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David Cronenberg's The Brood screens at The New Bev
Los Angeles has no shortage of repertory theaters and screening events around town to satisfy cinephiles of every stripe. However, once the calendar switches over to October every programmer gets into a spooky mood. Here's a roundup of scary movies—both familiar classics and horror obscurities—that are happening around town.
Ken Russell's Rated X The Devils which plays at a rare screening tonight at Beyond Fest.
BEYOND FEST
Going strong in its third year, Beyond Fest delivers with its usual mix of new films and genre classics. Although it ends on Tuesday, there's still plenty of goodies in its remaining days. Tonight at 10 p.m. is a screening of the controversial cult classic The Devils, directed by Ken Russell. Rated X and banned in several countries upon release, the film remains hard to find in North America and this is only the third time it will have screened in the U.S. on 35mm. Don't miss it.
Also coming up is a double-feature tribute to the late Wes Craven (with A Nightmare On Elm Street and The Serpent & The Rainbow) and a screening of the 1925 silent film Phantom Of The Opera, starring Lon Chaney, featuring a live musical accompaniment.
Beyond Fest takes place at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater. 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Check the festival's website for the screening schedule and tickets.
The Tingler in Percepto, a Cinefamily tradition
CINEFAMILY
Cinefamily is the local theater to deliver the chills and thrills year round, with their genre- and horror-focused programming, but of course they turn things up every October. This year, the two-month-long SpectreFest, which highlights film and music from international artists that "challenge our grip on reality." A highlight of Spectrefest: Cinefamily's first-ever 3-D screening of 1961's The Mask, "a psychotic Canadian death noir."
Critically acclaimed Austrian horror film Goodnight Mommy also gets its second run at Cinefamily through the 19th, Heavy Midnights dedicates a whole weekend to 80s horror directed by women (including Pet Semetary), and on Halloween they continue their tradition of screening The Tingler in "Percepto"—seats that actually shock you during the film.
Cinefamily operates out of The Silent Movie Theatre at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. in the Fairfax District, (323) 655-2510
From Dusk Till Dawn screens every Friday at midnight this month at the New Bev, including a marathon this Friday of all three movies
THE NEW BEVERLY
Quentin Tarantino's theater is always bound to screen plenty of obscure gems, and this month is no exception. Some familiar names are on the bill, including David Cronenberg, George A. Romero, and Mario Bava alongside a whole slew of obscurities (and some favorites). Midnights this month are Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn (starring Tarantino himself) and William Friedkin's The Exorcist. At midnight, on October 9, they'll be holding a From Dusk Till Dawn marathon, capped off with Planet Terror.
And yes, they're still holding their Annual All-Night Horror Show—a 12-hour horror marathon on the night before Halloween, with the lineup TBA. Expect many surprise guests. Everything is screened on 35mm, of course.
The New Beverly Cinema is located at 7165 West Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District. (323) 938-4038
LACMA
LACMA's Tuesday matinees is L.A.'s most underrated repertory programming. Classic obscurities, usually on 35mm, all for only $4. It's too bad it's in the middle of the working week. This month their matinees feature Universal's horror output from the 1940s, with some of the lesser-known titles, including Ghost Of Frankenstein, Son Of Dracula, and Weird Woman.
LACMA's film programming screens at the Leo S. Bing Theater. 5905 Wilshire Boulevard.
OLD TOWN MUSIC HALL
El Segundo's Old Town Music Hall is a hidden L.A. gem. Always screening classic films, sometimes accompanied by the 90-year old Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. This month's lineup includes the original version of The Fly; Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi; and The Bride Of Frankenstein, considered by many the best of Universal's horror films.
The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond Street in El Segundo. (310) 322-2592.
The Witches screens for free at the UCLA Film & Television Archive
UCLA FILM & TELEVISION ARCHIVE
Even film academics can't help themselves. Although the UCLA Film & Television Archive's programming is generally more high-brow bent, that doesn't mean they can't have a little fun for Halloween. As part of the archive's 50th anniversary program, they'll be screening the murder mystery The Bat Whispers, preceded by a rare interview with Bela Lugosi around the time of Dracula's release. On the morning of October 18, their free family film is the adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches, starring puppets from the Jim Henson workshop and Anjelica Huston as the witch who wants to turn all of England's children into mice.
UCLA Film & Television Archive screens their programs in the Billy Wilder Theater in the Hammer Museum. 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood. (310) 206-1475
CINESPIA
Cinespia is the biggest name in town when it comes to event screenings, and this month they have George A. Romero's Dawn Of The Dead at the Million Dollar Theatre and modern cult-classic Donnie Darko at the Palace Theatre. Two classics at classic movie palaces. The Rocky Horror Picture Show screens at Hollywood Forever on Halloween. Remember, that's an outdoor screening, so dress appropriately.
CREST WESTWOOD
Speaking of Universal horror, Westwood's Crest Theater screens the most iconic of the studio's monsters this month, with Boris Karloff in Frankenstein and The Mummy and Lon Chaney, Jr. in Wolf Man still to come.
Crest Westwood is located at 1262 Westwood Boulevard in Westwood. (310) 470-1508
ROOFTOP FILM CLUB
Rooftop Film Club is the newest game in town, and on the week of Halloween they'll be having Sky High Horror In Hollywood. Classics, like The Thing, Psycho, and Friday The 13th will be paired with craft cocktails and burgers from Haché LA outdoors on top of the roof of a theater in Hollywood.
Rooftop Film Club screens on the roof of the Montalbán. 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood.
Also: The Theatre at Ace Hotel screens the camp classic Monster Squad this weekend, featuring a reunion of the cast and crew. The ArcLight Hollywood screens several classics through the month as a part of Arclight Presents. The Egyptian Theatre has a 70mm print of Ghostbusters on October 30. Santa Monica's Aero Theatre has Stanley Kubrick's The Shining on Halloween.
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