search displays. Overstock
had the worst with multiple categories showing up despite my putting ‘dvd’
in the search box. Movies Unlimited had one snafu, with the search “Spiderman
2” generating no results. A little hunting found that the film was
listed as “Spider-man 2”.
Movies Unlimited was the best for providing alternate versions of the same
film, including an impressive Special Gift Set release of North by
Northwest (for $67.99).
For pricing Overstock managed to beat everybody on every film, but do keep in
mind shipping times can be a little goofy. After that it was mostly
Amazon’s show, except for Hunt for Red October which Movies
Unlimited managed to sneak in by 25 cents.
Local Stores
For the local stores I chose four Cambridge
Retailers:
Best Buy at the Cambridge Galleria to represent the big boys. I
expected great prices and most of the titles here.
Suncoast Movies at the Cambridge Galleria to represent the pure movie
stores, I expected all the movies here but they might not be able to
match the discounter’s prices.
Tower Records at Harvard Square. They have greatly improved
their dvd selection so this record store turned media store should have had
all the titles.
And finally I chose Newbury Comics at Harvard Square’s The
Garage.
And the results were:
Prices do not include sales tax.
The local stores did fairly well, although each had at least one title
unavailable. And since they have limited shelf-space that’s not
surprising. Tower came out with the biggest price surprise with North
by Northwest on Sale for ten bucks. It also had the easiest format
to browse for specific titles as they do straight alphabetical stocking with
very few separate genres. Newbury had the most eclectic selection but
had the tiniest aisles.
So all told the best of the best were:
Spiderman 2: $16.97 (Overstock)
Hunt for Red October: $9.64 (Overstock)
Ringu: $13.98 (Overstock)
North by Northwest: $9.99 (Tower Records)
Usability (website): DVDempire.com
Usability (store): Tower Records
Prices (in general, website): Overstock
Prices (in general, store): Best Buy
That Film
Happened to a Friend of My Friend…
Urban Legend: (Noun) A
story widely distributed through social circles as truth. Often of
morbid or scandalous nature.
Curses, psycho killers hunting ‘lover’s
lane’, ghosts in mirrors. All of these are tales that have spread
through American, and sometimes global, society for years. The stories
may or may not have any truth to them, but they are usually described as “it
happened to a friend of a friend of mine, honest!” It is of no
surprise then that sometimes these stories get pulled into films. For
what better place to put a scary story than on the silver screen?
The stories range from the scary to the humorous, but for this article we
will be discussing the horror tall-tales that have morphed into films.
Specifically these are films that have Urban Legends as their basis or story,
not films that just talk about them.
We will make one slight exeption for our first film: Urban Legend.
As the film is based directly on our topic, it seems fitting to include
it. Urban Legend is a slasher film from 1998, describing a killer who
uses a popular urban legend as the method for each murder. Along the
way several popular stories are described in depth.
Some of the stories are:
Pop Rocks: Drinking Pop Rocks and Soda at the same time causes
your stomach to explode
Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Turn On The Light: A roommate
comes home and hears her roommate but doesn’t turn on the light, so as
to avoid disturbing her. In the morning she finds her roommate brutally
killed and the words “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the
light?” written in blood on the wall.
The Kidney Transplant: A man is lured to a woman’s hotel room and
falls asleep after a drink is offered to him. He wakes up in a bath of
icewater with a note saying to call 911 if he wants to live. It turns
out as he was unconscious the woman removed his kidney to sell it on the
black market.
The Midnight Scream: At midnight at a certain time all the
freshmen of a certain college scream at once as a prank and to let loose
stress. Unfortunately as they scream a murder (or rape in some stories)
takes place. But since everyone was play-screaming nobody heard the
real one.
The Dead Boyfriend: A teenage couple are making out in a car.
The girl hears noises outside and gets scared, but the boyfriend decides to
go outside to check it out. The girl is left alone, but starts to hear
scratching sounds from the roof. Scared, she stays there all
night. The police come in the morning and tell her it’s safe to
come out of the car, but she is not to look back. She walks a little
ways but decides to look back despite the warning. She sees the body of
her murdered boyfriend strung up over the car, his fingernails scraping the
roof as his body swings in the wind.
Several other stories are told in this film, but I will describe these in
some of the following movie tales.
Candyman (1992)
Back in the 1800s a young white woman falls in love with a young black
man. They become lovers, but the affair is found out. The black
man is brutally tortured and killed by a mob. But things do not end
there. In modern times there is a story that if you say call the name “Candyman”
5 times in the mirror than a black man with a hook for a hand will appear and
kill you. A young woman, who looks miracously like the young woman in
the past, decides to research this myth and finds herself in the attention of
the ghost.
The plot for this one is based directly off the myth Bloody Mary.
The story goes that if you chant “Bloody Mary” (in some stories the
name is different) five times than a ghostly woman will show up in the mirror,
usually with horrible results. Interestingly enough movies based on the
Bloody Mary story have been said to be in development for the last couple of
decades, but other than Candyman none have made it to screen.
Other legends that are mentioned in this film include:
Bathroom Mutilation: A young boy is caught by a gang in a public
bathroom. Either as an act of innitation or just malice they
mutilate the boy (usually castration).
Razor Candy: That crazy people put razor blades in candy and give
them to kids.
Alligator (1980)
A kid buys a baby alligator at a fair, but as the animal grows and becomes
difficult to control (and feed) the child decide to get rid of it buy
flushing it down the toilet. But it doesn’t die, as it feeds on
rats and refuse it grows up in the sewers. It usually becomes
blind and albino, but it is still there and a threat to sewage workers.
Or at least that’s the tale of the Sewer Alligator. In this
film, and the sequal, the Alligator mutates from eating biological
waste (bodies of test animals) and becomes large and very aggressive.
For fun with this legend take a peek at www.sewergator.com.
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
A babysitter is alone in the first level of a large house. The two
children she’s supposed to be watching have been put to sleep in their
beds upstairs. The phone rings and a creepy voice begins threatening
her and the children. The phone calls continue until finally the
frightened sitter calls the police and asks them to trace the call.
After the next call the police call back and tell her to leave the house
immediately. Why? Because the calls are coming from the upstairs
extension. This is the story of the Killer and the Babysitter.
This story is old and has several variations (usually involving the discovery
of the children dead) but the idea of the killer in your house is the basis
for this film.
This legend is also, apparently, the basis for the opening scene of Scream
and is mentioned in Urban Legend.
Nightmares (1983)
A woman stops at a gas station and to fill up. But the attendant is
acting very strange and keeps trying to get her out of the car. Very
reluctantly the woman agrees but soon finds the attendant frantically calling
911 when they get in the store. The attendant turns to the woman and
says “I saw a man hiding in the backseat of your car with an axe”.
The Murderer in the Backseat legend is one of the four short stories
that appear in this low-budget movie anthology. This tale also appears
in Urban Legend.
Campfire Tales (1997)
This horror anthology contains a couple of horrific tales.
The Hook: A teenage couple are making out in a car when they
hear over the radio that a killer with a hook instead of a hand has escaped
from the local insane asylum. Spooked the girl insists that he driver
her home (thus ending the making-out). The annoyed boyfriend slams on
the gas and peels out of the lane to take her home. When they get to
her place he moves around to open her door only to discover a hook with a
bloody end hanging from her car door. The Hook is also one of the
inspirations for the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer and is
repeated in Urban Legend
Humans can lick too: A young woman hears a noise in the middle
of the night. She reaches down off the bed to pet her protective
dog. She feels the dog lick her hand and, re-assured, rolls over and
goes back to sleep. In the morning she wakes up and finds her dog brutally
killed and in the mirror is written “Humans can lick too”.
For further reading on urban legends you may want to check out the
following books:
The Vanishing Hitchhiker by Jan Harold Brunvand, W. W. Nortan &
Company, 1989
The Encyclopedia of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand, W. W. Nortan
& Company, 2002
And the websites:
www.snopes.com
urbanlegends.about.com
www.urbanlegends.com
And remember, when you hear a noise in the middle of the night it’s
probably not a horroble murderer writing taunting phrases or polishing his
hook. Probably…
Boston Film
Festival 2004
The biggest film festival in Boston, the BFF (Boston Film Festival) is
returning for it’s 20th year. The festival will be playing from
September 10th through the 19th at the Boston Common and Copley Theatres
(both part of the Loews chain). Festival organizers are expecting
around 20,000 people to attend.
This time around there are over 50 feature films and 25 short films
playing. Film prices are $10 per film and a discount book will be
available with 10 passes for $85. Please note that short films are
shown in groups of 4 or 5 for the price of 1 ticket.
The BFF has shown a wide selection of films ranging from the artsy
Hollywood films (Hearts of Atlantis, Requiem for a Dream), independent
films (Auto Focus, Secretary), Foreign flicks (Brotherhood of the
Wolf, No Man’s Land) and Documentaries (Fog of War).
Several films selected for the film have gone on to become critic’s
favorites and/or Oscar nominees, especially in the Documentary
category.
This year selections include:
The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon, Guerilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst,
Bright Young Things, the 2004 Sundance Documentary Audience Award
winner Born into Brothels, The Thailand film Ong-Bak: The Thai
Warrior, French/Swiss film Les Choristes, Incident at Loch Ness
and LA Film Festival winner Unknown Solder.
Other films and the individual screening dates will be announced soon.
Also at this year’s festival Annette Bening will be presented with
the annual Film Excellence Award. The award will be presented on
September 13th just before the screening of Being Julia, which Bening
stars in.
For more information about the Festival please go to www.bostonfilmfestival.org.
Interview
with Urban Chillers.com
As your going along the web there are plenty of websites
that show independent films. But if you’re looking for something
to scare you, one of the best is Urban Chillers.com (www.urbanchillers.com). There you can
see quite a few horror films as well as assorted creepy stories, pictures and
other website staples like forums and chat. Urbanchillers Films (the
guys behind UrbanChillers.com and other projects) is a company with offices
in both America and the United Kingdom.
David Court, Head of Development for Urbanchillers Films was nice enough
to grant us an interview. (Bold text indicates CMN questions)
When and why was Urbanchillers.com created?
Both Urbanchillers Films and Urbanchillers.com were created at the same time
in 1999 by myself, Nick Stillwell, Ean Thorley and David Reilly.
Basically we were frustrated that despite horror being one of the most
popular genres of all time there was no real outlet for it. We wanted to
create a place where people could read about horror, see new short horror
movies as well as read and watch trailers about up coming feature films. We
want to be like Hammer House Of Horror was like in the glory days of the 70's
- Minus the camp theatrics!
How many hits a month does it receive?
The site gets up to 2 million hits a day and 50,000 movie downloads. We
partner up with Apple for film making opportunities and promotions
About how many films does it host?
It has at any one time around 150 movies on the site - If you click on the
"Watch" section of the site you will find them in all in handily
named sections - I.e. "3 Minute Chillers" - It kind of does what it
says on the tin!
You've done a few contests for independent films, how were the
results?
They went amazingly well. We have done most of our film competitions tying in
with Apple and so each film maker can virtually guarantee global exposure for
their short. Apple have donated some wonderful prizes and we have often found
ourselves as the main promotion on their QuickTime player.
When will you do another contest?
We definitely will but probably after the site has had a face lift. We are
planning a major new look for it next year. However we are always accepting
content for the site and have recently put together a 13 x 30 minute program
entitled "The Fear Zone" that will be on TV around the world next
year. The series will feature some of the best films from the site as well as
celebrity interviews from the horror masters -people like Robert Englund and
Wes Craven so what I am cheaply trying to plug is: get filming now and not
only could you stand a chance to get on the site but also on TV - Not
bad!
Speaking of filming, do you have any advice for people who want to
submit to UrbanChillers?
Yes, four things:
1. STORY - Remember that people aren't just going to watch you experiment
effects with your cameras - Get creative but remember to attach some sort of
story in there!
2. LESS IS MORE - In every way! Keep your film short and sweet (under 5 mins.
unless you absolutely have no other choice) and lay off the sauce.
Surprisingly enough most horror fans don't love the gore and would prefer to
watch a chiller rather than a slasher. Remember its often what you don't see
that scares the most - it feeds the audiences imagination and lets the boogie
man/demon out of their own heads. A movie like Jeepers Creepers was
terrifying until you saw "The Creeper" after that it lost its
appeal.
3. WHAT SCARES YOU - will probably scare others so put your own fear and
passion in there and you will have a hit
4. JUST DO IT - Too many people will give you every reason why NOT to film
something - but just get off your arse and do it! Borrow your mates or your
parents video camera and get creative. There is all the help you need on
making and submitting your movie in the "submit" section of the
home page on our site. Plus if you need any more help then you can email me
direct at david@urbanchillers.com.
One of the creepier spots on the site is the CCTV files (security
camera footage). Is this real footage?
Well it took long enough for our lawyers to pass it so I think so!
Can you tell us the story behind them?
It was submitted too us a couple of years ago but sadly I am not allowed to
reveal the source. There were no background stories with them - only dates on
when the footage was filmed. We are trying to get some more as we
speak.
Also, where did you get that opening sound clip from (the 911 call)?
The 911 call actually links to one of the movies on the site and was created
specifically for it. To find where it links to you need to go to the movie
"The Apartment" in the "Urban Myth Chillers" film stream.
At the end of the movie the distraught girl picks up the phone and dials for
the police - We created the call around the girls cries for help and what the
operator would have said in that circumstance. The 911 call plays on the home
page before you actually enter the site but there is also another 911 call
that links to one of the other urban Myth Chiller films and you will find it
in the news pages of The Dorm.
Judging from the response you've seen to the films, what scares people
the most?
I think it tends to be either Urban Myth Chillers or the CCTV Files. It is
the sense of urban unease that lives in us all. The fact that even though we
live in the city we don't know who is moving around us - It could be a
friendly face but it it is just as likely to be a psychopathic killer - The
killer hiding in the back seat of your car!
What scares you the most?
I am a complete baby when it comes to horror films! - I love to be scared but
I will be the one in the cinema covering his ears and eyes and crouching
below the seat!. I also live in the middle of nowhere and so when things inexplicably
happen I tend t get a little nervous - you know - When all the lights go out
and you walk downstairs in the middle of the night and the front door is open
- You know you are ok and the fuse has just gone but for some stupid reason
you hear your heart beating in your head and all your hackles go up!
What lies in the future for UrbanChillers?
We are bloody manic at the moment! We are developing 2 series with Sony
Television at the moment - One drama and one light entertainment. On top of
that we are putting together The Fear Zone series as we speak and also
planning to shoot our first full length feature film this February which is
going to be a modern adaptation of "Jekyll And Hyde" - For the MTV
generation!
As an extra - Keep your eye on the site as we have got another 25 Urban Myth
Chillers premiering soon. We have just finished filming the series with
Universal Television Networks and GTV and it will be shown around the world
on TV this fall starring Omar Sharif .
Thanks for Answering our questions.
Many thanks for your time and if anyone has any further questions on
submitting a story or movie then please email me at david@urbanchillers.com.
Haunted Theaters
By themselves Movie Theaters can be very creepy
places. They’re usually large, full of rooms, back tunnels and
dark storage rooms. The older ones have plenty of history and creak and
groan as old buildings do. And walking through them late at night when
you’re all alone can be genuinely creepy.
Now that you’re thinking about how normal theaters can give you the
willies, here’s a few stories about the haunted ones!
Please note both theater and personal names have been left out to leave some
denial room for those involved.
Haunted Eyes
Location: Very close to you dear reader.
Story source: a friend.
A small Boston area theater is allegedly haunted. Small things have
been reported from time to time, including seats that suddenly go down as if
someone was sitting in them, even when no-one was there. Other times
they will go up and down repeatedly, again with nobody nearby.
But one theater in particular seems to hold at least one ghost, and possibly
two. The first was a simple customer report. She saw a man walk
out from behind the movie screen. This wasn’t unusual, there was a
visible crawl space there. But then the man turned to the right and
walked through a closed fire exit door as if it wasn’t there.
Another time a member of the staff was doing the closing check in the theater
when she suddenly felt a chill and thought someone was staring at her.
She looked behind her to see two red glowing eyes at the very back of the
theater, behind all the seats. Being somewhat sensible she immediately
left the theater as fast as she could. Later on other staff went into
there to check it out. But no evidence was found and she never saw them
again.
The odd part is that when she asked about that particular theater an older
projectionist said something did happen once in that theater in that
location.
But what happened?
The projectionist would never tell her because, he said, if he did she would
never go back in that theater again.
The Disappearing Woman
Location: California
Source: http://www.hotlyps.com/movie.txt
A theater on the West Coast that happens to sit right next to a
graveyard. Besides having staff mention, repeatedly, a mysterious cold
spot in the cleaning room and hearing people that aren’t there in the
projection booth at least one ghost was actually seen.
An assistant manager walked into one of the theaters to check it before
closing when she saw a woman standing near the front of it. The woman
was seemingly talking, but no sound came out. Her clothes and hair were
also drifting like she was in a breeze despite being in a closed theater with
no wind at all.
When the woman noticed the manager, she looked surprised and then
vanished. The manager fled the theater, followed by one of her
staff. The staff member had seen the woman disappear as well.
Footsteps
Location: Vermont
Source: Usenet (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
Up north there is a theater with some very active ghosts. Everyone that
works there has heard the footsteps that go up and down the stairs.
Heavy and loud, each step can be heard and yet when you look nobody is
there.
The ghost has been blamed for locking doors, moving equipment and suddenly
turning on music and light systems.
All that can be said is that none of the staff will stay there alone.
And neither will anyone brought in from outside, not even renovators.
Goodbye
Location: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Source: http://www.realhaunts.com/states/michigan
After a construction worker died while building this theater, strange things
happened during the build and also after the theater opened. Strange
things included toilets flushing themselves, seats rocking on their own and
lights turning on and off by themselves. Eventually the theater closed
down, but afterwards four employees went back to the theater to say goodbye
to the ghost (whom they’d nicknamed “Johnny”). After
they said their goodbyes the lights in their auditorium mysteriously turned
on by themselves.
Perhaps in this case the ghost would miss them too.
Horrific Screening
Location: Colorado
Source: Drew Dahmer
(http://community-2.webtv.net/waking-dreamer/LegacyOfTheBlair)
The horror of Theater #4 brought to you in her own words:
“Let me set the stage. It is a small Colorado town, founded probably by
miners in the late 17 or 1800's. The Theater is relatively new. Probably not
more than a decade old or so. HOWEVER, the land about a half mile away from
it, which is now an intersection, used to be Indian Burial Grounds, and the
land on which it is sitting was not used for MANY years. Why? Well, I think
I've found the answer to that.
Employees from Managers, District and Regional Managers, Supervisors, and
even just Clerks like I was once will tell you stories as soon as you start
working there. "Don't stay there alone at night!" "I wouldn't
close up there!" "Have you met the ghosts yet?" All these
phrases and many more are shrugged off. Hey, the new kid on the block always
gets razzed right? Wrong. They are telling the truth.
My first experience was about the second or third time I saw the film
"Event Horizon" My friend Alex and I had decided to do a midnight
showing of it to see if we could scare ourselves silly. I was sitting in the
well-lit theater, waiting for Alex to cut the lights and come down to watch
it with me. I was reading a book while I still had some light. Just then, the
lights DID cut off, and I put my book away and looked up to the projection
booth to see if Alex was starting the movie.
I saw what looked like his silhouette, looking down at me. Only it
looked...different. It had red eyes, and it's teeth, smiling, were visible
even in the darkness! I got up and started to leave, but when I got to the
theater doors, they were locked!!!! I don't know about your theater, but ours
don't have locks on the swinging doors into the theater! I tried to turn on
the cleaning lights, (Which are operated by a manual switch behind curtains.)
and those wouldn't come on either.
By now I was getting quite worried. Then a LOUD blast came from the speakers,
so I turned around and saw the scene where Dr. Weir is holding Capt. Miller's
head and yelling "DO YOU SEE?" Then, as abruptly as it had started,
the film stopped, the lights turned back on, and everything was normal!
I ran to the doors again, and found them easily opened! I took off toward the
front entrance to the theater, only to find Alex walking up to them to unlock
them. Needless to say, I threw open the door and yelled at him for a few
minutes, still thinking it had all been some elaborate prank, then he told me
something that I Still remember to this day.
"Drew, I just went to the store to get some smokes! I wasn't even here!
And I know you're making it up, because that just isn't possible. The house
lights only go off and on with a cue on the film itself, and the film has to
start at the beginning and run through to the end! You can't just stop start
and rewind it like a video. Quit messing with my head!"
So until next time, enjoy your show in the dark quiet theater. And
remember the shadow moving beside you is probably just an Usher.
Probably.
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