Horror movie madness: Chicago in October…

Up until a year or two ago, Chicago was a dead town for revivial cinema.  I and a couple of work friends literally drove up to Milwaukee a couple of years ago to see Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, because there wasn’t anything closer. 

How times change. 

First of all, the Music Box is running their fourth annual 24 hour Halloween Massacre on Oct 25th, starting at noon.  The movies include:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Barrymore, I assume, since they start with a silent)
White Zombie
Old Dark House
Eyes Without a Face
Phantom of the Paradise
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Pieces
Black Sabbath
Dead Alive
The Exorcist
The Midnight Meat Train
May
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Meanwhile, two groups have been competing with horror and sci-fi showings at the restored Portage Theater.  Both groups celebrate Halloween with multiple shows:

One is showing the week before Halloween:

Oct 24th House of Dracula 8:00 (Svengoolie appearance)
Oct 25th The Man Who Laughs 8:00
Oct 26th Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1:00; Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein 2:15

Meanwhile, the other group runs all Halloween week:

Oct 27th Dawn of the Dead (original) 7:30
0ct 28th The Thing (Hawks) 7:30 / The Thing (Carpenter) 9:15
Oct 29th Texas Chainsaw Massacre 7:30
Oct 30th Lost Boys 7:30 / American Werewolf in London 9:15
Oct 31st Monster Squad 7:00 / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 8:45 / Fright Night 10:15

Feel free to list horror stuff where you live down in the messages.

  • RWA

    I actually knew two of the people responsible for Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer when I was in high school. They were real nice and smart guys, and I’m glad see they’re doing so well.

    The Thing double feature is the one which interests me the most. As one of the few fans under the age of forty who prefers the Hawks-Nyby version, I hope instead of the usual knee-jerk sneering at the monster, that they realize just what a major influence it was on nearly every other horror and science fiction film which has followed it.

  • Yes, the Thing double bill is the one I’m commmited to seeing as well.