The IU Cinema will host Friday Night Frights, a series of classic, new and under screened horror movies every Friday starting Sept. 22 through Oct. 31.
The IU Cinema hosts this event every fall semester. This year the cinema will show 11 films including two double features and a live podcast taping. The prices to see the films range from $5 to $10, according to the IU Cinema website.
Alicia Kozma, director of the IU Cinema, said Friday Night Frights gives students a chance to be exposed to and engage with films, cultures and ideas that they may not have had access to before.
“There is nothing better than watching a horror movie with a crowd,” Kozma said. “The jumps are higher, the screams are louder, the suspense is heightened, everything is turned up a few notches. It reminds us that there is nothing quite like watching a movie in a theater – one that is right here on campus.”
Kozma said she wants to know what films students did and did not enjoy and what horror movies they may want to see next year.
“Horror is an incredibly diverse genre packed with different styles and lots of different ideas. We try to mirror that diversity as much as possible,” Kozma said. “Horror is a lot of things, and it is for everyone, so everyone should feel welcome.”
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In addition to the films, the Weird Studies podcast team will come to the IU Cinema for a live taping of their show on Oct. 25. The hosts of the podcast are Phil Ford, associate professor of musicology at the Jacobs School of Music, and writer J.F. Martel.
Weird Studies is a podcast about a variety of topics including combining things like magic and the paranormal with philosophy and academic thought, according to Ford.
“Weird Studies started off as a place for us to have conversations we wanted to have, but also as a place to develop a style of thinking where we could get these two things that don’t normally go together, to go together,” Ford said.
During the taping of the podcast, Ford and Martel will be discussing the film “Videodrome” after the showing.
Martel said he has never actually seen “Videodrome” and discussed the importance of seeing films with other people.
“Going to the movies instead of just watching films at home is so important because it is a communal experience of something that is very solitary,” Martel said. “When watching a film, you’re almost in a mystical state and after you come out of that and other people have been through it as well, you want to have a conversation.”
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The films being shown:
“Sisters” will play Sept. 22. The film is about a model's separated conjoined twin who is suspected of committing a brutal murder.
“The Wicker Man” will play Sept. 28. The film is about when Sergeant Howie comes to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate a missing child report.
Gore Girls Double Feature will play Sept. 29. “Trim Season” is about Emma and a group from Los Angeles who go to a secluded farm in Northern California, but they realize that the estate is harboring darker secrets than any of them could imagine. “High Tension” is about Alex and Marie who visit Alex's family when Alex’s parents are brutally attacked by a truck driver, who then starts to stalk Alex and Marie.
“Talk to Me” will play Oct. 6. The film is about a group of friends who figure out how to summon spirits and they become addicted to the thrill, until one of them goes too far.
“Friday the 13th Part 2” will play Oct. 13. The film is about Camp Crystal Lake preparing to open again, but a still alive Jason begins to eliminate people.
“Audition” will play Oct. 20. The Japanese horror classic is about a widower who decides to start dating again but Asami, a woman he meets, isn't as reserved as she appears to be.
“Videodrome” will play Oct. 25. The film is about Max Renn who is looking for a new program to attract viewers, but after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, he discovers that the violence may not be as fake as he thought.
“The Void” will play Oct. 27. The film is about after a police officer having strange and violent experiences linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital.
Buckets of Blood Double Feature will play Oct. 31. “Renfield” is about Dracula's loyal servant, Renfield. He is ready to see what it's like away from Dracula, once he can figure out how to be independent. “I Saw the Devil” is about a woman's head being discovered in a river. Her devastated fiancé, who is a secret agent, becomes obsessed with hunting down the killer.
