It really pains me not to be able to open up this contest to all our great and loyal Chewers around the world, but alas, the nature of the offer restricts it to those in and around Los Angeles (or those with a lot of disposable frequent flyer miles). Cinefamily, at the Silent Movie Theater, is one of LA’s must-attend revival homes (part of the Triumvirate, as I like to call them). Aside from an obvious shared love of cinema, CHUD and Cinefamily also share a kindred obsession for the month of October – the time of year to shamelessly revel in all things horror. So I am happy to announce that the two of us are getting in bed together, where we shall make sweet, sweet love all month long. And CHUD readers of greater LA shall reap the rewards of our love!
What rewards? Pass and ticket giveaways to Cinefamily during the Halloween month!
Not psyched yet? Well, Cinefamily’s October program should be drool-worthy enough to make those of you who have been pondering moving to La La Land throw your shit in a box and jump in your car seconds after reading this. It may even make those of you who have never even thought of moving to LA start questioning how much you actually like your current residence.
The program? For starters, the glorious flagship for the month is a unique collection of giallo…
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. October will also feature:
American Psycho (director Mary Harron & writer Guinevere Turner in person!)
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore w/ Two Thousand Maniacs
Comedy Death-Ray: Brian Posehn presents The Blob (80’s version)
Ken Russell ’80s Horror: Lair of the White Worm w/ Gothic
Cinefamily Pajama Party: The Craft w/ Teen Witch
The Diabolical Dr. Cinefamily’s Horrifying Anthology Of Horror Anthologies (feat. Night Train To Terror w/ Creepshow)
Cinefamily Heavy Metal Halloween Party feat. Trick or Treat (the 80’s metal horror flick, featuring Ozzy Osborne)
House On Haunted Hill w/ The Tingler (William Castle’s daughter Terry Castle in person!)
Cinefamily’s 100 Most Outrageous Kills!
And I’m leaving plenty of fun stuff off too. The full calendar can be viewed on Cinefamily’s site.
To kick off the month, Cinefamily has a very Stephen King-y weekend planned. This Friday (Oct 1) will be a double feature of Carrie and a brand new 35mm print of Christine (featuring Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul in person!). Then Sunday serves up Pet Sematary and Pet Sematary Two (director Mary Lambert in person!) The true star of the weekend though is the one-of-a-kind showcase of Stephen King’s “dollar babies.” “Dollar babies? What are those?” you may ask. Why not let the King himself explain:
“Around 1977 or so, when I started having some popular success, I saw a way to give back a little of the joy the movies had given me… I established a policy which still holds today. I will grant any student filmmaker the right to make a movie out of any short story I have written (not the novels, that would be ridiculous), so long as the film rights are still mine to assign. I ask them to sign a paper promising that no resulting film will be exhibited commercially without approval, and that they send me a videotape of the finished work. For this one-time right I ask a dollar. I have made the dollar-deal, as I call it, over my accountant’s moans and head-clutching protests sixteen or seventeen times as of this writing [1996] — I’d look at the films — then put them up on a shelf I had marked ‘Dollar Babies.’“
The results have been dozens and dozens of adaptations, from the most charmingly amateurish of home movies to ambitious attempts by future big-name directors (Frank Darabont’s first Stephen King adaptation was a “dollar baby”). It’s a chance to see the the other version of Children of the Corn or The Lawnmower Man, and to see if you think the student filmmaker with a 16mm Bolex did it better than Hollywood! Best of all? Because of the non-profit nature of the “dollar babies,” both Saturday and Sundays screenings are FREE!
Alright. Let’s get down to business.
CHUD and Cinefamily want to give one lucky winner a one-month pass to Cinefamily. The pass will get you:
* One free pass to all of our general admission screenings.
* Free admission to private members-only screenings.
* $4 discount on special event screenings
* A handy membership card.
* A free bucket of popcorn.
To win the one-month pass I want you to give me your favorite October horror related memory. It could involve trick’r’treating, a great Halloween party, a memorable movie marathon, spookiest nap ever, doesn’t matter, as long as it is horror and happened in October. Try to keep it down to a paragraph or two. I’m not looking to make my own “dollar baby” out of a short story you send me. Points for being succinct.
And there is a consolation prize too! Five runner-ups will receive two free tickets (for you and a guest) to the Christine/Carrie double feature this Friday, October 1.
Email your answers to wormmiller@gmail.com and also provide me with your address.
For those who don’t win, stay tuned. Like I said, CHUD and Cinefamily will be making sweet, sweet love all month long. There will be plenty more tickets and very likely another one-month pass or two popping up!
Hope to see you at the theater this weekend!