Around Town: A weekend of spooky movie screenings
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If you’ve seen “Paranormal Activity 2” but are still dying for some more fright nights (especially with Halloween upon us this Sunday), fear not. There are plenty of terrific horror films out there thanks to the American Cinematheque, the Silent Movie Theatre, the New Beverly Cinema, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is closing its 20th anniversary of the Film Foundation on Friday with two classic chillers: Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 shocker “Shadow of a Doubt,” starring Joseph Cotton as the “Merry Widow” serial killer and Teresa Wright as his niece, and Fritz Lang’s World War II 1944 espionage tale “Cloak and Dagger” with Gary Cooper and Lilli Palmer. The latter is rarely seen theatrical. www.lacma.org
The Paley Center for Media is also getting into the ghostly spirit with its “Halloween Classics” Screening series, which continues daily through Sunday. Among the spooky fare being screened are episodes from “The Munsters,” “The Simpsons” and such specials as “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” www.paleycenter.org
The American Cinematheque’s “Oh, the Horror” monthly festival at the Egyptian concludes with some fun fare. On tap for Thursday are two vintage Universal horror flicks with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi: 1935’s “The Raven” and 1934’s “The Black Cat.” Friday is “Night of Bloody Horror” with Roger Corman and Danny DeVito’s “Blood Factory!” The programs include webisodes from FearNet.com, DeVito’s favorite “splattercuts” from his TheBloodFactory.com, and Corman’s 2009 collaboration with Netflix Web series “Splatter,” directed by Joe Dante. Dante, Corey Feldman and Tony Todd are scheduled to appear. Rounding out the chills Saturday is a 70mm print of the 1984 horror comedy classic “Ghostbusters,” starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver. www.americancinematheque.com
The Grindhouse Film Fest at the New Beverly Cinema presents two vintage horror flicks Thursday evening starring Robert Quarry: 1972’s “Dr. Phibes Rises Again,” with Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, and 1971’s “The Return of Count Yorga,” with Mariette Hartley. On Friday, the New Beverly features 2009’s “Trick r Treat,” directed by Michael Dougherty, who is scheduled to appear in person and host a costume contest, and 1982’s “Halloween III: Season of the Witch,” starring Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin. The New Bev goes into the vaults for Sunday’s offering the original 1941 “The Wolf Man,” with Lon Chaney Jr. and James Whale’s splendid 1933 version of “The Invisible Man,” with Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart. www.newbevcinema.com
The Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre presents a rare screening Friday evening of the 1980 ghost story “The Changeling,” starring George C. Scott. Discussion to follow with director Peter Medak and producer Joel Michaels. Set for Saturday at the Aero is the fifth annual Dusk-to-Dawn Horrorthon, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Among the flicks featured this year are 1985’s “Fright Night,” 1973’s “Don’t Look in the Basement,” 1992’s “Candyman,” 1979’s “Phantasm” and 1996’s “Cemetery Man.” And on Sunday, the Aero presents the 1987 cult horror comedy “The Monster Squad.” Director Fred Dekker will be on hand to discuss the film. www.americancinematheque.com
Laemmle’s October Horror and Suspense Series at the Royal Theatre comes to an end with one of the best horror films in the past 40 years: 1973’s “The Exorcist.” You’ll never eat pea soup again. laemmle.com
The Autry National Center is presenting a horrific double bill Sunday afternoon -- “Cronos,” Guillermo del Toro’s first big hit from 1993, and the 1931 Spanish-language version of “Dracula,” which was shot at night at Universal as the Tod Browning English-language version with Bela Lugosi was being filmed during the day. www.theautry.org The UCLA Film and Television Archive are featuring two Halloween flicks for the kids Sunday afternoon at the Billy Wilder Theatre: 1948’s “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” one of the best A&C vehicles, and the 1949 Disney animated short “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” narrated by Der Bingle himself, Bing Crosby. www.cinema.ucla.edu
Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre concludes its monthlong William Castle festival Sunday with two of his best: 1959’s “House on Haunted Hill” and 1959’s “The Tingler.” The filmmaker’s daughter, Terry Castle, will be on hand to talk about her dad. www.cinefamily.org
Finally, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presents its annual “Halloween Silent Film” program Sunday evening at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This year, the 1920 silent “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” starring John Barrymore, will screen with Clark Wilson supplying live accompaniment on the organ. www.laphil.com
Of course, not every movie event is horror-related this week.
The first annual Beverly Hills Film, Television and New Media festival concludes Thursday evening at the Laemmle Musical Hall 3 with the short comedy “Old Dogs” and the feature length comedy, “Fred & Vinnie.” bhfilmtvnewmedia.com
UCLA Film and Television Archive’s restoration of “Baby Doll,” the 1956 Elia Kazan black comedy penned by Tennessee Williams, screens at the Billy Wilder Theatre as part of the 20th anniversary tribute to the Film Foundation. Funds from the foundation allowed UCLA to restore the classic, which stars Carroll Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach in his film debut. www.cinema.ucla.edu
On Monday evening, Redcat presents “Spectacles of Light: Films and Video by Peter Rose,” who since 1968 has made more than 30 films, tapes, performance and installations. www.redcat.org
The Skirball Cultural Center free Tuesday matinee features a rarity: 1942’s “The Moon and the Sixpence,” an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, which is based on the life of painter Paul Gauguin. George Sanders stars. Screened from a 16mm print. www.skirball.org
On Tuesday evening, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents “The Marvin Borowsky Lecture on Screenwriting featuring Perspectives on Screening” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Writers featured are Susannah Grant (“Erin Brokovich”), Ehren Kruger (“The Ring”) and Andrew Marlowe (“Air Force One”). www.oscars.org
-- Susan King
Top photo: Bill Murray, left, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis might reunite again in “Ghostbusters.”“The Exorcist.”
