The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, October 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Homicidal (Columbia, 1961)
The horror films produced and directed by William Castle were often more famous for their promotional gimmicks than their effectiveness as movies. This one was typical of Castle’s carnival barker approach with its tagline – “The picture with a Fright Break.” Starring Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin and Joan Marshall (credited as Jean Arless) in a dual role, the plot is a variation on the old-dark-house-with-a-family-secret, beginning with a brutal stabbing murder of a justice of the peace. Film writer Jeff Stafford opines “Homicidal is a schlock masterpiece, clumsily directed by Castle on cheap sets with crudely staged shock effects that only add to the film’s unpretentious sense of fun.” 35mm archival print, 87 min.
Friday, October 26 (7:30 p.m.)
The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935)
Director James Whale took his success with Frankenstein, added humor and thus created a cinematic hybrid that perplexed audiences at first glance but captivated them by picture’s end. Joined eventually by a mate (Elsa Lanchester), the Frankenstein monster (Boris Karloff reprising his role and investing the character with emotional subtlety) evolves into a touchingly sympathetic character as he gradually becomes more human. Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius is captivatingly bizarre. Many film historians consider “Bride,” with its surreal visuals, superior to the original. The Bride of Frankenstein was added to the National Film Registry in 1998. 35mm archival print produced by the Library of Congress film lab in 1995, 95 min.
Saturday, October 27 (2 p.m.)
Frankenweenie (Walt Disney, 2012)
A boy named Victor loses his dog, a Bull Terrier named Sparky, and uses the power of electricity to resurrect him–but is then blackmailed by his peers into revealing how they too can reanimate their deceased pets and other creatures, resulting in mayhem. Tim Burton remade his 1984 short film of the same name as a stop-motion-animated horror comedy feature. Both a parody of and a homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley’s book, the voice cast includes Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Landau. 35mm archival print, 87 min.
Saturday, October 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (TriStar Pictures, 1994 – rated R*)
Considered to be a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein despite some differences and additions in plot, the story begins in the Arctic Sea as the feverish Baron Victor von Frankenstein is rescued by a passing ship. He tells the skeptical captain the ghastly story of how he created a living monster out of exhumed corpses. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Robert De Niro, Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, John Cleese, and Aidan Quinn. 35mm archival print, 123 min. Rated R for horrific images. *No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.