Hello and welcome back to an all-new installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY.
TONIGHT (9/30) at 8:00pm, join us for a special screening of WES ANDERSON’S RUSHMORE, which we’re also using as a special SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE for Campus Elementary. Folks who attend and donate supplies will receive $1 off popcorn (in case you missed it, we told you all about why we love this event and this film last issue). Come support a school in need and catch a great film while you’re at it!
This event brings our September programming to a close, which means spooky season is very nearly upon us. With someone like our own Nicholas Hartman as president of the GRFS, you know we absolutely had to bring the heat for our October lineup, and I think it’s safe to say… we will be.
A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural “accidents,” she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
Check out what Nick has to say about this kick-off to our October programming further down in this issue!
In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother (Piper Laurie) at home. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom by the empathetic Tommy Ross (William Katt), Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.
Come dressed in your best prom attire and celebrate the new 4k restoration of Brian De Palma's all-time great Stephen King adaptation Carrie!
A special Halloween edition of Open Projector Night!
Michigan filmmaking has a long history of classic horror filmmaking. This evening will highlight short films specifically of the horror/spooky/Halloween genre from Michigan filmmakers (or with a Michigan connection).
In this highly influential silent horror film, the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder). After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile Orlok's servant, Knock (Alexander Granach), prepares for his master to arrive at his new home.
We are thrilled to present F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror on a 16mm film print! The film will be presented with a live score by local musician Dutcher Snedeker.
Plus, help us celebrate the TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY of GRFS!
[10th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING FEAT. INTRO AND Q&A WITH PRODUCER REBECCA GREEN]
After carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her new boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary), for the first time, she learns that she is the latest recipient of a fatal curse that is passed from victim to victim via sexual intercourse. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. Jay's friends don't believe her seemingly paranoid ravings, until they too begin to see the phantom assassins and band together to help her flee or defend herself.
Join us for a special 10th anniversary screening of this masterpiece of contemporary horror featuring an introduction and Q&A with the film's producer Rebecca Green.
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Tickets for all events— and more— are available now at GRFILM.ORG
Tell your friends. We hope to see you there!
PARTNER PICKS WITH GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
[FEAT. DAVID BLAKESLEE]
Inspired by series like Criterion’s Closet Picks and Letterboxd’s Four Favorites, GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY and our friends at the GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARYhave teamed up to bring you all PARTNER PICKS: an ongoing series of brief videos featuring a member of the GRFS Board as they browse the vast and varied selection of films (and television!) available to check out at our local library.
In this latest installment (the one we’ve all been waiting for), check out what our own David Blakeslee pulled off the shelves...
You can access these films — and thousands more — on shelves or online with your GRPL library card.
A very special thanks to GRPL’s HAILEY JANSSON for arranging, shooting, editing, and sharing this super fun series.
Stay tuned for another installment of Partner Picks very soon!
PREPARE FOR THE BEYOND
[BY: NICHOLAS HARTMAN]
We here at Grand Rapids Film Society want to make sure our audiences leave the theater with a memorable experience, whether that’s It’s a Wonderful Life on 16mm film, a The Lord of the Rings costume party screening, or a celebration of short films made by local filmmakers.
As October approaches we head into ‘spooky season,’ and the committee and I want to continue to provide our audiences with unique and thoughtful curation. That’s why this year we’re showcasing Nosferatu on 16mm film, a ‘prom party’ screening of Carrie, and a special Q&A with Rebecca Green — the producer of It Follows.
These three events are an easy sell. The titles already have recognition; and how often do you get the chance to see a film print of the first vampire film ever made? How often do you get to attend a prom-themed screening? Or sit in the same room with Rebecca Green and ask her about a modern indie horror classic?
The film we have booked for Monday, October 7th, however...is a different story. It doesn’t share the same notoriety, and it doesn’t have that special draw for an event like projected celluloid or an interactive Q&A. That said, I can assure you: The Beyond will leave you with an experience you won’t forget.
The Beyond, directed by Lucio Fulci (also known as “the godfather of gore”), was released in Italy in 1981 and wasn’t very well received due to its X rating and was subsequently deemed a “video nasty” in the UK. Upon its American release in 1983, with its new title 7 Doors of Death, it was widely accepted partially due to Tobe Hooper who granted laudatory quotes about the film to be used on television.
Though the film enjoyed commercial success, it still didn’t garner the same reputation as its 1983 contemporaries such as John Carpenter’s Christine or David Cronenberg’s Videodrome. Once The Beyond left cinemas, it fell silent and didn’t really gain a new appreciation and reputation until after Fulci’s death in 1996.
Director Quentin Tarantino partnered with Grindhouse Releasing to do a national re-release of the film across the county in 1998 with midnight screenings that began in LA and NYC. The film had a revival, and horror fanatics were either introduced or re-acquainted with a masterpiece.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t go into the details of the movie itself...but I want to encourage you to attend our screening of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond — this is a film that will indeed leave you with a memorable experience, an experience that feels like a fever dream.
EDITOR’S NOTE:The Beyond is part of Fulci’s unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, which also includes City of the Living Dead (1980) and The House by the Cemetery (1981).
The three works are not directly related as sequels but are loosely connected stylistically and thematically. For those looking to prepare for our screening even further:
WHAT: A screening of Wes Anderson’s prep school romantic comedy, AND a school supplies drive! All supplies are donated to Campus Elementary. Plus, folks who attend and donate supplies will receive $1 off popcorn!
WHAT: A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural "accidents", she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
WHAT: A PROM THEMED PARTY! Come dressed in your best prom attire and celebrate the new 4k restoration of Brian De Palma's iconic Stephen King adaptation.
And so we’ve arrived at the end of another BEAM FROM THE BOOTH! We appreciate you taking the time to read it and truly hope you’ll continue to do so. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to get each issue in your inbox every week, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
Plus, join us on social media! We’d love to chat with everyone and hear YOUR OWN thoughts on everything above (you can also hop in the comments section below).
GRFS is a program of Wealthy Theatre; a proud venue of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to building community through media.
