<<< August 5 - 21, 2005 >>>

This series also screens at the Aero Theatre (July 30 - August 14, 2005).

The dog days of summer are once more upon us, and what better way to beat the heat than the Cinematheque’s 6^th Annual Festival of all things macabre, malevolent, mysterious and just plain out of this world!!

Our opening night spotlights the 25^th Anniversary of director Stanley Kubrick’s spine-tingling adapation of Stephen King’s THE SHINING, starring Jack Nicholson in one of his most (in)famous roles. This year’s Fest also features L.A. premieres of brand-new films from around the globe: Hong Kong director Fruit Chan's transgressive feature-length version of his segment from the THREE...EXTREMES horror anthology, DUMPLINGS; the sequels to two wildly popular Asian supernatural thrillers, EYE 2 and JU-ON 2; and last but not least Alex de la Iglesia's pitch black comedy PERFECT CRIME, which will kick off a mini-tribute to the Spanish maverick director including vintage gems ACCION MUTANTE and DAY OF THE BEAST. There's also a program of exciting new shorts, with most of the filmmakers in attendance.

Of course the Fest also features a number of older treasures, including 20th Anniversary cast & crew reunion screenings of RE-ANIMATOR and THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD; screenings of COLOSSUS, THE FORBIN PROJECT and David Lynch's DUNE; plus a mini-tribute to one of the most famous icons in fantastic cinema, actor Boris Karloff (1887 – 1969), featuring his legendary performances as The Monster in FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN as well as such rarities as MASK OF FU MANCHU, THE RAVEN (1935), THE INVISIBLE RAY and BEDLAM!

Also don't miss our wild Italian Pulp Showcase with the best of 1960’s and 1970’s Italian pop cinema on display, replete with giallo chillers (a 30th Anniversary screening of Dario Argento's DEEP RED and Lucio Fulci's rare ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER), Italian crime thrillers (Umberto Lenzi's gonzo ALMOST HUMAN and Fernando di Leo's THE ITALIAN CONNECTION) and ultra-violent spaghetti westerns (Giulio Petroni's DEATH RIDES A HORSE and Giuseppe Colizzi's GOD FORGIVES, I DON'T)!!

And if that wasn't enough … at the Aero Theatre we'll be showing a selection of some of our most popular past shows, including a Mini-Tribute to maestro Stanley Kubrick with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (in 70mm!!), THE SHINING and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE; plus screenings of Steven Spielberg's JAWS; Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASACRE and Nicholas Meyer's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN! Plus a special in-person one day tribute to Ray Harryhausen with 7^th VOYAGE OF SINBAD, FIRST MEN IN THE MOON and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS!

We’re very pleased to welcome as in-person guests for this year’s series: visual effects legend Ray Harryhausen, directors Curtis Harrington, Stuart Gordon (RE-ANIMATOR), Alex de la Iglesia (PERFECT CRIME; Nicholas Meyer (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN); actor Eric Braeden (COLOSSUS, THE FORBIN PROJECT) and cast & crew from RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD including writer/director Dan O’Bannon, actors James Karen, Don Calfa, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Miguel Nunez Jr. and Brian Peck, and art director William Stout.

Thursday, August 4 – 8:00 PM

Special 25^th Anniversary Screening!!

THE SHINING, 1980, Warner Bros., 142 min. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. "Heeeere’s JOHNNY!" Jack Nicholson is a frustrated writer who takes a job for the winter (along with wife Shelley Duvall and son Danny Lloyd) looking after an enormous, isolated mountain hotel, in the hope that snow and solitude will give him peace of mind. He finds just the opposite, as the hotel’s own horrific past quickly overtakes him in this soul-chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. And remember, YOU are the caretaker here. You’ve always been the caretaker …

>> Also showing at The Aero on August 5.

Friday, August 5 – 8:00 PM

Boris Karloff Tribute:

FRANKENSTEIN, 1931, Universal, 70 min. Dir. James Whale. "A Monster Science Created – But Could Not Destroy!" Boris Karloff had appeared in over 75 films before FRANKENSTEIN turned him almost-overnight into a screen legend. His performance here – anguished, eloquent, wordless – remains one of the most hauntingly powerful in all cinema. With Colin Clive, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye. >> Also showing at The Aero on July 31.

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU, 1932, MGM (Warner Bros.), 68 min. Dir. Charles Brabin. Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) and Professor Von Berg (Jean Hersholt) travel to the mysterious East with their entourage (including beefcake hero Charles Starrett and token blonde Karen Morley), to unearth the tomb of Ghengis Khan. But novelist Sax Rohmer’s nefarious arch super-villain, Fu Manchu (perfectly cast Boris Karloff) and his luscious, equally-evil daughter played by Myrna Loy (yes! Nora of THE THIN MAN films!) see it as the perfect opportunity to steal Khan’s ceremonial mask and sword, magical relics that will enable them to rule the world. Brazen sexual innuendo and some surprisingly sadistic violence embellish this deliciously campy artifact of pre-Hays Code horror. An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

Saturday, August 6 – 5:00 PM

U.S. Premiere:

DUMPLINGS, 2004, Lions Gate, 91 min. The feature length version of the segment that Hong Kong director Fruit Chan contributed to Asian horror anthology THREE…EXTREMES is an alternately horrific, surreally beautiful and darkly humorous fable about the pursuit of youth at all costs. Ching (Miriam Yeung), the insecure, middle-aged wife of philandering jet-set businessman, Lee (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) goes to carefree back alley abortionist and culinary expert, Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) to buy her high-priced dumplings that reportedly restore one’s youth. But she gets a lot more than she bargained for along the way in the form of unexpected and unwelcome complications. A rewardingly ghoulish parable about being careful what you wish for. Not for the squeamish. [DUMPLINGS will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Lions Gate.] NOT ON VIDEO!

Saturday, August 6 – 7:30 PM

Boris Karloff Tribute -- 70^th Anniversary Screenings!

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1935, Universal, 75 min. Dir. James Whale. "Warning! The Monster Demands a Mate!" Widely considered the high point of the 1930’s Universal Horror cycle, BRIDE is a brilliant blend of black humor and Gothic style. Boris Karloff reprises his greatest role as The Monster, with Colin Clive as his reluctant "father," the hilariously creepy Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius, and Elsa Lanchester as the screaming-mimi Bride. >> Also showing at the Aero on July 31.

THE RAVEN, 1935, Universal, 61 min. Dir. Lew Landers. "Maybe if a man is ugly, he does ugly things …!" Demented, disappointed-in-love surgeon Bela Lugosi operates on escaped murderer Boris Karloff, disfiguring him. He then uses the tormented fugitive as an instrument for revenge against his enemies, including the woman (Irene Ware) who spurned him. Truly deranged, featuring Lugosi’s Poe-inspired house of horrors, this remains one of Universal’s fastest-moving, most maniacal chillers. Introduction to screening by director Curtis Harrington, who will share memories of his friendship with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN filmmaker James Whale.

Sunday, August 7 – 5:00 PM

30^th Anniversary! DEEP RED, 1975, 106 min. Dir. Dario Argento. From the opening image of a child slashing someone and a bloody knife dropping to the floor, the viewer is plunged into an ever-deepening pool of repressed terrors. David Hemmings turns in a fascinating, complex performance as Marcus Daly, a pianist sucked into a whirlpool of escalating homicide after he accidentally witnesses the murder of psychic, Macha Meril. Everything irrational and unbearable is present in one of Argento’s most justly-famous giallos, where something as simple as the shot of a lizard writhing on the floor could just as easily represent a child’s wounded psyche, bound some day to erupt in spectacular fits of murder. With Daria Nicolodi.

ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER (a.k.a. PERVERSION STORY), 1969, 99 min. Celebrity San Francisco doctor Jean Sorel’s life goes topsy-turvy when his asthmatic wife Marisa Mell (DANGER: DIABOLIK) dies from a prescription overdose -- but soon after he spots her blonde double, stripping at a sleazy North Beach sex club! Before long, he’s charged with his wife’s murder. Of course, he can count on his mistress Elsa Martinelli (BLOOD AND ROSES) to help clear him…or can he? Italian pulp-meister Lucio Fulci directs a perfect and beguilingly perverse example of the giallo suspense genre. Co-starring John Ireland, Faith Domergue. NOT ON VIDEO!

NEW VISIONS OF HORROR, FANTASY & SPACE: Jump start everyone else by seeing these Los Angeles based filmmakers’ new shorts in the Horror/Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres. All the filmmakers will be there for a discussion. Jennifer Soemantri’s "Hollow" (9 min.) A woman’s dark secret will haunt both her and her boyfriend on All Hallow’s Eve. Mark Landsmans’ "Skylab" (12 min.) It is 1979 and Benji is convinced NASA’s largest spaceship to date is going to come crashing into his house from outer space. David Benullo’s "Shadow Man" (12 min). A young boy discovers some childhood monsters in this atmospheric, frightening short. Mike Williamson’s "THe Silvergleam Whistle" (26 min.) One family will find out if the terrifying legend of the haunted train is true. Sam Yousefian’s "The Elephants Egg" (18 min). Joe takes a fantastic journey and must overcome his fears and face many mythical beasts and legends along the way. Jennifer Soemantri (Hollow), Mark Landsman (Skylab), David Benullo (Shadow Man), Mike Williamson (Silvergleam Express) & Sam Yousefian (The Elephant’s Egg) will appear for a discussion after the screening. NOTE: A second screening will be added at 7:30 PM if the 5:00 PM screening sells out.

Thursday, August 11 – 7:30 PM

Boris Karloff Tribute – Double Feature:

THE INVISIBLE RAY, 1936, Universal, 81 min. Dir. Lambert Hillyer. A wildly bizarre, almost giddy fusion of cosmic sci-fi, gothic horror and jungle-action picture, THE INVISIBLE RAY stars the great Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh, a brilliant if antisocial scientist who’s discovered a mysterious new element, Radium "X." Accompanied by colleague Bela Lugosi (in a rare good-guy role), the two lead an expedition to uncharted Africa with Karloff’s long-suffering wife Frances Drake and her erstwhile lover Frank Lawton – a journey with horrifying repercussions for Karloff once he’s exposed to Radium "X’s" awful powers … Watch for the mind-boggling voyage across the Universe in the opening scenes, and for Violet Kemble as Karloff’s stone-faced mother, who provides the film’s amazingly explosive climax …!

BEDLAM, 1946, RKO (Warner Bros.), 79 min. Nell Bowen (Anna Lee), courageous protege of blustery Lord Mortimer (Billy House) tries to affect reforms in 18th century London's infamous madhouse, Bedlam. But she doesn't count on getting committed herself (!) after she crosses paths with asylum head, George Sims (a devilishly cunning Boris Karloff). Karloff gives one of his most nuanced performances as Sims, fawning to his betters in public, but a cruel torture master behind locked doors. Richard Fraser is perfect as a prim Quaker friend of Nell's trying to rescue her from the twisted labyrinth of abuse and lunacy. Inspired by the engravings of William Hogarth, Mark Robson directs to chilling effect with all of maestro producer Val Lewton's trademark atmospherics in full play.

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

Friday, August 12 – 7:00 PM

20^th Anniversary Cast & Crew Reunion:

RE-ANIMATOR, 1985, Filmax, 86 min. Adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft tale Herbert West, this mind-bending, darkly funny horror thriller was a breakout hit, establishing director Stuart Gordon as a force to be reckoned with. Impetuous researcher Jeffrey Combs develops a serum that can bring back the dead, something that his new roommate, Bruce Abbott, hadn’t exactly bargained on. Delivers on every front with laughs, shocks and genuine shivers escalating until the outrageous gore-drenched finale. With Barbara Crampton, David Gale. Discussion following with director Stuart Gordon.

COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT, 1970, Universal, 100 min. Dir. Joseph Sargent. With Susan Clark, William Schallert. "We built a super computer with a mind of its own – and now we must fight it for the world!" Classic, dystopian 70’s sci-fi starring Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin, a humane, thoughtful scientist chosen to oversee the U.S. government’s new computerized defense system. It turns out the Russians have a super-brain of their own – and when the two computers start talking … it’s Microsoft! Just kidding – it’s actually the prelude to apocalypse in this superb, future-shock thriller from the director of THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE. Discussion following with actor Eric Braeden.

Saturday, August 13 – 5:00 PM

Los Angeles Theatrical Premiere:

EYE-2, 2004, Lions Gate, 98 min. Dirs. Oxide & Danny Pang. After a failed suicide attempt, beautiful young Joey (Qi Shu) is determined to turn her life around and look on the bright side. But it's a bit hard to do when she not only discovers that she is pregnant by her evasive ex, Sam (Jesdaporn Pholdee), but also begins seeing an ongoing parade of dead people thanks to her own near-death experience. A Buddhist monk (Philip Kwok) enlightens her on the after life – something that proves a mixed blessing when he reveals spirits like to hang around expectant mothers, anxiously awaiting the chance to re-incarnate! This spin-off to the original THE EYE abounds with a wealth of creepy atmosphere and supernatural dread. [EYE-2 will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Lions Gate.]

Saturday, August 13 – 7:30 PM

20^th Anniversary Cast & Crew Reunion:

THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, 1985, Columbia, 90 min. "They’re Back … They’re Hungry … And They’re NOT Vegetarian!!" Director/writer Dan O’Bannon’s gory, gleeful, punk-rock classic is the godfather to such revisionist zombie flicks as the recent SHAUN OF THE DEAD. RETURN is an unofficial "sequel" to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, where leaking gas canisters at a medical supply warehouse inadvertently rain down on the nearby cemetery and mortuary. Much skull-splitting, brain-eating hilarity ensues … along with punked-out Linnea Quigley’s unforgettable erotic cemetery dance! Discussion following with cast and crew including: director & screenwriter Dan O'Bannon, actors James Karen, Clu Gulager, Jewel Shepard, Linnea Quigley, Don Calfa, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Miguel Nunez Jr. and Brian Peck, and art director William Stout.

Sunday, August 14 – 6:00 PM

Italian Pulp Showcase – 70’s Crime Double-Header:

ALMOST HUMAN (MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUÒ SPARARE), 1974, Dania Film s.r.l., 90 min. Come help celebrate No Shame Films’ recent DVD release of director Umberto Lenzi (SPASMO) and writer Ernesto Gastaldi’s (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) rare grindhouse epic that actually delivers in the "I-can’t-believe-what-I’m-seeing-on-screen" province. Big mouth sociopath Tomas Milian convinces his crime partners that it would be a lucrative idea to kidnap-for-ransom the teen daughter of a wealthy businessman. But along the way, things go progressively wrong, spurring the sadistic, chip-on-his-shoulder Milian to massacre an astounding number of people who cross his path at the wrong moment. Uncompromisingly downbeat, refusing to render a happy ending for any of its characters, including hardboiled pursuing cop Henry Silva, and set to a pulsating score by Ennio Morricone, this is a certifiable pulp classic with some of the most shocking moments in 1970s action cinema. With Anita Strindberg, Laura Belli. [Please note that this, the only surviving print of ALMOST HUMAN, is slightly faded.]

THE ITALIAN CONNECTION (LA MALA ORDINA), 1972, Xenon Films, 92 min. NYC mob boss Cyril Cusack dispatches two emotionally-dead hitmen (Henry Silva and Woody Strode) to Milan to execute a small time pimp (Mario Adorf, co-star of THE TIN DRUM) for allegedly absconding with a valuable drug shipment. The only problem is Adorf is a scapegoat for the real guilty party. Is it actually local crimelord Adolfo Celi? or the beautiful Luciana Paluzzi? or perhaps one of his stable of prostitutes? No answers are forthcoming, and Adorf’s only option is to flee. And flee he does in the relentless remainder of the saga, including one of the most heartpounding, grueling foot pursuits ever committed to celluloid, all culminating in a brutal confrontation in an auto graveyard. Late director Fernando di Leo has finally come up for re-evaluation (in part, thanks to his championing by Quentin Tarantino) – THE ITALIAN CONNECTION shows him to be a genuine master of the 1970s Euro crime film.

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

Thursday, August 18 – 7:30 PM

ALTERNATIVE SCREEN INDEPENDENT FILM SHOWCASE

ABLE EDWARDS (2004, 85 min., USA), written & directed by Graham Robertson. Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh. In this cautionary tale of a foreboding and emotionally sterile future, Abele Edwards, a cryogenically frozen, CITIZEN KANE-meets-Walt Disney-type figure, is cloned by his former board of directors in an effort to revive the famed entertainment mogul’s corporation’s glory days. In the process of restoring reality entertainment to a synthetic, virtual world, the clone realizes he has yet to live as his own man. ABLE EDWARDS is the first, low budget independent film to be shot entirely on ‘green screen’ stages with incredible digitally fabricated sets. Discussion following with director Graham Robertson and additional cast and crew.

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

Friday, August 19 – 7:00 PM

Los Angeles Theatrical Premiere:

JU-ON 2, 2003, Lions Gate, 95 min. Dir. Takashi Shimizu. Vengeful ghosts Kayoko and son Toshio return in this shivery sequel to the original JU-ON. Horror star Kyoko (Noriko Sakai) is involved in a tragic auto accident, her mate plunged into a coma and her unborn baby killed, but she emerges comparatively unscathed. Continuing her burgeoning acting career, Kyoko agrees to appear in a fictionalized documentary to be shot at the original house possessed by the restless spirits. But this very contact provokes a new outbreak of the sightings. Soon crew and cast are all but decimated, and Kyoko has good cause to wonder if she may not have lost her child after all! Pale blue skin, dead people sticking to the ceiling and really, really long tentacles of black hair -- they're all back in this eerie shocker! [JU-ON 2 will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Lions Gate.] An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

DUNE, 1984, Universal, 140 min. Visionary director David Lynch's (BLUE VELVET, "Twin Peaks") psychedelic sci-fi masterpiece is finally back on the big screen. More then twenty years old, it still holds up as a gorgeous, hallucinogenic adaptation of writer Frank Herbert’s epic novel. (Rumors say Lynch turned down RETURN OF THE JEDI to direct DUNE and that the part of the emperor was originally offered to Salvador Dalì - !) Young aristocrat Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) is sent to the desert planet Dune, home to the giant Sandworms which produce Spice, the most coveted substance in the galaxy. Also starring Silvana Mangano (DEATH IN VENICE), Brad Dourif (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Max Von Sydow (THE EXORCIST), Patrick Stewart (STAR TREK) and Sting.

Saturday, August 20 – 9:30 PM

This screening is co-presented with the Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival.

Los Angeles Premiere! THE PERFECT CRIME (EL CRIMEN PERFECTO), 2005, Vitagraph Films, 105 min. The latest from ace Spanish helmer Alex de la Iglesia (DAY OF THE BEAST) is a wickedly funny black comedy shot through with outrageous Hitchcockian suspense. Guillermo Toledo (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED) stars as the Don Juan of a big Madrid department store. In between after-hours sexual romps with a rotating pool of sexy salesgirls, this ambitious ladies department clerk competes for the coveted Floor Manager position with his hated rival, the manager of Men’s Wear… Rafael will do anything to ace out the competition, but instead of getting the job he yearns for, he makes a big mistake… which is witnessed by an unattractive, unsophisticated saleswoman, Lourdes (Monica Cervera) with a longstanding crush on him. When she blackmails him into marrying her, his dreams of an elegant life are swallowed up by the vulgar reality of an ordinary existence – and his only way to escape from her clutches is to commit the "ferpect" crime … Premiere Party for all ticket buyers prior to the show. Official website: www.elcrimenperfecto.net Discussion following with director Alex de la Iglesia. Join us for a pre-party in the courtyard at 8PM BEFORE the film, sponsored by Tu Ciudad Magazine & JB Wagoner Blue Agave Spirit and Baja Fresh.

Sunday, August 21 – 6:00 PM

New 35 mm. Print! DEATH RIDES A HORSE, 1967, MGM/UA (Columbia Pictures Repertory), 114 min. Easily the best of director Giulio Petroni’s five Spaghetti’s, this fierce vengeance saga borrows more than a little from FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (not surprising, since they share the same writer, Luciano Vincenzoni). Two bounty hunters (Lee Van Cleef and DANGER: DIABOLIK’s John Philip Law) seek brutal retribution on a gang of killers, to the tune of a typically wild Ennio Morricone score. Tough, taut, claustrophobic and frequently macabre – a real winner.

GOD FORGIVES, I DON’T, 1969, MGM/UA (Columbia Pictures Repertory), 101 min. Dir. Giuseppe Colizzi. This delightfully bigger-than-life tall tale finds two rival bounty hunters (Terence Hill and Bud Spencer of the TRINITY films in their first effort together) out to track Hill’s former mentor, the wise-cracking, sadistic and supposedly-dead villain, Bill San Antonio (the much underrated Frank Wolff). Rollicking, perfectly orchestrated mayhem punctuated with Hill and Spencer’s certifiable chemistry together. [Please note that this, the only surviving print of GOD FORGIVES, is slightly faded.] NOT ON VIDEO!

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!