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When this post goes live, the horror hounds over at the Massacre, the annual 24-hour scary-movie marathon hosted this year by the Patio Theater, will have nearly reached the end of their excursion—or at least those dedicated enough to see the whole thing through will have. This year’s highlights include George Romero’s Martin, Dario Argento’s Deep Red, and Fred Walton’s April Fool’s Day. Vintage trailers and short films are interspersed with the features, and there are some gems among them as well, including Guy Maddin’s Odilon Redon, or The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity. In total, 35 feature and short works will have screened, a true deluge that only the most dedicated enthusiasts could endure in full.
- Halloween (1978, dir. John Carpenter) Next up, something canonical. Though I’d be inclined to present mostly lesser-known titles, classic works are ideal palate cleansers that offer audiences a recognizable touchstone. John Carpenter’s trendsetting slasher is essentially ageless, its abstract qualities rendered that much more enthralling by the countless copycats and homages it inspired. See also: Psycho, The Shining.
Drew Hunt writes film-related top five lists every Sunday.
