The Overlook Film Festival Takes Over Terror Tuesdays At The LA Drafthouse!
Between my day (often more like night) job and less than desirable distance between my home and the downtown area, I don't get to hit up the LA Drafthouse as often as I'd like (which would be daily), and almost every time I *have* gone has been for a repertory screening of some sort. As I wrote about recently, I love seeing movies on the big screen that I fell in love with on VHS or DVD anyway, which the Drafthouse makes more appealing by allowing me to fully commit to my "at-home" nostalgia by putting my feet up (recliners) and eating pretty much whatever I feel like instead of just the standard popcorn or candy (fried pickles forever, man).
So it's a no-brainer that I'd find much to love about the upcoming Terror Tuesday programming that's been put together by the good folks at the Overlook Film Festival, as it offers a diverse selection of genre classics and interesting hosts to present them to the crowd. Karyn Kusama presenting Near Dark (on 35mm to boot) would be enough to celebrate on its own, but they're also bringing Society (with Brian Yuzna himself hosting!), the late-night TV classic Carnival of Souls, Bong Joon-Ho's Memories of Murder, and Michele Soavi's Stagefright, in a brand new 4K restoration that will allow us to appreciate each and every feather on the killer's owl mask!
There will also be a special live recording of Amy Nicholson and Paul Scheer's Unspooled podcast, and for the fully committed - those who attend all five screenings and the podcast recording will be entered to win excellent prizes from the Overlook, including festival passes and the chance to play a part in their incredibly fun immersive game, which returns to New Orleans at the end of May. Read on for all the full details, and head over to the LA Drafthouse site to get tickets as I can all but guarantee that these will sell out fast. I already have my tickets for a couple - see you there!
Brian Yuzna's SOCIETY Presented by Director Brian Yuzna!
March 3rd, 9pm
In honor of Super Tuesday 2020 - Anyone who’s ever worked a day in their life already knows that rich people are shit. They can’t help it; too many first class flights and chocolate-dipped strawberries have softened their bodies and minds to an animal state. But it wasn’t until this late ‘80s protoplasmic battle cry that we were encouraged to unmask the wealthy for the nauseating scum that they are. RE-ANIMATOR producer Yuzna slapped his rump into the director’s seat for one of the most disturbingly goopy class wars in cinematic history, as a teenage boy unmasks the dark, drippy secrets of the American elite. If you think the housewives of Beverly Hills are vomitous -- and they are -- you’d better slug back a gallon of Pepto before stepping into the theater tonight. “Old Money” is about to get Butt Nasty.
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Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK in 35mm Presented by Filmmaker Karyn Kusama
March 10th, 9pm
A family of vampire shitkickers terrorize the desert highway in an RV with blacked-out windows. But then love gets in the way . . . and the fallout guarantees that things will never be the same again. Watching NEAR DARK feels like being stranded in limbo with the mutant offspring of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW -- it’s trashy venom with a cathartic core on a comic book playing field. In addition to all-time-best performances from Jenny Wright (TWISTER), Lance Henriksen (ALIEN), and Bill Paxton (ALIENS), Kathryn Bigelow’s stylized grunge-pop masterpiece also features the most evocative vampire feeding scene ever caught on film.
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CARNIVAL OF SOULS Presented by TCM's Alicia Malone
March 17th, 9pm & 9:30pm
Very few regional horror movies are strong enough to be considered miracles. But CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a miracle beyond miracles. After a mysterious car accident, Mary (Candace Hilligoss) takes a job as a church organist. Subsequently, she finds herself tormented by a mysterious ghoul . . . and his undead friends. Shot in Lawrence, Kansas and at Utah's majestic Saltair Pavilion by industrial filmmaker Herk Harvey, CARNIVAL OF SOULS is like nothing else on the planet. With its stunning black and white photography and ghostly organ score, this eerie, thoughtful dreamscape influenced everything from George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to David Lynch’s ERASERHEAD. Prepare to have your skeleton rattled.
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Restoration of STAGEFRIGHT Presented by Blumhouse's Ryan Turek
March 24th, 9pm
Welcome to the last of the great undiscovered Italian murder-epics. While rehearsing a play, a group of coked-up cast and crew members find themselves locked in an abandoned theater. That wouldn’t be so bad . . . if it wasn’t for an axe-wielding escaped maniac who wears a stuffed owl head while lurking in the darkness of the theater. Equal parts DEMONS, BLACK SWAN, and HALLOWEEN, STAGEFRIGHT is a neon-soaked triumph that flawlessly combines classy aesthetics with trashy thrills. But we’d expect nothing less from a slasher that was directed by Dario Argento collaborator Michele Soavi (CEMETERY MAN) and co-written by Sheila Goldberg (GHOSTHOUSE) and George Eastman -- aka the iconic killer from Joe D’Amato’s ANTHROPOPHAGUS.
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4K Restoration of Bong Joon-Ho's Masterpiece MEMORIES OF MURDER
March 31st, 9pm & 9:30pm
Based on the real-life hunt for Korea's first serial killer (who was finally identified in 2019), MEMORIES OF MURDER is Bong Joon-Ho's breakout film. Song Kang-ho (PARASITE) and Kim Sang-kyung star as detectives Park Doo-man and Seo Tae-yoon. Their investigation into a series of horrific sexual assaults and murders will bring them face to face with the bleakest parts of humanity.
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UNSPOOLED Podcast Live with Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson
March 23rd
Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson, who brought their podcast UNSPOOLED to the 2019 Overlook Film Festival for their first live show, return to the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA for their monthly series with another live event focused on horror in honor our Terror Tuesday Takeover. Tickets go on Sale on the Alamo Drafthouse website on February 25th.
Win A Prize
Come to all 5 screenings and the live show of UNSPOOLED and you could win special prizes to be redeemed at our 2020 festival including advance registration to our live shows and interactive experiences, festival passes or even a featured part in the Overlook's Immersive Game.
