HELP OUT: MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 Mingles Something Old With Something New

Music Box Theatre to undergo 

monumental main-auditorium revitalization project in August

MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 

Campaign to include New Seats, Flooring & Lighting Upgrades, and More 

 The Music Box Theatre is announcing a major revitalization of its 740-seat main auditorium as part of the MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 campaign, celebrating the 95th anniversary of the venue. During this project, the main theatre will be closed from August 12 to September 5, with upgrades including new seats (with cupholders!); improved auditorium lighting; refinished carpeting and flooring; refurbishment of our original proscenium arch; and expanded ADA capabilities with T-Coil Hearing Loop System.

This closure marks the first time since 1982 that the Music Box's larger theater has been shut down for any type of upgrades. The rest of the theater, including our smaller house and garden movie screenings, will remain open as normal. "Thinking about the historical value that the Music Box has to the City of Chicago, it's incredible to me that this 95-year-old institution has lasted as long as it has and continues to inspire filmmakers and filmgoers to walk through its doors," says General Manager Ryan Oestreich. "As the guardians of the Music Box Theatre, it's up to us to ensure that its history and vibrancy are preserved into the next century."

For nearly 95 years, the Music Box Theatre has been a haven for countless passionate moviegoers, providing unique programming 365 days a year. Described in 1929 as a place of “lasting beauty and great durability,” we’re still going strong as our 100th birthday quickly approaches. The goal is to keep this venue a community institution long into the future.

For more information on the MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 project and details on seat sponsorships and other donation options, go to: https://revive.musicboxtheatre.com.

Because all those memories and all that cinema have taken their toll on the space, the MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 campaign will be open to audience participation. There will be two options for the public to participate, where our dedicated audience can either "Sponsor A Seat" or "Make A Donation" and actively see their contribution payoff to these revitalizations.

1. Sponsor A Seat: Our seats have seen a lot of audiences and are ready for a well-deserved retirement. While keeping the same style as our current seats, we’ll be installing new, more comfortable seats with cup holders. These seats will last us for years to come, and sponsoring one is a chance to leave a lasting legacy at the Music Box.

You can sponsor a seat in honor of yourself, a loved one, or your business, and the name will be permanently engraved on a plate on the armrest (Seat plates are 7/8 x 2-1/2 inches). You'll also be recognized on the Music Box website. Plates can contain messages of one or two lines, up to 15 characters per line (including spaces).

Seat Pricing:

Single Seat: $750

Two Seats: $1400

We also accept payments in installments (split evenly over 6 or 12 months).

A limited number of seats are available. Seat locations are chosen randomly and do not guarantee your seat location for screenings. Plates will remain for the duration of the usable life of the new seats. Please note that contributions to MUSIC BOX: REVIVE AT 95 are not tax deductible. 

2. Make A Donation: For those opting not to sponsor a seat, you can still contribute to the revitalization of the Music Box in the donation amount that suits you. Support starts at $25, and all donors will be listed on our website. Gifts of $100 or more receive a free Music Box merch item (poster, mug, etc.).

Terms & Conditions

Music Box reserves the right to refuse/ refund inappropriate or offensive plates

Seat plates will be placed on the seats at the completion of payment

In the event that a Sponsor cannot complete installment payments, seat plates will not be placed on the seat(s) and no refunds of previous payments will be administered 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OLD SEATS?

We know the old seats have a special place in many people’s hearts. We are working with local nonprofit, Rebuilding Exchange, to find new homes for the seats. Stay tuned for more information. 

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

 

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than four decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States.

Regular events produced, presented, and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; Music Box Christmas Sing-a-long and Double Feature, the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), Instagram (@musicboxchicago), TikTok @musicbox_chicago

Music Box Theatre to Play Wim Wenders’ 3-D Documentary ANSELM beginning February 2, 2024

What We're Watching: Wim Wenders’ 3-D Documentary 

ANSELM 

Shot in 6K Resolution

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

Music Box Theatre & Janus Films present director Wim Wenders’ 3-D documentary ANSELM, beginning February 2, 2024!!! Shot at 6K resolution and in the 3D format. the film chronicles the art of German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefe. I'll be out January 30 for a press preview, so check back soon for my full review.  

“Much as he did with his 2011 documentary, PINA, Wenders uses three dimensions in almost sculptural fashion, allowing us to take in the weight and texture of a work, or a movement.” — New York Magazine

“As unique and thought-provoking as Kiefer’s own epic works.” — The Austin Chronicle

“As Kiefer’s monumental art decays, “Anselm” can endure as his memorial.” — The Washington Post

“The director has fashioned a mesmerizing engagement with Kiefer’s art, including just enough face time with the subject to elevate the work’s immersive, bleak majesty, rather than give it an aggrandizing spin.” — Los Angeles Times

About ANSELM:

In ANSELM, Wim Wenders creates a portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. Shot in 3D and 6K resolution, the film presents a cinematic experience of the artist’s work which explores human existence and the cyclical nature of history, inspired by literature, poetry, philosophy, science, mythology and religion. For over two years, Wenders traced Kiefer’s path from his native Germany to his current home in France, connecting the stages of his life to the essential places of his career that spans more than five decades.

Pricing:

Ticket prices are $11 ($8 for Music Box members). For showtimes and information, click here.

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States; and through its Music Box Direct subsidiary, operates an online streaming service offering the best of foreign and independent films.

Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

Music Box Theatre & Neon Present ANATOMY OF A FALL Beginning October 27, 2023

What We're Watching: ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Music Box Theatre & Neon present writer/director Justine Triet’s Palme D’or Winner (Cannes Film Festival) 

ANATOMY OF A FALL

beginning October 27, 2023

For showtimes and information, click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/anatomy-of-a-fall

“ANATOMY OF A FALL persuasively suggests that every marriage is ultimately something of a mystery.” — NPR

“With its provocative commentary on the mutating nature of grief and guilt, it pulls back the curtain on the complex inner workings of marital and parental relationships.” — The AV Club

“What unfolds is less a dissection of the details surrounding the circumstances of the case, but rather an inspection of womanhood itself, in which the ways a woman has failed to meet social or cultural expectations becomes a point of legal contention.” — Tribune News Service

About ANATOMY OF A FALL:

For the past year, Sandra (Sandra Huller), her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel's suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect. What follows is not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel's death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel’s conflicted relationship.

Pricing:

Ticket prices are $11 ($8 for Music Box members).

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States; and through its Music Box Direct subsidiary, operates an online streaming service offering the best of foreign and independent films.

Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID Schedule for 2023

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

A Full Month of Movie Madness, Special Guests, and Other Surprises—Saturday, October 1 to Monday, October 31, 2022—opening with an overnight, five-film FINAL DESTINATION Marathon in 35mm!!!

Tickets for all MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID events, presented by Shudder, are ON SALE NOW Here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/series-and-festivals/music-box-of-horrors-scared-stupid.

Music Box of Horrors 2022 24-Hour Movie Marathon, presented by Shudder includes screenings of BLADE, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II, IDLE HANDS, and ERNEST SCARED STUPID. Passes and other announced titles in the marathon can be found here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/events/music-box-of-horrors-2022.

The Music Box of Horrors team has brought genre fans 143 feature films each October since 2020 (but who’s counting?). For its third supersized installment, the team is getting Scared Stupid! In honor of the bimbos, himbos, and thembos who are taking over pop culture in 2022, we’re bringing you 31 nights of horror films that range from the refined to the ridiculous. Kicking off with a FINAL DESTINATION marathon and ending with a 35mm screening of Rob Zombie’s HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, this year’s lineup features The Ninth Circle—a sidebar of transgressive underground films guaranteed to shake the most jaded horror fan—plus vampires, a Sex Demon, Yokai Monsters, succubi, slashers, zombies, killer cars, Lindsay Lohan, and more.

With mind-melting visuals and high body counts, this year’s lineup is perfectly in line with the Music Box’s eclectic taste in horror offerings and events—a combination of audience favorites and rarely screened titles, specialized intros, and of course, some surprises.

For tickets, information, and the full schedule, please click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/series-and-festivals/music-box-of-horrors-scared-stupid.

Full Lineup for MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID

FINAL DESTINATION Marathon: All 5 films on 35mm! (Saturday, October 1)

FINAL DESTINATION began as an X-Files spec script, before morphing into a feature film for New Line Cinema that starred some of the biggest young actors of the time, including Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, an up-and-coming Seann William Scott, and the legendary Tony Todd. And whether or not critics of the time agreed, the premise of an unseen, unstoppable force stalking and killing teenagers (and adults) in gruesome & inventive ways took hold with audiences. What better way to escape from the real life hellscape of modern-day existence than joining your fellow death-loving maniacs for a 5-film, 35mm marathon reminding you why you’re still deeply terrified of flights to Paris, logging trucks on the highway, pool drains, roller coasters, and tanning beds?

The 35mm print of Final Destination 3 courtesy of the Sundance Collection at the UCLA Film &Television Archive.

THE NINTH CIRCLE

Where does the obsessive horror viewer turn when everything begins to feel the same? When every story feels unoriginal, every kill uninspired, every beat predictable, and every denouement lifeless and uninspiring? The only answer lies in the deepest netherworld of Hell. When the mainstream and the alternative fail you, you must turn to the underground: The outsiders. The pariahs. Those willing to die for their art. The rejects of society who birth unholy, transcendent, aberrant abominations of pure, uncut creation, uninhibited by any puritanical or societal chains designed to create braindead consumers out of the human race.

With this in mind, we invite you to join us in The Ninth Circle of Hell, a four-film exploration of stunning trash, degenerate transgression, and innovation determined to challenge everything the powers that be want you to blindly worship. From borderline-arthouse 16mm masterpieces to backyard, family-made SOV films so inept they become sublime magnum opuses, this series is for those who need to be reminded that there’s always more to discover—and always another true weirdo out there to renew your faith in existence.

964 PINOCCHIO (Monday, October 10)

Dir. Shôjin Fukui, 1991, 97 min

964 PINOCCHIO is the story of an impotent sex slave thrown away onto the streets and a memory-wiped girl on a journey to understand where and why they came from, and how they can exist in the brutal hellscape they encounter at every turn. Directed by Shôjin Fukui (RUBBER’S LOVER), 964 PINOCCHIO is a challenging experience. But those willing to take the journey will find something singular and shockingly prescient. It’s a cyberpunk body-horror aggro-tone poem of a film, relentlessly raging against a world ready to objectify and ultimately throw away anyone deemed monetarily useless. Fueled by an unstoppable industrial soundtrack, astonishing cinematography, a seemingly endless onslaught of grunts, screams, and vomit, and horrifyingly committed central performances, the film is full of surprising beauty, visceral filth, and anger that never lets up.

FUCK THE DEVIL / FUCK THE DEVIL 2: RETURN OF THE FUCKER (Tuesday, October 25)

Dir. Michael Pollklesener, 1990/1991, 60 min (combined)

Co-presented by Lunchmeat & Strange Tapes

Preceded by a custom VHS mixtape from Strange Tapes

Exploding out of the German horror underground, FUCK THE DEVIL (1990) + FUCK THE DEVIL 2: RETURN OF THE FUCKER (1991) are cinematic equivalents of DIY comic books that were made by a teenage stoner while experimenting with bootleg acid. And there's nothing else like them. The films tell the story of The Fucker—a phantasmagorical death machine who materializes from haunted VHS tapes of EVIL DEAD 2 and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET to wreak havoc on unsuspecting parents, teens, and babies. Fueled by subversive violence, experimental techniques, and an unconditional love for the horror genre, these Casiocore-driven miracles teleport us into a dream-like panic state where Rambo posters, 8-bit sound barfs, and Nightmare Freddys rule our subconsciousness. AGFA + Bleeding Skull! are overjoyed to welcome The Fucker to US theaters & home video for the first time ever—complete with new 2022 director's cuts, the original cuts, and a fuck-ton of extras.

TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (Friday, October 28)

Dir. Chester Novell Turner, 1987, 62 min

Presented by Massacre Video

TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE is Chester N. Turner’s second and final dig into self-released SOV sludge. Following up the exhausting-yet-hilarious filth of BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL (1984), Turner and friends honed the skillz, cut the sex, and unwittingly churned out the greatest SOV trash film of all time. No exceptions. Logic, be it godly or mortal, has gone missing during QUADEAD’s 62 deranged minutes. Therefore, we must be prepared for anything. Don’t knock ‘em for the plastic Casiotone; take heed of the ceramic titty-mug. In the mind of Chester Turner, these things may be the substance of life. The original intent will baffle to no end, but one thing’s for sure: This is an experience that can never be replicated, repeated, or equaled. The theme song cinches it.

CORNSHUCKER (Sunday, October 30)

Dir. Brando Snider, 1997, 63 min

WORLD THEATRICAL PREMIERE! Presented by VHSHITFEST

The Cornshukker is a mythical creature who lives simply and peacefully with nature. But now he is besieged by urban sprawl, forcing him to deal with varmints and outlandishly odd townsfolk. As his food supply diminishes, The Cornshukker is confronted by the bigoted Old Man Thomas, and, in an act of desperation, The Cornshukker is forced to do the unthinkable. His existence is in peril, and the mysterious world he inhabits could be destroyed. The Cornshukker is a home-grown, 16mm-lensed love letter to regional, low-budget, surrealist, gonzo DIY filmmaking that is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It will sear itself into your gray matter—whether you like it or not.

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (Sunday, October 2)

Dir. Roger Corman, 1964, 90 min

35mm from the Academy Film Archive

Preceded by: “Bimbo’s Initiation” (Fleischer Studios, 1931) – 16mm – 7 min

Presented by Chicago Film Society

Between 1960 and 1965, Roger Corman, master of exploitation filmmaking and financing, made a string of eight films for low-budget powerhouse American International Pictures from unusual source material: the decidedly antiquarian (and public domain!) short stories of 19th-century writer Edgar Allan Poe. The seventh of these films, a comparatively more expensive production (only by Corman’s standards, mind you), is a medieval tale of a villainous prince and his castle guests attempting to outwit and outwait the mysterious “red death,” which ravages the countryside around them. They pass the time with sadomasochistic masquerade balls and satanic rituals (“let me speak to you about the anatomy of terror” is a party pick-up line for the ages), but even deals with the devil may not be enough when the plague without becomes the plague within. Vincent Price is truly at home as Prince Prospero, a genteel monster who enjoys commanding his party guests to bark like dogs and mansplaining Satanism to Francesca, a young God-fearing girl he’s kidnapped from the village, played by a wide-eyed 19-year-old Jane Asher. Restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (Monday, October 3)

Dir. Ana Lily Amirpuour, 2014, 101 min

Coming out of the gate with a singular sense of style and a knack for mixing and matching genres, Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut feature became an instant classic of vampire cinema when it first hit theaters in 2014. Commonly described as an “Iranian vampire Western,” this eerie, atmospheric film fights the patriarchy with a candor and a kickflip, telling the story of an unnamed avenger known only as The Girl (Sheila Vand) who skateboards through the tough streets of Bad City — an Iranian ghost town by way of inland California. In Bad City, it’s the men who are afraid to go out alone after dark, lest they are caught and drained for their sins against women by the vampiric Girl. Shot in poetic, striking anamorphic black-and-white and accompanied by an impeccably curated soundtrack with tunes from Radio Tehran, Federale, Kiosk, Farah, White Lies, and more, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT is a movie for cinephiles, music lovers, angry women, skater bois, cat people, hopeless romantics, lonely hearts, and night owls.

DEADSTREAM (Tuesday, October 4)

Dir. Vanessa Winter, Joseph Winter, 2022, 87 min

Presented by Shudder

Much of the cast and crew of the new indie horror-comedy DEADSTREAM got their start as horror creatives working at haunted attractions. And their dedication to—not to mention talent for—creating a non-stop thrill ride designed to make audiences squeal (and giggle and jump and throw popcorn in the air) is evident in this absolute blast of a haunted-house movie. DEADSTREAM makes smart use of the found-footage format, using it to tell the story of perhaps the world’s most annoying YouTuber (a competitive prize, but he deserves it), who attempts to make up for an unnamed transgression by live-streaming his night in a haunted house. This guy likes to complain about “cancel culture,” but the thing that’s coming to get him tonight is so much worse. With impressive practical effects, a grim sense of humor, and killer timing, DEADSTREAM is best experienced with a crowd.

PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES / DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (Wednesday, October 5)

Dir. John Gilling, 1966, 90 min; Dir. Terence Fisher, 1966, 90 min

Presented by Windy City Double Feature Picture Show podcast

The Windy City Double Feature Picture Show sets their time machine for January 14, 1966, recreating a classic Hammer double feature that opened at theaters across the Chicagoland area. Plague of the Zombies has been cited as one of the major influences on the modern zombie subgenre. Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is the third film in Hammer’s Dracula series, and features Christopher Lee returning as the titular vamp after missing out on The Brides Of Dracula in 1960. We’ll be screening this classic double feature as it played in 1966, featuring trailers for the other movies playing around town, local news clips, and offering commemorative zombie eyeballs and Dracula fangs for everyone in attendance—just like in the original ad! And don’t forget to listen to the Windy City Double Feature Picture Show podcast, in which hosts Adam Carston and Mike Vanderbilt deep dive into both films.

WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL (Thursday, October 6)

Dir. Chris LaMartina, 2013, 82 min

Co-presented with Terror Vision; with special video introduction by the film's director, Chris LaMartina

Originally broadcast live on October 31, 1987, the WNUF Halloween Special is a stunning expose of terrifying supernatural activity that unfolded at the infamous Webber House, the site of ghastly murders. Local television personality Frank Stewart leads a group of paranormal investigators, including Catholic exorcist Father Joseph Matheson and the prolific husband-and-wife team Louis and Claire Berger. Together, the experts explore the darkest corners of the supposedly haunted Webber House, trying to prove the existence of the demonic entities within. Did they find the horrific truth or simply put superstitious rumors to rest?

HOUSE (Friday, October, 7)

Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977, 88 min

House is at once the most unlikely and the most obvious of Halloween classics. On the one hand, the film was largely unknown outside of Japan until the 2010s, when the Criterion Collection launched it from a gray-market favorite to an official part of the company’s unofficial canon. On the other hand, it’s a film whose mischievous spirit is perfectly suited to the holiday—which may partially explain why it’s become so beloved so quickly. Either way, it’s a deliriously fun and delightfully surreal film with color and imagination to spare. That’s thanks to its visionary director, Nobuhiko Obayashi, who wrote the story—about a group of Japanese schoolgirls, a spinster witch, and a fluffy white cat—inspired by one of his young daughter’s nightmares. Perhaps best described by Criterion, which calls it “an episode of Scooby-Doo directed by Mario Bava,” this psychedelic freakout of a haunted house movie is unmissable, whether you’ve never seen it or you’ve seen it a hundred times.

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (Saturday, October 8)

Dir. Joe Dante, 1990, 106 min

Possibly the most anarchic film ever unleashed out of Hollywood, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a chaotic, live-action Looney Tunes cartoon that could only come from the mind of auteur Joe Dante. Taking the piss out of his own original Gremlins and sequels in general, Gremlins 2’s wild tone showcases what art can happen when a studio—in this case, Warner Bros.—gives over complete control to a director with a vision. That’s not to discredit the script from Charlie Haas (Over The Edge, Matinee), which folds right into Dante’s influences of cartoons, monster movies, and an irreverent sense of humor. Chock full of easter eggs and cameos, from Christopher Lee carrying an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers pod to Leonard Maltin and the return of Dick Miller, Gremlins 2: The New Batch answers the question: What if someone made a live-action Mad Magazine parody of Gremlins?

SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM (Sunday, October 9)

Dir. Bob Kelljan, 1973, 96 min

Although not quite as sophisticated as its predecessor, Scream Blacula Scream is still one of the groovier horror movies of the blaxploitation era. William Marshall returns in the title role, once again infusing the tragic story of African prince-turned-vampire Prince Mamuwalde with what Roger Ebert called “a terrifying dignity.” It takes a powerful leading lady to go toe-to-toe with Marshall and his Shakespearean acting chops. And luckily for this movie, Pam Grier takes on the challenge with her usual confidence and grace. The story, about a voodoo priestess in Los Angeles (Grier) who stumbles into a romance with the seductive, immortal Mamuwalde, can be rather silly at times. And the film looks like the low-budget rush job that it was. But beyond the pleasure of watching Marshall and Grier interact on screen—worth the price of admission all on its own—Scream Blacula Scream is also a funky time capsule that’s full of Gothic atmosphere and good old-fashioned scenery chewing.

KILLER PARTY (Tuesday, October 11)

Dir. William Fruet, 1986, 91 min

Often unfairly lumped in with the glut of third-wave slashers that overtook multiplexes in the ‘80s, Killer Party is an overlooked supernatural possession gem—and arguably the better of the two slasher pictures set on April Fool’s Day released in 1986. Penned by Barney Cohen (Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter) and directed by Canadian cult favorite William Fruet (The House By The Lake, Funeral Home, Spasms, Blue Monkey), Killer Party features an abundance of tricks—including a memorable opening sequence that will keep audiences on their toes—and treats galore, including appearances by ‘80s character actor favorites Elaine Wilkes, Ralph Seymour, and Paul Bartel. That’s not to mention a killer costume for the villain: an old diving suit, complete with trident.

SICK (Wednesday, October 12)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark

Dir. John Hyams, 2022, 83 min

In the early days of the pandemic, college students Parker and Miri head out to quarantine in style at a remote lake house in the forest. With their masks off, the young women can finally breathe easier—until a mysterious man shows up outside their door. Co-written by Kevin Williamson (Scream) and Katelyn Crabb and directed by John Hyams (Alone), Sick is a classic bare-knuckled slasher thrill-ride with a timely sardonic edge. At a time when any stranger invading your space—let alone one wielding a knife—might shred one’s nerves, Sick feels next-level, filled to the brim with excruciating moments of suspense and horror while giving the word “asymptomatic” a whole new level of dread.

JENNIFER’S BODY (Thursday, October 13)

Dir. Karyn Kusama, 2009, 102 min

Presented by Rated Q and Ramona Slick

Now that we can all agree that the people of 2009 really fucked up by not appreciating Jennifer’s Body as the masterpiece of teen-girl horror that it is, it’s time to have some fun with bisexual succubus Jennifer (Megan Fox), her mousy BFF Needy (Amanda Seyfried), and those wallet-chain douchebags in Cold Shoulder. Rated Q and Ramona Slick return to the Music Box for a screening of Karyn Kusama’s cult-classic horror flick with a side of drag performance, for a queer, campy Halloween celebration with bite. Don’t worry—they only kill boys.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II (Friday, October 14)

Dir. Ken Wiederhorn, 1988, 89 min

Presented by Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast

If you grew up a horror-movie kid, you know how cool it is to have a comic book-loving youngster as the lead. It’s just more relatable for those years before you’re a sex crazed teenager or a disbeliving adult. Return Of The Living Dead II sits alongside The Gate and Monster Squad as perfect “intro to horror pictures” for pre-teens with an irreverent, winking sense of humor, plenty of over the top gore, and a hard rockin’ soundtrack thanks to music supervisor David Chackler. The film also features genre favorites Dana Ashbrook, Mitch Pileggi, and The Ackermonster himself, Forrest J. Ackerman. Even Thom Matthews and James Karen from the original Return Of The LIving Dead are back for the ride, giving it their comedic all. Before the film, Chicago’s very own horror hounds, Bloody Disgusting Network's the Halloweenies, will be recording a live podcast about the movie in the Music Box Lounge.

WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (Saturday, October. 15)

Dir. Wes Craven, 1994, 112 min

“Every kid knows about Freddy. He’s like Santa Claus.” With that line—delivered by Heather Langenkamp—Wes Craven put a pin in the complicated legacy of his creation, Freddy Krueger. From his beginnings as a vicious child murderer in 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, Freddy evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon that saw his face emblazoned on bubble gum and talking dolls. The character would be christened the “Henny Youngman of horror” by critics and fans alike, thanks to the one-liners delivered by Robert Englund throughout the series’ run. Ten years after the release of the original horror classic, Craven returned to write and direct New Nightmare, Craven’s own attempt—to paraphrase him in the film—put the genie back in the bottle and bring Freddy back to his dark origins…by bringing him into the real world. This meta-commentary on horror pictures (and fans) would set the stage for Scream in 1996. And despite its more intellectual stretches, New Nightmare still features memorable kills, a few one-liners from Englund as Freddy, and cameos galore that will have Music Box Of Horrors audiences cheering.This is a midnight screening, so whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!

CEMETERY MAN (a.k.a. DELLAMORTE DELLAMORTE) (Sunday, October 16)

Dir. Michele Soavi, 1994, 105 min., 35mm

Underseen and fiercely loved, Cemetery Man is the definition of a cult classic. Directed by Argento protégé Michele Soavi (Stage Fright, The Church), Cemetery Man is a unique mix of styles, blending the go-for-broke surrealism of Italian horror with pitch-black comedy and a swooning (necro-)romantic streak. Star Rupert Everett bridges these disparate moods as Francisco Dellamorte, a cemetery attendant facing the ultimate Gen-X nightmare: A demanding, dead-end job. The corpses at Francisco’s work just won’t stay dead, you see, an annoyance that’s frankly beyond Francisco’s pay grade. An encounter with a beautiful widow briefly changes his attitude, until those darned zombies ruin that for him, too. Or have they?

35mm collection print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

THE CAR (Monday, October 17)

Dir. Elliott Silverstein, 1977, 98 min

The success of Jaws inspired countless ripoffs featuring wild animals, ranging from rattlesnakes to alligators to grizzly bears terrorizing hapless victims. However one of the more inspired Jaws-ploitation entries doesn’t feature an animal at all, but rather a souped up 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark II. 1977’s The Car is a two-for-one Spielberg riff, taking inspiration not only from the director’s 1975 blockbuster but also his 1971 made-for-TV favorite Duel. The titular menace was designed by Hollywood car customizer George Barris, who was also responsible for both the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA from The Munsters. And the film got the Satanic seal of approval from Church Of Satan leader Anton La Vey, who was given a “technical advisor credit” on the picture.

I KNOW WHO KILLED ME (Tuesday, October 18)

Dir. Chris Sivertson, 2007, 106 min

I Know Who Killed Me is an overlooked American giallo that earns the title in several ways. First, this movie doesn’t make a lick of sense. Second, it’s sleazier than a truck-stop strip club. And third, if you’re a fan of Argento-style pools of bright, pure primary colors: get stoked. This campy, grimy, outrageous serial-killer thriller is mostly remembered for the tabloid drama and relentless paparazzi that surrounded star Lindsay Lohan during the movie’s filming. That lends an eerie real-life resonance to the film’s Twin Peaks-esque storyline, about an all-American high school student who, after being attacked by a serial killer, wakes up from a coma convinced that she’s actually a hard-living exotic dancer named Dakota Moss. If the parallels between that arc and Lohan’s career intrigue you, then get in, losers—we’re re-evaluating the ‘00s canon.

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (Wednesday, October 19)

Dir. Harry Kümel, 1971, 97 min

A dreamy hothouse of pansexual lust that’ll set your blood pumping and your head spinning, Daughters of Darkness queers the vampire paradigm with elegance and more than a little existential angst. The story takes place at an nearly abandoned Belgian seaside resort in winter, where the exquisitely languid Countess Bathóry (Delphine Seyrig) spends her days asleep and her nights lying around luxurious hotel suites in fabulous outfits alongside her doe-eyed “secretary”/lover Ilona (Andrea Rau). Then a newly married English couple arrives at the resort for their honeymoon, sending Ilona and the Countess’s quiet lives into chaos. Sexy, stylish, and sophisticated, with rich color cinematography and devastatingly fabulous costumes, Daughters of Darkness is a crown jewel of ‘70s Euro-horror—an era obsessed with films about lesbian vampires and the straight men they cuckold.

HUESERA (Thursday, October 20)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark.

Dir. Michelle Garza Cevera, 2022, 93 min

After years of trying to conceive, Valeria and her husband Raúl are overjoyed to learn that they are finally about to become parents. But Valeria's elation soon turns to dread, as terrifying visions lead her to believe she has been cursed by a sinister entity, “La Huesera.” As her picture-perfect life begins to splinter around her, her desperate search for answers takes her back to her rebellious past and her dabblings with the occult—embracing the dark magic that threatens to consume her might be the only way to rid herself of this spirit and safeguard her family's future. With her profoundly chilling yet intimate supernatural tale, director Michelle Garza Cevera provocatively deploys folklore and witchcraft to explore the anxieties of early motherhood.

ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (Friday, October 21)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark

Dir. Alex Phillips, 2022, 72 min

An unforgettable, highly disturbing psychedelic odyssey, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is packed with cringe-inducing images that linger long after the credits roll. Desperate for a child, Benny, a disturbed recluse, goes to sex worker Henrietta hoping she’ll be able to help. Although she cannot give him exactly what he wants, she does offer up a small tin canister full of hallucinogenic earthworms. Good enough. Along with an adrift hotel maintenance man, Roscoe, the three soon embark on a journey down the rabbit hole of consciousness and perception. Once again training his camera on a pack of intriguing societal outcasts, director and Festival alum Alex Phillips (Who’s a Good Boy?) imbues his work with a visionary microbudget surreality. 72 min.

Music Box of Horrors 2022 (Saturday, October 22, Noon - Sunday, October 23, Noon)

Presented by Shudder

That chill creeping up your spine can only mean one thing: The return of THE MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS! Join us for 24 hours of movie madness, featuring the spookiest scares, creepiest creature features, and rare cult oddities. Plus, special guests, giveaways, vendors, and much more. Featuring such modern classics as IDLE HANDS, ERNEST SCARED STUPID, BLADE, and HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2. Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements on this page: https://musicboxtheatre.com/events/music-box-of-horrors-2022

YOKAI MONSTERS: SPOOK WARFARE (Sunday, October 23)

Dir. Yoshiyuki Koroda, 1968, 90 min

The Yokai Monsters series combines the stop-motion playfulness of a Sid and Marty Krofft production with the intriguing world of yokai, traditional Japanese spirits whose incarnations range from the whimsical (a one-eyed umbrella yokai that bounces around on its curved handle) to the terrifying (the gashadokuro, a gigantic skeleton 15 times the size of an average human that rips the heads off of unwary travelers and drinks their blood). In general, the Yokai Monsters movies lean towards the former, with a childlike sense of wonder and delightful stop-motion and puppetry effects. But they do have their spine-tingling moments. In Spook Warfare, all the ghosts, monsters, and yokai in Japan are called into battle when an ancient Mesopotamian vampire demon is unleashed, possessing a samurai warlord and putting all of feudal Japan—human and supernatural alike—in danger.

NOSFERATU (Monday, October 24)

Dir. F.W. Murnau, 1922, 81 min

Featuring a live score by the Invincible Czars

The vampire movie upon which all other vampire movies are built, F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu has set imaginations aflame and inspired writers, filmmakers, artists, and musicians for a century. This silent masterpiece still has the power to send a chill down viewers’ spines, and Texas sextet The Invincible Czars will bring the fright to the Music Box with a live score designed to enhance the chilling atmosphere and nightmarish power of this Halloween-season classic. The Invincible Czars make cinematic, experimental “rock” for music nerds, horror fans, film lovers, followers of science fiction and fact, comics, cartoons & humor and anyone with a complicated relationship with heavy metal and classical music.

SEX DEMON (Wednesday, October 26)

Dir. J.C. Cricket, 1975, 60 min

Preceded by a Gay XXX Trailer Reel

All hell breaks loose when John’s last-minute anniversary gift inadvertently causes his younger lover Jim to become possessed by a Sex Demon in J.C. Cricket’s all-male horror film. Openly inspired by both The Exorcist and its Blaxploitation cousin, Abby, Sex Demon is a ferocious mix of the erotic and the grotesque that’s primed and ready to shock audiences again after being lost for the past forty years. In the words of Gay Scene critic Bruce King, “the squeamish may not want to watch, but if you do, you won’t forget it!”

MALIGNANT (Thursday, October 27)

Dir. James Wan, 2021, 111 min

Upon its release in September 2021, Malignant entered into the zeitgeist quickly, mainly due to its simultaneous release to theaters and streaming. In short, everyone was watching it, and everyone had an opinion about it. Audiences and critics responded mostly positively to director James Wan’s Italian horror-tinged picture, thanks to its camp sensibility and a memorable monster, combined with the director's own slick, modern video-game-inspired aesthetic. A film that owes a great deal to midnight movie favorites Basket Case and The Manitou, Malignant has a weird and wild energy that is best enjoyed with a packed audience of psychotronic horror hounds. And if you missed that first time around, this is your chance to see it on the big screen.

AATMA (Saturday, October 29)

Dir. Deepak Ramsay, 2006, 107 min

Bollywood Night! Presented by Mondo Macabro

India-based genre specialists Deepak, Tulsi, and Gangu Ramsay (Purana Mandir) team up for this visually inventive tale of demonic possession and supernatural revenge. Neha is a young doctor preparing to celebrate his wedding anniversary when a mysterious stranger warns him that an upcoming autopsy will be the catalyst for a terrifying sequence of events. The following day, he is deeply disturbed to see the stranger’s corpse awaiting dissection in the hospital morgue. But this shocking development is only the beginning of Neha’s horror. One of the last horror films from the legendary Ramsay family (Mahakaal), Aatma scratches every itch Bollywood horror fans can imagine, from terrifying eye close-ups, never-ending screams, and dubious gender politics to stunning color gels, ridiculously catchy dance numbers, and vengeful spirits taking form in delectably practical and digital mashup makeup effects. Don’t miss the ultra-rare chance to see an unfairly overlooked late-stage Bollywood horror extravaganza from the family that put the genre on the map.

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (Monday, October 31)

Dir. Rob Zombie, 2003, 88 min

Love him or hate him, Rob Zombie came out of the gate with his gritty, self-consciously tasteless take on the horror genre fully formed. House of 1000 Corpses was Zombie’s first feature film as a director, and it establishes many of his pet themes: Murder clowns, true crime, homicidal backwoods families, Spirit Halloween aesthetics, and the camera ogling Zombie’s future wife Sheri Moon are all essential elements of this cult classic splatter flick. Even more mean-spirited than contemporaries like House of Wax and Platinum Dunes’ Texas Chainsaw remake, House of 1000 Corpses will take you back to the last time violent nationalism and ultra-low-rise jeans were on the rise in American culture.

SPONSOR

About SHUDDER:

AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. To experience Shudder commitment-free for 7 days, visit www.shudder.com.

Pricing & Scheduling:

All films except FINAL DESTINATION Marathon and 24-hour Marathon - $11 General Admission / $8 MBT Members

FINAL DESTINATION Marathon - $20 General Admission / $15 MBT Members

New 10-film pass - $66.60 General Admission / $55.50 MBT Members (redeemable for all films, except 24-hour marathon)

Advanced 24-hour Marathon (beginning October 22, Noon) - $30 General Admission / $25 MBT Members

Day Of 24-hour Marathon - $35 General Admission / $30 Music Box Members

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

About The Music Box of Horrors:

Recent editions of Music Box of Horrors have included Guillermo Del Toro introducing his legendary horror/action work BLADE 2; filmmaker William Crain, with his wildly inventive DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE; POSSESSOR, with writer/director Brandon Cronenberg Q&A; director Karyn Kusama presenting her film JENNIFER’S BODY; director Jill Gevargizian, presenting her groundbreaking film THE STYLIST; director John Hancock, presenting his landmark film LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH; director William Lustig, presenting MANIAC; actor Ethan Embry, presenting the Chicago premiere of THE DEVIL’S CANDY; Gary Sherman and John McNaughton, presenting DEATH LINE; director Jim Muro, presenting STREET TRASH; actor Kevin J. O’Connor with LORD OF ILLUSIONS; and writer Don Mancini for the Chicago-shot CHILD’S PLAY.

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States; and through its Music Box Direct subsidiary, operates an online streaming service offering the best of foreign and independent films.

Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the genre film festival Cinepocalypse; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

Music Box Theatre Virtual Cinema Streaming WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES Starting 7/10/20

Missing Indie Cinema? 

Chicago's Music Box Theatre Virtually Has You Covered

Oscilloscope Laboratories and Music Box Theatre present the acclaimed, smile-inducing, toe-tapping debut feature from Japanese writer/director Makoto Nagahisa, WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES, which will be available as a Virtual Cinema presentation, beginning Friday, July 10, 2020.

The Virtual Cinema experience was created to assist temporarily closed and gradually reopening independent theaters. By purchasing a “ticket,” you’ll be directly supporting Music Box Theatre, as all revenue is being shared between distributor and exhibitor just as if you bought your ticket at the theater’s box office.

For information on rentals, click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films/we-are-little-zombies
(The Virtual Cinema Link will be live on July 10.)

“Explosively ingenious and energetic...A hyper-stylized, hyperactive and hyper-fun movie spectacular.” — Variety

“A rainbow-colored scream into the abyss...One of the most exciting premieres at Sundance 2019.” — New York Magazine

About WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES:
When four young orphans—Hikari, Ikuko, Ishi, and Takemura—first meet, their parents’ bodies are being turned into dust, like fine Parmesan atop a plate of spaghetti Bolognese, and yet none of them can shed a tear. They are like zombies; devoid of all emotion. With no family, no future, no dreams, and no way to move forward, the young teens decide that the first level of this new existence involves salvaging a gaming console, an old electric bass, and a charred wok from their former homes—just enough to start a band and then conquer the world. Tragedy, comedy, music, social criticism, and teenage angst are all subsumed in this eccentric cinematic tsunami. 

Pricing & Scheduling:
Rentals are $12, and are good for 72 hours. Your purchase will go toward supporting Music Box Theatre during our gradual reopening.

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member


About Music Box Theatre:
Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States.

Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the genre film festival Cinepocalypse; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING: HER SMELL Opens at he Music Box Theatre on April 19, 2019

FILMS ON OUR RADAR:

Writer/director Alex Ross Perry’s 

HER SMELL 

opens at the Music Box Theatre on April 19, 2019. 

***Writer/director Alex Ross Perry will be in attendance at the Music Box Theatre for post-film Q&As following the Saturday, April 20, 8pm & Sunday, April 21, 1:45pm screenings. Both of these shows are on sale now!***

“[Elizabeth] Moss’ oscillating, energy-devouring performance and the real-time composition of Perry's scenes make it almost impossible to look away.” — Vulture

“Perry’s kinetic style and Moss’ explosive performance transform [the film] into something that feels more authentic than actual history.” — Consequence of Sound

About HER SMELL:
Becky Something is a ’90s punk rock superstar who once filled arenas with her grungy, all-female trio Something She. Now she plays smaller venues while grappling with motherhood, exhausted band mates, nervous record company executives, and a new generation of rising talent eager to usurp her stardom. When Becky's chaos and excesses derail a recording session and national tour, she finds herself shunned, isolated and alone. Forced to get sober, temper her demons, and reckon with the past, she retreats from the spotlight and tries to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success. Also starring Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Eric Stolz, Dylan Gelula, and Virginia Madsen.

Anchored by a towering, unflinching performance from Golden Globe and Emmy winner Moss, and supported by a stellar ensemble cast, HER SMELL examines the grit, grace and gravitas of an unforgettable fictional rock star crashing down to earth into the harsh realities of mid-life. With his incendiary and deeply humane sixth feature, writer-director Alex Ross Perry (LISTEN UP PHILIP, GOLDEN EXITS) pumps up the volume and shines a light on the terrifying moment when superstardom wanes —and quiet becomes the new loud.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Production Year: 2018
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Run Time: 135 mins

Format: DCP

Pricing & Scheduling:
Tickets are $12 ($9 for Music Box Members)
Click here to find out how to become a member

For tickets and further information, please click here

About Music Box Theatre:

For the last two decades, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook, Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

FEST ALERT: The Music Box Theatre's Debut Year of CINEPOCALYPSE Launches Nov 2nd-9th, 2017

Chi, IL Films On Our Radar:

CHICAGO-BASED 

CINEPOCALYPSE 
ANNOUNCES FULL PROGRAMMING, GUESTS, JURIES

November 2 - 9 at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre

Debut year of genre festival to award director Larry Cohen and actor Antonio Fargas,

 opens with SWEET VIRGINIA, closes with BEYOND SKYLINE!

The Music Box Theatre is proud to announce their full wave of programming and guests for the debut year of CINEPOCALYPSE (an evolution to the program design of Bruce Campbell's Horror Film Festival), which will take place November 2 - 9 at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. The Midwest’s largest gathering of genre films and fans, the festival’s organizers are proud to announce dozens of new features, shorts, and premieres, alongside their juries, repertory, and secret screenings.

This year’s Cinepocalypse, November 2-9, will features scary-good world, U.S., and regional premieres, repertory screenings, special guests, parties, and much more. For more information, visit www.musicboxtheatre.com. 

To purchase early bird badges, please visit  https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/events/cinepocalypse.

Of the over 60 films selected, highlights include the World Premiere of PRIMAL RAGE; North American Premieres of RENDEL, SNOWFLAKE, and THE TERROR OF HALLOW’S EVE; and U.S. Premieres of BEYOND SKYLINE, LOWLIFE, DOWNRANGE, and MOTORRAD! Among the guests at this year’s festival are writer/director Larry Cohen, filmmaker Joe Carnahan, actor Antonio Fargas, actor Eric Roberts, screenwriter/guest host Simon Barrett, actress Barbara Crampton, and Suspiria star Jessica Harper - with many more to be announced!

Says Cinepocalypse founder Josh Goldbloom, “This lineup represents the most twisted, hilarious, intelligent, horrifying, and no holds barred badass cinema on this planet. It’s a pummeling collection of international genre films from the world’s most creative and audacious artists. It was a pleasure for us to curate and discover these films and we’re thrilled to unleash it all in a fury of festivities unlike Chicago has ever seen!”

Cinepocalypse is made possible by sponsors IFC Midnight, Bloody Disgusting, and The Onion’s A.V. Club.


A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR DIRECTOR LARRY COHEN

Larry Cohen is the sort of filmmaker who creates movie geeks. Upon discovering discover Black Caesar, It’s Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, or The Stuff, you’re immediately tempted to see all of the director’s other movies. Between his directorial work and his (non-stop) screenplays, it’s safe to say you’ve seen and loved a few Larry Cohen movies without even knowing it. And this year, he’s here to hang out with the audience at Cinepocalypse and watch some movies!

THE AMBULANCE
with director Larry Cohen and star Eric Roberts in attendance!

Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, and Janine Turner star in this typically colorful high concept thriller (with humor) from Larry Cohen, one of the most reliably entertaining indie filmmakers over the past 40 years. While not be as well-known as Cohen’s more regularly-screened classics, this smoothly entertaining flick about a mysterious ambulance that keeps snatching up all the women in Roberts’ life has to be seen to be believed.

KING COHEN: THE WILD WORLD OF FILMMAKER LARRY COHEN - Midwest Premiere
with subject Larry Cohen in attendance!
USA, 2017
Dir: Steve Mitchell

Indie film legend Larry Cohen has directed cult classics like Black Caesar, It’s Alive, Q the Winged Serpent, and The Stuff. Hollywood screenwriter Larry Cohen delivered enjoyable high concept matinees like Best Seller, Phone Booth, and Cellular - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Fans and newcomers alike will savor every minute of this exhaustive documentary, covering virtually every piece of Mr. Cohen’s wildly impressive career.

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR ANTONIO FARGAS

Shaft. Across 110th Street. Cleopatra Jones. Foxy Brown. Starsky and Hutch. I’m Gonna Git You Sucka! These are just a few of the exploitation classics that have been enlivened by the presence of character actor extraordinaire Antonio Fargas, whose body of work stretches from the late 1960s to our closing night film, BEYOND SKYLINE. Join us in celebrating this beloved veteran performer, as we highlight his eclectic and extensive body of work.

FOXY BROWN
with co-star Antonio Fargas in attendance!
USA, 1974
Dir: Jack Hill

Cult legend, blaxploitation goddess, and overall badass Pam Grier stars as a young woman out for revenge after her boyfriend is murdered by a cabal of drug-dealing, sex-trafficking scumbags. It gets gruesome and unpleasant on occasion, but Ms. Grier always brings steely class to even the campiest of moments. Cinepocalypse honoree Antonio Fargas does some fine work as our anti-heroine’s conflicted - and untrustworthy - brother.

I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA
with co-star Antonio Fargas in attendance!
USA, 1988
Dir: Keenan Ivory Wayans
Fans of Shaft, Black Caesar, SuperFly, and Cleopatra Jones, have likely grown up with this Airplane!-style parody, but even newbies to the wonderful world of blaxploitation cinema will find much to love in Keenan Ivory Wayans’ affectionate, on-point lampoon of ‘70s street crime cinema.

THE A.V. CLUB PRESENTS: BEYOND THE ROOM - GET EVEN
Tommy Wiseau and The Room have given audiences countless hours of joy over the years, but for the inaugural Cinepocalypse, The A.V. Club is opening the door and taking you “Beyond The Room” with a special presentation of Get Even. By day, John De Hart is a trial lawyer in Los Angeles. By night, he’s the writer, director, producer, composer, and star of this DIY action-romance opus.
Shot mostly in 1993 and completed in 2007, Get Even features Satanic cults, corrupt cops, hot tubs, Shakespearean monologues, Wings Hauser laying down his personal philosophy while standing fully clothed in a swimming pool, and the life-changing magic of the “Shimmy Slide,” as performed by De Hart himself. Get Even has never received mainstream distribution and is only available from the director himself, so don’t miss your chance to see this cult-classic-in-the-making that will have you asking, “Who’s Hamlet? Who gives a shit?”

THE SECRET SCREENING!
It’s top secret, so there’s nothing we can say other than: trust us, be here, or you’ll sincerely regret it!
And don’t believe any of the rumors; this one is staying completely under wraps until the title pops up on the screen!

40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF SUSPIRIA WITH STAR JESSICA HARPER IN ATTENDANCE!
Experience the ultimate in horror with the uncut, 98-minute version on a newly-discovered, Italian-dubbed 35mm print! Dario Argento’s classic tale of murder and paranoia inside a creepy dance academy is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and oldschool Eurohorror fans will not want to miss this special screening. Special thanks to The Chicago Cinema Society for use of their print.


BLOOD. GUTS. BULLETS. OCTANE. - Presented by Joe Carnahan

Cinepocalypse is proud to partner with Joe Carnahan to present a special screening of the legendary writer/director’s 1997 debut, accompanied by a fearsome foursome of classic cinematic thrills, all carefully curated and lovingly hosted by the man himself!

BLOOD, GUTS, BULLETS & OCTANE - Extremely rare 35mm Screening
with writer/director Joe Carnahan in attendance!
USA, 1997
Dir: Joe Carnahan

Inspired by the independent bravery of El Mariachi, (the directorial debut of Robert Rodriguez shot for only $7000), Carnahan paved his way as Hollywood’s most badass action filmmaker with this stunning first offering, also shot for an unbelievable seven grand! Following the screening, join writer/director Joe Carnahan as he discusses the trials and tribulations of low-budget filmmaking.

NEAR DARK - 30th Anniversary 35mm Screening
Curated and Introduced by Filmmaker Joe Carnahan!
USA, 1987
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow’s masterful vampire ensemble may have not made much noise upon its theatrical release in 1987 but has gone up to become a true-blue genre classic in recent years. Aliens co-stars Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, and the late, great Bill Paxton star as a vampire clan who have their undead hearts set on terrorizing a small Texas town. [BLOOD]

HARD TIMES - Brand New 4K Restoration Premiere
Curated and introduced by Filmmaker Joe Carnahan!
USA, 1975
Dir: Walter Hill
Walter Hill director Charles Bronson and James Coburn, who gamble, booze, and box their way through New Orleans during the Great Depression. Recently restored to pristine 4K status, we guarantee you’ve never seen this one on the big screen! [GUTS]

BULLET IN THE HEAD – Rare 35mm Screening
Curated and Introduced by Filmmaker Joe Carnahan!
Hong Kong, 1990
Dir: John Woo
John Woo’s epic tale of three troubled friends who rise up from minor street toughs to fugitives and smugglers before being thrown into the Vietnam War is easily one of the most kinetic and exciting wartime action flicks ever put to film. Actual heart, humanity, and character elevate this action-packed bullet-fest far above all others of its ilk. [BULLETS]

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE – Rare 35mm Screening
Curated and Introduced by Filmmaker Joe Carnahan!
USA, 1986                                         
Dir: Stephen Fucking King!
Buffeted by a phenomenal soundtrack by AC/DC, Stephen King’s first - and last - directorial effort is a goofy, grungy, gory tale of homicidal machines, ill-fated humans, and the greasy truck stop diner where vehicular homicide is the special of the day. [OCTANE]


OPENING NIGHT & CENTERPIECE INFO COMING SOON

SWEET VIRGINIA - Opening Night Film
Midwest Premiere
USA, 2017
Director: Jamie M. Dagg
Talent in attendance!

A former rodeo champ with a dark past unknowingly starts a rapport with a young man who has a propensity for disturbing sociopathic violence that has suddenly gripped a small town. Jon Bernthal (Netflix’s The Punisher), Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night), Rosemarie DeWitt (Mad Men), and Imogen Poots (Green Room) star in this twisted, moody, modern day neo-noir masterpiece.

BEYOND SKYLINE - Closing Night Film
U.S. Premiere
USA, 2017
Dir: Liam O’Donnell
Talent in attendance!

The stars of The Purge: Anarchy (Frank Grillo) and The Raid: Redemption (Iko Uwais) team up to battle the alien apocalypse in this pulpy, colorful, and wildly over-the-top action/sci-fi/horror mash-up that has to be seen to be believed. The sequel to 2010’s Skyline, this mind-bending lunacy somehow manages to be even more insane (way more insane) than its infamous predecessor!


ADDITIONAL SECOND WAVE FEATURES INCLUDE:

PRIMAL RAGE (World Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Patrick Magee
Talent in attendance!
You may have seen a few Bigfoot-related horror films over the years, but it’s safe to say you’ve never seen a Sasquatch rampage like this. Primal Rage is a tale of a young couple, a bunch of hunters, a witch, and some Native American cops who butt heads with a wildly violent forest monster, causing all Hell to break loose! From practical special effects guru Patrick Magee (Spider-Man, Jurassic Park III), this may be the goriest film you’ll see all year!

SNOWFLAKE (North American Premiere)
Germany, 2017
Dirs: Adolfo Kolmerer and William James
Talent in attendance!
Take a dash of Tarantino, a splash of Coen brothers, a metric ton of meta-textual self-awareness, and a fast-paced series of humorously violent misadventures, and you’re halfway to grasping the magnificent madness of this bizarre German import. A gang of lowlife characters all want revenge on the others, but along the way they must contend with assassins, madmen, a blood-covered angel, and an electricity-powered superhero.

THE TERROR OF HALLOW’S EVE (North American Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Todd Tucker
Talent in attendance!
Timmy Stevens is socially awkward kid, obsessed with horror movies and frequently bullied. But Timmy’s about to get his revenge in full-bore fashion when he unwittingly unleashes an evil creature known as The Trickster on Halloween Night. Genre veteran Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) provides an amazing creature performance, but the real stars here are the wide array of surprisingly effective creature FX and affection for old-school ‘80s mayhem.

DOWNRANGE (U.S. Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Ryuhei Kitamura
Talent in attendance!
A merciless sniper takes aim at a car full of college kids, disabling their vehicle on a lonely country road and methodically picking them off, one by one. This latest, nail-biting offering from genre veteran Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train, Versus) contains the filmmaker’s trademark creeping tension, sudden violence, and extreme nihilism. In other words, things get pretty dark.

MOTORRAD (U.S. Premiere)
Brazil, 2017
Dir: Vicente Amorim
Talent in attendance!
A slasher by way of George Miller’s MAD MAX meets Wes Craven’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES, this violence-fueled adrenaline ride will leave you absolutely breathless. In this visually stunning Brazilian import, a gang of dirt-bikers on a ride across an isolated region, find themselves being hunted by a machete-wielding band of motorcyclists intent on killing them all. Based on characters created by Marvel comic book author Danilo Beyruth, this atmospheric and suspenseful genre film also functions as an allegory to our battles within. It’s as smart as it is downright frightening, and we’re damn excited to unleash this beast into the U.S. for the very first time!

APPLECART - All-New Cut (Midwest Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Brad Baruh
Talent in attendance!
A gaggle of powerhouse horror veterans - including Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Brea Grant (Beyond the Gates), AJ Bowen (The Signal), Daniel Roebuck (At the Devil’s Door), and Chase Williamson (John Dies at the End) get together for what seems like a fairly standard “cabin in the woods” tale and then it gets weird… and weirder… and super gory. Let’s just leave it at that.

CHARISMATA (Midwest Premiere)
UK – 2017
Dir: Tor Mian, Andy Collier
Talent in attendance!
A rookie female detective, struggling to find acceptance in a police department defined by a culture of bullying and intolerance, watches as things go from bad to worse as her chief suspect in a series of brutal ritualistic murders takes a personal interest in her. A game of cat and mouse degrades the detective’s grasp on reality and, as she spirals out of control, this young woman must suddenly fight for her sanity, life… and maybe even her soul.

THE CRESCENT (Midwest Premiere)
Canada, 2017
Dir: Seth A. Smith
A young widow and her two-year-old son take shelter in a massive, creepy seaside house after the sudden death of her husband. But rather than follow the tropes of standard jump-scare storytelling, The Crescent places a unique focus its child star, some truly impressive visual touches, and a consistently ominous sound design. This creepy Canadian import, which premiered in TIFF’s Midnight Madness program, is guaranteed to get under your skin.

GET MY GUN (Midwest Premiere)
USA, 2017
Director: Brian Darwas
Talent in attendance!
This wonderfully executed homage to beloved and controversial exploitation classics of the past (namely Abel Ferrera’s Ms. 45 and Meir Zarchi’s I Spit on Your Grave) proves itself to not just as an imitator, but in a league of its own. After a horrible attack leaves Amanda pregnant and out of a job, she finds herself on the verge of motherhood and the target of a psychotic stalker who will stop at nothing to get her hands on the unborn child.

THE LODGERS (Midwest Premiere)
Ireland, 2017
Dir: Brian O’Malley
There’s been a great flood of Irish horror films over the past several years, and their latest offering is just another example of how to combine classy scares and intermittent nastiness into one good thriller. Director Brian O’Malley (Let Us Prey) brings us the tale of two young twins in the 1920s, the strange rules that govern their existence, and what happens when a handsome newcomer threatens to upset their order of things.

PSYCHOPATHS (Midwest Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Mickey Keating
Prolific indie genre machine Mickey Keating (Pod, Darling, Carnage Park) returns with a tale of psychos run amok… Yes, multiple disparate psychos. The execution of an infamous serial killer somehow inspires a half-dozen maniacs to lose their collective minds and commit all sorts of nasty acts, but this is not your standard body count movie. Loaded with odd digressions, fractured narratives, and some enjoyably abstract weirdness, this is may be Keating’s strangest, creepiest movie yet.

SEQUENCE BREAK (Midwest Premiere)
USA, 2017
Dir: Graham Skipper
To call this freaky dark romance a love letter to David Cronenberg’s classic Videodrome would be an understatement, but at least writer/director Graham Skipper has awfully good taste in influences. Sequence Break is a story of a lonely guy, a sweet girl, a deserted arcade, and a video game with insidiously biological tendencies - all of which become intertwined in a perverse, melancholic string of events that will leave all of them forever changed.

Previously Announced Films:

RENDEL (North American Premiere)
Finland, 2017
Director: Jesse Haaja

Finland’s first superhero film, Rendel is dystopian action/fantasy unlike anything ever witnessed Stateside. When a massive criminal organization takes over his town, a masked vigilante strikes back through a series of brutal attacks that leave blood spilled and cash ablaze. A dark adventure that harkens to the finest in 80s era comics, Rendel is the anti-Marvel crusader: an all-too-human superhero from the streets, driven solely by rage and revenge!

ATTACK OF THE ADULT BABIES (North American Premeire)
UK, 2017
Director: Dominic Brunt
High-powered middle-aged men intend to refuel the world’s economy by very sinister, sick and monstrous means.
"$1 of each ticket sale will be donated to the ACLU to assist in continuing their support of defending us from further adult baby attacks".

LOWLIFE (U.S. Premiere)
USA, 2017
Director: Ryan Prows
The sordid lives of an addict, ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong

POOR AGNES (U.S. Premiere)
Canada, 2017
Director: Navin Ramaswaran
A female serial killer and her next victim form an unexpected relationship.

ANIMALS (TIERE) (Midwest Premiere)
Germany, 2017
Director: Greg Zglinski
A vehicle collision with a sheep on a country road initiates a whole series of weird an unsettling experiences for a couple in this darkly comical Lynchian nightmare.

BEFORE WE VANISH (Midwest Premiere)
Japan, 2017
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Three aliens travel to Earth in preparation for a mass invasion, taking possession of human bodies.

DEAD SHACK (Midwest Premiere)
Canada, 2017
Director: Peter Ricq
While staying at a run down cabin in the woods, three children must save their parents from the neighbor who intends to feed them to her un-dead family.

HAGAZUSSA - A HEATHEN’S CURSE (Midwest Premiere)
Germany, 2017
Director: Lukas Feigelfeld
Set in the Austrian Alps during the middle ages, this morbid and visually stunning tale deals with the fine line between ancient beliefs in magic and delusional psychosis

HOUSEWIFE (Midwest Premiere)
Turkey, 2017
Director: Can Evrenol
On a snowy eve a young girl’s sister and father are killed by her mother. 20 years later and slowly losing her grip on reality, she runs into a celebrity psychic who claims he is destined to help her. And then things get ultra weird. From the director of Baskin.

JAILBREAK (Midwest Premiere)
Cambodia, 2017
Director: Jimmy Henderson
An entire prison riots and they all get their ass-kicked by a special task force sent in to protect a key witness.

MOHAWK (Midwest Premiere)
USA, 2017
Director: Ted Geoghegan
Late in the war of 1812, a young Mohawk woman and her two lovers battle a squad of American soldiers hell-bent on revenge. From the director of We Are Still Here.

TRENCH 11 (Midwest Premiere)
Canada, 2017
Director: Leo Scherman
In the final days of WWI a shell-shocked soldier must lead a mission deep beneath the trenches to stop a German plot that could turn the tide of the war. But what lies beneath is way more dark & sinister than they ever could have imagined.

VERONICA (Midwest Premiere)
Spain, 2017
Director: Paco Plaza
After making a Ouija with friends, a teenager is besieged by dangerous supernatural presences that threaten to harm her whole family. From the director of the REC franchise.

TRAGEDY GIRLS (Illinois Premiere)
USA, 2017
Director: Tyler MacIntyre
This twist on the slasher genre follows two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.


CINEPOCALYPSE 2017 JURY MEMBERS

Cinepocalypse 2017’s Feature Film Jury is comprised of actress/producer Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond, We Are Still Here), critic and Chicago Film Critics Festival producer Erik Childress, and critic/author Mark Millar (Pirouette/Jungle Book).

The festival’s Short Film Jury is made up of writer/director Gary Sherman (Raw Meat, Dead & Buried)
Lisa Holmes (Director of Sales, Home Entertainment at Music Box Films and Doppelganger Releasing), and actor/producer/editor Shane Simmons.


SHORTS FILMS - LADIES FIRST!

Once Cinepocalypse whittled down its hundreds of short film submissions into a small pile of favorites, the realization was made that a startling amount of them were directed by women. So why not, the programmers decided, showcase all of ‘em in one wildly eclectic block?! These shorts cover a wide array of subjects, from small-town psychos to otherworldly mysteries, and all sorts of insanity in between. Cinepocalypse is donating 50% of all proceeds from this screening to The Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

These year’s short films are:


Beautiful Injuries
Dir: Judith Beauvallet

Blood Shed
Dir: James Moran

Brown Wreck-Loose
Dir: Tristian Montgomery

Broadside
Dir: Laura Nitz

Buzzcut
Dir: Jon Rhoads

The Dollmaker
Dir: Al Lougher

Don’t Ever Change
Dir: Don Swaynos

Feeding Time
Dir: Matt Mercer

Flow
Dir: Shelagh Rowan-Legg

For a Good Time Call
Dir: Izzy Lee

Imbroglio
Dir: Christopher Zatta
Incendo
Dir: Slater Dixon

Latch
Dir: Justin Harding

Over Easy
Dir: Laura Nitz

Pendulum
Dir: Lauren Cooney

Remote Viewing
Dir: Robert Puccinelli

Third Wheel
Dir: Danny DelPurgatori

Roohangiz
Dir: Elmira Bagherzadah

Sleazy Pete
Dir: Frank Appache



We Summed a Demon
Dir: Chris McInroy

What Metal Girls Are Into
Dir: Laurel Vail

Your Date Is Here
Dir: Todd Spence

Eric Roberts Is The Fucking Man!

With over 476 acting credits (and growing by the day). Oscar nominated thespian and just all around badass Eric Roberts (!!!) takes part in a very special live recording of Doug Tilley & Liam O’Donnell’s acclaimed film podcast ERIC ROBERTS IS THE FUCKING MAN. Though there are dozens of episodes that have been produced without the man Eric Roberts involved, Cinepocalypse is proud to introduce the parties to each other for the first time ever!

We promise this will be one of the most epic events of the festival!

The Cinepocalypse Midnight Movie Challenge
The production team at Boulderlight Pictures consists of 23-year-old JD Lifshitz and 24-year-old Raphael Margules. Alongside both Contracted films, they also produced Bad Match, which received its premiere at FrightFest; the upcoming Dismissed (starring Dylan Krause); and numerous other genre titles.

With their youthful exuberance and heavy output, we've issued them a challenge: produce a genre feature exclusively for Cinepocalypse 2017. There are no parameters other than it must be a feature-length midnight movie, and that they must begin production immediately upon release of this announcement.

Together, attendees of Cinepocalypse will all experience the World Premiere of this yet-untitled (and unwritten… and unfilmed) production during a special midnight slot in this year’s inaugural festival!

Josh Goldbloom, Founder and Artistic Director of The Awesome Fest and what had been known as Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival, and Ryan Oestreich, General Manager of The Music Box Theatre, aim to make this year bigger, better, and scarier than any in the festival’s history. Since 2014, the festival has terrorized audiences with an annual slate of premiere films, guests, and bloodcurdling entertainment. Leaving a trail of apocalyptic annihilation in the suburbs, as Cinepocalypse, the festival sheds its suburban skin, forms an epic alliance with the city’s historic Music Box Theatre and reemerges as a brand new horror behemoth for Chicago.

The Music Box Theatre stands as one of the nation’s most prestigious art house theatres, and has recently made a concerted effort to diversify programming and bolster local audiences. Located on the city’s Northside at 3733 North Southport Ave, The Music Box's year-round programming has consistently offered genre fans some of the very finest cinematic experiences in digital, 35mm, and 70mm formats.