Limited Run of 1977 Japanese horror film House
By Lucy Jones
For those seasoned enough to remember the giant fold-out calendars that were once inextricably linked with the Kentucky Theatre (if you were a typical UK student it was as likely for there to be one affixed to the outside of your fridge as it was for there to be beer inside it) it’s impossible to forget the premium that was placed on the midnight movie. Cult films on Fridays and Saturdays were a cultural ritual that provided an alternative to boozy bar escapades and an opportunity for less mainstream films to have their day—or, rather….really, really late night.
It seems that the midnight movie has gone the way of the newsreel in the last decade or so. Sure, there’s the occasional Rocky Horror screening or local horror film debut, but there hasn’t been the clockwork reliability of the weekly midnight show.
The Kentucky Theatre is experimenting with the idea of changing all that. Starting on Friday, July 1 and running through Sunday, July 3, the downtown jewel will play the artful 1977 Japanese horror film House for three consecutive midnight shows. Described by DVD Talk as “a cross between Dario Argento’s Suspiria and an episode of The Monkees,” House features everything you want in a midnight movie including (but certainly not limited to) blood spewing demon cats and carnivorous pianos.
Fred Mills, The Kentucky Theatre’s General Manager, hopes that a successful run for the film could mean an increase in the number of future late night screenings. “The midnight movie was as much a social event as it was people coming to see Soylent Green or Death Race 2000,” says Mills. “I’m hoping that if people will come out, they can suggest other films. Just like we’re letting people vote on the last film in the Classics series, they can give us input for future films. In a sense, they can book the films.”
Leave a Reply