As more than a dozen years of Butt Numb-a-Thon will attest, I'm not stranger to the 24-hour movie marathon. I also occasionally do the B-Fest event in January at the campus of my alma mater, Northwestern University, but that event is designed to play primarily bad movies so the audience can openly mock them. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of the format, but the crowd and its boundless energy make it worth it.
One fairly long-standing tradition in Chicago is the Music Box Theatre's annual 24-hour Horror marathon, which feature a slate of great films and guests, and this year is no exception. But typically the marathon--this year called the Music Box of Horrors 2012--falls right in the midst of the Chicago International Film Festival (as it does this year), making it impossible for me to ever go before. But this year, I said enough is enough, and I'll be a part of the festivities for the full 24 hours, which begins at noon this Saturday, October 13 through about noon the next day. The wonderful Music Box staff and myself will tag team on hosting duties as well as moderating Q&As of a couple of very cool guests.
First off, here's the lineup, approximate start times, and information on the special guests coming in on the first night. Additional details on every film can be found HERE.
Saturday, October 13
THE GOLEM, 12 noon (The silent film, accompanied by Music Box organist Dennis Scott)
MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, 1:45 p.m. (Directed by Tod Browning, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, and Bela Lugosi)
THE INVISIBLE MAN, 3 p.m. (Directed by James Whale, starring Claude Rains)
DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF TERRORS, 4:30 p.m. (Directed by Freddy Francis, starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Donald Sutherland. Long available only as a shitty pan-and-scan version, this staple of late-night British television is getting a rare Techniscope screening, in an original Technicolor print.)
SQUIRM, 6:30 p.m. (Directed by Jeff Lieberman, who will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A!)
SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER, 8:20 p.m. (Directed by Jeff Lieberman. A Chicago Premiere! Lieberman will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A!)
HOWLING II: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF, 10:30 p.m. (Directed by Philippe Mora, starring Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe and Sybil Danning. Danning will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A!)
Sunday, October 14
THE BEYOND, 12:15 a.m. (Directed by Lucio Fulci)
EDDIE: THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL, 2:30 a.m. (Directed by Boris Rodriguez)
PHANTASM, 4:15 a.m. (Directed by Don Coscarelli)
THE DEADLY SPAWN, 6 a.m. (Directed by Douglas McKeown)
BLOOD DINER, 7:30 a.m. (Directed by Jackie Kong)
THE BURNING, 9:15 a.m. (Directed by Tony Maylam, co-written by Bob & Harvey Weinstein, gore effects by Tom Savini, and we're screening the uncut version)
EVIL DEAD 2, 11 a.m. (Directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell)
And as if that lineup weren't enough, on Friday, October 12, there are a couple of very cool things going on to whet your whistle for the marathon. At 7:30 p.m., there will be a very special screening of the original 1922 NOSFERATU, shown authentically in 35mm at proper silent film speed and aspect ratio with live accompaniment by Dennis Scott at the Music Box theatre organ.
Then at 9:30 p.m., arguably the best women-in-prison movie in the history of the world, CHAINED HEAT, will be screening, with all the catfights, steamy shower scenes and deviant sexual behavior you can handle. Linda Blair, Tamara Dobson, and Sybil Danning star, with Sybil Danning appearing in person at the event, presented by Mr Skin. I don't see how you can turn either of these events down and call yourself a horror film lover. Tickets for NOSFERATU, CHAINED HEAT and the Music Box of Horror 2012 are selling fast (I believe there are less than 100 seats left for the marathon) and can be pre-ordered at the Music Box's website.
However, I happen to have gotten my grubby little hands on 10 seats for the Music Box of Horrors 2012 marathon that I've been charged with giving to 10 lucky Ain't It Cool News readers (either as single seats or in pairs).
To win, send me an email at HorrorChicago@aintitcoolmail.com (please note the new email address) with the subject line "Horror Mini-Marathon" (exactly like that). In the body of the email, I need your full Name, Your Guest's Name (only if you want to bring a guest; if not, just write "No Guest"), and the answer to the following question: "If you had to program a three-horror movie mini-marathon, what three films would you select, and why?" So I'm looking for three movie titles and a quick explanation why you picked them. The only restriction is that your choices not be sequels of each other (in other words, the EVIL DEAD trilogy is no good). Keep your responses BRIEF--no more than 75 words (no matter how tempted you are to go over the limit). Most original and convincing answers win, and you'll hear from me over the next couple of days if you won.
