If you live in the Tampa Bay area you should already know about Tampa Theatre. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world to catch a film. It doesn’t matter if you’re into classic cinema or the latest art film. This is the place to go. The wonderful spires and classic trimmings make it the most atmospheric place to be. Organ music still entertains the crowds here. If you’re into horror films you can’t beat the mix of atmosphere and haunts. Then there’s the movies. Check out their October slate of films and events. Lose the trick. It’s time to treat yourself. Read on to see what they have in store all October.
Chilling New Series is 15 Nights of Classic Horror Films, Family-Friendly Spooky Movies,
Cult Favorites, Live Performances and Lights-Off Paranormal Investigations
TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2013) – This past Friday – Friday the 13th, by no coincidence – Tampa Theatre leaked the lineup for its new series on the historic movie palace’s 11,000+ Facebook fans… who shrieked back their approval. A Nightmare on Franklin Street features 15 nights of petrifying programming, with enough variety to haunt everyone from the hard-core horror fan to the most gentle ghosts and goblins.
THURSDAY 10/17 – Double Feature
· 7:30 p.m. RINGU (Japanese w/ English subtitles)
A grainy, enigmatic videotape has the power to kill people seven days after they watch it. This brilliant premise fueled the 2002 Hollywood hit THE RING. But four years before that, it conquered Japan in RINGU, director Hideo Nakata’s quietly unsettling study in terror based on Koji Suzuki’s popular novel. The basic plot still has a worried reporter (Nanako Matsushima) tracking down the meaning of the video – and having watched it herself, she has only a week to work. 1998/Not Rated/1h 36min
· 10 p.m. THE RING
This American remake of the 1998 Japanese hit RINGU begins as just another urban legend – the whispered tale of a nightmarish videotape that causes anyone who watches it to die seven days later. But when four teenagers all meet mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just such a tape, investigative reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) tracks down the video… and watches it. Now the clock is ticking and the legend is coming true as Rachel, her son and her estranged boyfriend have just seven days to unravel the mystery of THE RING. 2002/R/1h 55m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply.)
FRIDAY 10/18 – Vampire Double Feature
· 7:30 p.m. INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE
Horror author Anne Rice penned the screenplay for this full-blooded adaptation of her novel, which chronicles the life of 18th-century nobleman Louis (Brad Pitt) after he is bitten by powerful, charismatic vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise). Though enthralled with the undead lifestyle at first, Louis is unable to warm up to killing humans and grows despondent. To comfort him, Lestat creates for him a young vampire companion (Kirsten Dunst) who, from then on, cannot age.
Director Neil Jordan captures the lush decadence and erotic fervor of the novel, infusing the film with rich, dusky tones. Antonio Banderas appears as Armand, a 400-year-old vampire, and Christian Slater plays the radio producer who interviews the remorseful Louis. Thandie Newton has a small role as Louis’s Creole servant near the beginning of the film, and Jordan regular Stephen Rea appears as a Parisian vampire theater star. INTERVIEW broke weekend box-office records when it premiered and has since earned a spot in the pantheon of great vampire films. 1994/Rated R/2h 3m
· 10 p.m. THE LOST BOYS
When newly divorced Lucy moves her family to Santa Clara, California – “the murder capital of the world” – her teenage son, Michael (Jason Patric), quickly falls in with the town’s bad kids: a bike-riding, Jim Morrison-worshipping gang of bloodsucking vampires led by the charismatic David (Kiefer Sutherland). Her younger son, Sam (Corey Haim), and his buddies the Frog brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) are the only ones who recognize the signs of vampirism in Michael, and they plot to battle the legions of the night before they take over the entire town. One of the essential cult movies of the 1980s, THE LOST BOYS blends truly terrifying moments with the big laughs of a teen movie. 1987/Rated R/1h 37m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply.)
SATURDAY 10/19 – Space Invader Saturday
· 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. Balcony-to-Backstage Tour: Ghost Stories
Who was Fink Finley? Why does the Lady in White still roam the mezzanine? And what has led to Tampa Theatre being known as one of the most haunted buildings in town? Learn the Theatre’s secrets, stories, art and architecture with a “balcony to backstage” tour that will focus on the historic movie palace’s ghostly guests.
The 90-minute tours will kick off in the lobby at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and will feature a special demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. Tickets are $7.50 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 to 12. Tampa Theatre members are free. Space is limited, so arrive early!
· 7:30 p.m. IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (3-D)
A meteor crashes in the desert near a small Arizona town, and research scientist John Putnam (Richard Carlson) thinks it’s a spaceship, but no one will believe him except his loyal girlfriend, Ellen (Barbara Rush). Weird evidence begins to back up his theory however, from the strange behavior of some of the locals to the slime trails, the ghostly noises in the phone lines and apparitions of hideous alien eyes swooping down on passing cars. Director Jack Arnold (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) infuses the desert locale with all the unearthly mystery of an alien landscape, helping to make this 3-D classic based on a story by Ray Bradbury one of the best science fiction films of the 1950s. 1953/Rated G/1h 21m
· 10 p.m. ALIENS
Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the original ALIEN, is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space, her stories disbelieved by Company executives who tell her that the alien’s planet is now inhabited and colonized. When contact is suddenly lost with the colonists, Ripley returns to the planet with a squad of marines, an android (Lance Henriksen), and a Company executive (Paul Reiser) with a mission of his own.
Once on the planet, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival. Considered by many to be the best of the series, ALIENS is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron’s status as one of Hollywood’s leading directors. 1986/Rated R/2h 17m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply.)
SUNDAY 10/20 – Hitchcock Triple Feature
· 3 p.m. HITCHCOCK
Director Sacha Gervasi adapts Stephen Rebello’s book “Alfred Hitchcock And The Making Of Psycho” to explore the relationship between the legendary British director (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), who played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in the making of her husband’s terrifying 1960 classic PSYCHO. Scarlett Johansson co-stars as Janet Leigh and James D’Arcy portrays Anthony Perkins in a film also featuring Jessica Biel, Danny Huston, Toni Collette and Ralph Macchio. 2012/Rated PG-13/1h 38m
· 6:30 p.m. THE BIRDS
Wealthy reformed party girl Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) enjoys a brief flirtation with lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet shop and decides to follow him to Bodega Bay, bearing a gift of two lovebirds. One day, during a birthday party for Mitch’s younger sister, a flock of birds attacks the children in what seems to be a random incident. In fact, it signals the beginning of a massive avian assault on the residents of the town–a mysterious assault that no one can explain…and from which no one may come out alive.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s heart-pounding follow-up to PSYCHO, the director couples a tone of rigorous morality with dark humor to create a thriller that begins as a light comedy and ends as an apocalyptic allegory. Loosely based on a Daphne du Maurier story and a Santa Monica newspaper account, “Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes,” THE BIRDS also features groundbreaking special effects that surprised audiences in 1963. 1963/Rated PG/1h 59m
· 10 p.m. PSYCHO
Anthony Perkins is the haunting, lonely motel keeper Norman Bates, who presides over an out-of-the-way motel under the domineering specter of his mother. The young, well-intentioned Bates is introduced to the audience when Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a blonde on the run with stolen money, checks in for the night. But Mother doesn’t like loose women, so the stage is set for what is often credited as the invention of the modern horror film genre – as well as one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history. 1960/Rated R/1h 49m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for any two of these films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Triple-feature tickets (one admission for each of the three films) are available for $21 for adults and $18 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
MONDAY 10/21 – Magic Monday
· 7:30 p.m. HARRY POTTER & THE SORCERER’S STONE with live pre-show by local magician Mr. Bones
Eleven-year-old orphan Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) finds his world turned upside down when he discovers that he, like his deceased parents, is a wizard and has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With fellow first-year students Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) by his side, Harry’s adventures begin in the rambling castle that is Hogwarts. Vivid special effects make Hogwarts’ magic a reality with paintings that come alive, staircases that move themselves, friendly ghosts, and fast-paced Quidditch matches in which students zoom around on their flying brooms. Mixed in with the miracles of Hogwarts are its dark hidden chambers and secrets, which Harry and his friends encounter as they embark on a quest to keep a treasured powerful object from falling into the wrong hands. 2001/Rated PG/2h 32m
Immediately before the film, “Tampa’s Premiere Pirate Magician” Mr. Bones will entertain guests with his beyond-belief sleight of hand and family-friendly illusions.
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
TUESDAY 10/22
· 11:30 a.m. Balcony-to-Backstage Tour: Ghost Stories
Who was Fink Finley? Why does the Lady in White still roam the mezzanine? And what has led to Tampa Theatre being known as one of the most haunted buildings in town? Learn the Theatre’s secrets, stories, art and architecture with a “balcony to backstage” tour that will focus on the historic movie palace’s ghostly guests.
The 90-minute tour will kick off in the lobby at 11:30 a.m. and will feature a special demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. Tickets are $7.50 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 to 12. Tampa Theatre members are free. Space is limited, so arrive early!
· 7:30 p.m. THE EXORCIST
Originally released on Christmas Day in 1973, THE EXORCIST tells the story of Regan (Linda Blair), a little girl who becomes possessed by the devil and undergoes a violent exorcism conducted by two priests: an aging man at the end of his career (Max Von Sydow) and a young man having a crisis of conscience (Jason Miller). 1973/Rated R/2h 2m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
WEDNESDAY 10/23
· 7:30 p.m. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
Made for $30,000 by two young filmmakers from central Florida, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT wowed festival audiences for several months before finding distribution at the 1999 Sundance Festival. The film is composed entirely of reportedly “found” footage shot by three missing college students who made a journey to the woods of Western Maryland in 1994 with the purpose of making a documentary about a “witch” of local legend who is linked to murders and mysterious occurrences spanning 200 years. It begins with footage of the crew leaving their homes and testing their equipment, but before we know it, they are lost deep in the endless woods, with the voices of screaming children piercing the blackness from off in the distance.
The experience is disorienting and frightening, as it wisely chooses to prey on our vulnerable imaginations rather than bombard us with graphic images. It is an ingenious creation which makes effective use of its lack of budget and cast of unknowns. 1999/Rated R/1h 21m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
THURSDAY 10/24 – Dracula Double Feature
· 7:30 p.m. DRACULA
Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) arrives in London and immediately works to enrapture and transform into vampires young Lucy Weston (Frances Dade) and her friend Mina Seward (Helen Chandler). After he succeeds in turning Lucy and Mina’s health suddenly deteriorates, Mina’s father (Herbert Bunston), calls in a specialist, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). Van Helsing quickly recognizes Dracula’s vampirism, and sets about saving Mina, becoming Dracula’s archenemy in the process.
1931’s DRACULA was the first screen version of Bram Stoker’s famous tale and remains arguably the most influential of the legend’s film versions. It launched Lugosi’s career in horror movies and forever invited vampires across Hollywood’s threshold. 1931/Not rated/1h 15m
· 10 p.m. Bram Stoker’s DRACULA
Count Dracula (played with irresistible intensity by Gary Oldman) reunites with his soul mate, Mina (Winona Ryder), after four centuries. Mina’s friend Lucy (Sadie Frost) succumbs to the deadly bite of Dracula while Renfield (Tom Waits), locked in an asylum, eagerly waits for his master’s return. Mina’s fiancé, Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), with the help of the eccentric Professor Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins), attempts to save Mina’s life and soul before she can become Dracula’s eternal bride.
In his version of the oft-told tale, Francis Ford Coppola takes Bram Stoker’s archetypical horror story and accentuates the romantic angle. Blood still flows in large amounts, and Coppola opted to do all the eye-pleasing visual effects in-camera, utilizing shadow puppets, smoke, miniatures, and other time-honored tricks of the trade–creating a visual style not unlike that of a storybook come to life. 1992/R/2h 8m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
FRIDAY 10/25
· 8 p.m. Lights-Off Paranormal Investigation
In 1965, Tampa Theatre’s projectionist Foster “Fink” Finley died after 35 years of service to his beloved movie palace. Strange occurrences have been reported in and around the projection booth ever since – doors opening and closing, unexplainable shadows passing through the room, and the lingering smell of lilac aftershave… Foster’s favorite.
But Fink isn’t the only spirit suspected of haunting the Theatre’s historic halls. Join Tampa Theatre as they partner with experts from Tampa Paranormal and Plant City Paranormal Research to bring you an evening of lights-off investigation into the building’s five most common supernatural claims.
The four-hour experience includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, use of paranormal investigative equipment, and a special meet-and-greet with Tampa native Angela Alderman, one of the investigators featured on television’s Ghost Hunters International. It will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience guaranteed to make you see Tampa’s grand movie palace in a different light.
Tickets are $150 for adults and $140 for Tampa Theatre members, and will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 27 at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
SATURDAY 10/26 – Spirit Saturday
· 2 p.m. CASPER
Greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) inherits the haunted Whipstaff Manor and discovers that the house contains a treasure, which is closely guarded by three nasty ghosts. She invites ghost therapist Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) to move into the eerie mansion and get rid of the supernatural creatures.
The nephew of the three spirits is Casper, a friendly ghost who becomes Kat’s pal. Casper takes Kat to his father’s secret lab where he once attempted to bring Casper back to life with a special machine. Carrigan eavesdrops on their conversation and decides to become a ghost herself, in the hope that she will get the booty more easily.
Steven Spielberg produced this live-action, family film starring the friendly ghost first introduced to audiences in 1940. 1995/PG/1h 40m
· 4:45 p.m. GHOSTBUSTERS
When Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murrary) and his Columbia University colleagues (Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson) are kicked out of their prestigious academic posts, they start a private practice as professional ghost-catchers. Although the three parascientists are idle for a while, their television advertisements finally pay off when beautiful Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) contracts them. Her apartment has become the entryway for ghastly ghosts and goofy ghouls hellbent on terrorizing New York City, but the Ghostbusters are on the case, trying to rid the city of the slimy creatures. 1984/PG/1h 45m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
· 8 p.m. Lights-Off Paranormal Investigation
In 1965, Tampa Theatre’s projectionist Foster “Fink” Finley died after 35 years of service to his beloved movie palace. Strange occurrences have been reported in and around the projection booth ever since – doors opening and closing, unexplainable shadows passing through the room, and the lingering smell of lilac aftershave… Foster’s favorite.
But Fink isn’t the only spirit suspected of haunting the Theatre’s historic halls. Join Tampa Theatre as they partner with experts from Tampa Paranormal and Plant City Paranormal Research to bring you an evening of lights-off investigation into the building’s five most common supernatural claims.
The four-hour experience includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, use of paranormal investigative equipment, and a special meet-and-greet with Tampa native Angela Alderman, one of the investigators featured on television’s Ghost Hunters International. It will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience guaranteed to make you see Tampa’s grand movie palace in a different light.
Tickets are $150 for adults and $140 for Tampa Theatre members, and will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 27 at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
SUNDAY 10/27 – Zombie Invasion
· 3 p.m. PARANORMAN
Eleven-year-old Norman Babcock (voice of Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a young misfit with a remarkable gift: He sees dead people. Although Norman’s clairvoyance allows him the unique opportunity to enjoy the company of his beloved grandmother (Elaine Stritch) long after she has ceased to be, it also drives his frustrated father Perry (Jeff Garlin) and popularity-obsessed sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick) up the wall at home and makes him the target of dim-witted bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) at school.
When Norman’s deceased uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman), a local pariah, warns the young boy that he must save their small town of Blithe Hollow from a witch’s curse that has plagued the area for centuries, the young creature-feature addict isn’t entirely sure how to respond — that is, until the sky turns red, the clouds start to swirl, and the dead rise up from their graves. Now, as a terrified mob takes to the streets with torches in hand, it’s up to Norman, Courtney, Alvin, Neil, and Neil’s older brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) to put things right, even if it means confronting the 300-year-old curse that has haunted Blithe Hollow ever since the notorious witch hunts of the 18th century. 2012/Rated PG/1h 32m
· 7:30 p.m. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Seven people secluded in a Pennsylvania farmhouse face relentless attacks by reanimated corpses seeking to eat their flesh. The group, which includes a married couple and their daughter, a pair of young lovers and an African-American man, try to keep their sanity as the living dead keep trying to enter the house. Radio news reports tell of the plague taking over the eastern United States, while the ever-decreasing band of survivors rapidly loses ground in the battle to both keep peace with one another and to stay alive.
George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is a low-budget, homegrown classic that had great difficulty finding a distributor at the time of its release in 1968, but has since become one of the most influential horror films of all time. Aside from its visceral impact years before realistic gore became the fashion, the film is also noteworthy for its portrayal of a black man as the protagonist during a time when race was an extremely sensitive issue in the United States. 1968/Not rated/1h 36m
· 10 p.m. DEAD ALIVE
The movie’s central character is a poor schmuck named Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) who’s trying to woo new girlfriend, Paquita (Diana Peñalver) while practically enslaved by his domineering mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody). But when ol’ Mum gets bitten by a rare and poisonous rat monkey from Skull Island and is turned into a flesh-eating zombie on a trip to the zoo, Lionel has the unfortunate task of keeping both ladies in his life happy while fending off all the other zombies that result from Mom’s voracious feeding frenzies.
If nonstop mayhem and extreme violence are your idea of great entertainment, you’re sure to appreciate this story that can judiciously be described as sick, twisted, and totally outrageous from the demented mind and delirious camera of New Zealand-born writer-director Peter Jackson. And while director Jackson would later achieve critical success with mainstream blockbusters like HEAVENLY CREATURES and LORD OF THE RINGS, his talent is readily evident in this earlier effort. 1992/Rated R/1h 44m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for any two of these films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Triple-feature tickets (one admission for each of the three films) are available for $21 for adults and $18 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
MONDAY 10/28
· 7:30 p.m. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her invalid brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) are heading through the back roads of Texas with three friends, en route to their grandfather’s potentially vandalized grave. Running out of gas, they are forced to stop seek help at a small, sinister clapboard house – the home of the ghoulish Leatherface (Gunner Hansen) and his evil, demented family of psychopaths. As the teens are murdered one at a time by the evil Leatherface, Sally flees into the night to escape the demented cannibal and his buzzing chainsaw.
This sensational, extremely influential, low-budget horror movie was directed by Tobe Hooper (POLTERGEIST, SALEM’S LOT), and is loosely based on the true crimes of Ed Gein (who was also a partial inspiration for PSYCHO). Its powerful sense of dread is heightened by its grainy, semi-documentary style, but it also has a wicked sense of humor. 1974/Rated R/1h 23m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
TUESDAY 10/29
· 7:30 p.m. Tampa ghost stories with Deborah Frethem, author of “Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay”
Local author and storyteller Deborah Frethem takes to Tampa Theatre’s historic stage for an intimate evening of Bay-area ghost stories and supernatural tales from her new book, “Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay.” Following the performance, Frethem will sign copies of the book, with sales benefitting Tampa Theatre’s ongoing restoration.
Tickets are $8 at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
WEDNESDAY 10/30 – The Shining Double Feature
· 7:30 p.m. ROOM 237
This subjective documentary explores the numerous theories about the hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film THE SHINING. The film may be more than 30 years old, but it continues to inspire debate, speculation and mystery. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments. Together they’ll draw the audience into a new maze with many ways in, but no way out. 2012/Not Rated/1h 42m
· 10 p.m. THE SHINING
Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, the film stars Jack Nicholson at his eyebrow-raising best in his portrayal of Jack Torrance, a Vermont schoolteacher working at the Overlook as a winter caretaker. The glorious early-20th century resort only operates in warm weather because the snowy roads deny access in the colder months, so Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), with him, as well as his young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who possesses some unique psychic powers. As the Torrances settle in for the long, lonely months ahead, strange, unexplainable things start occurring in the hotel – and in every scene Jack seems to be growing a little more evil and dangerous….
Supplemented by an oddball cast of dead twin girls, suicidal ax-murdering ghosts, Scatman Crothers as the hotel cook, and many other weird and wonderful figures, Kubrick’s film is a pulse-racing treat that is among the best in his inimitable body of work. 1980/Rated R/2h 22m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for each of these two films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
THURSDAY 10/31
· 7:30 p.m. HALLOWEEN
An exercise in simple, pure horror, HALLOWEEN takes us into the world of a mad killer, Michael Myers, who at a very young age stabbed his older sister to death. Locked away for many years in a mental hospital Michael escapes one night and returns to his hometown to continue his killing spree. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first role, plays the resourceful babysitter who is chased by the killer on Halloween night.
Produced for very little money and a tight shooting schedule, HALLOWEEN is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. The film also made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis and turned the slasher movie into a worthwhile, successful genre. 1978/R/1h 31m
Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
· 11 p.m. ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Borrowing largely from cinema’s horror conventions, the film begins as an innocent young couple is stranded at the home of a mad scientist who is building the perfect man. The castle is filled with a most bizarre group of characters who worship their master, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played Tim Curry, in leather, pearls, fishnet stockings, and heavy makeup. Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) are forced to examine their own sexuality as the voluptuous doctor releases the hidden desires in each of them.
Based on the stage musical by Richard O’Brien (who appears as Riff Raff), the film comes alive with unforgettable song-and-dance numbers that have come to represent the sexual liberation of the 1970s. The outstanding costuming and makeup, the terrific acting by a group of relative unknowns (Curry, O’Brien, Bostwick, Sarandon, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, Meat Loaf), and the memorable songs (“Time Warp,” “Sweet Transvestite”) help make THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW one of the most bizarrely entertaining and satisfying musicals ever made. 1975/R/1h 40m
Tampa’s own INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS and THE LIPSTICK PLAYERS shadow casts will join forces to provide a live pre-show and audience participation throughout the film. Guests are encouraged to bring their own toilet paper, cards, newspapers, toast and other props – but please, no hot dogs, rice or water guns. For a great audience-participation guide for Rocky Horror “virgins,” visit www.badmovies.org/movies/rockyhorror/audience/ (adult language and content!)
Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).
10/14/2013 @ 5:45 am
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