about the series |
film descriptions and times
The horror genre has always been the testing ground in cinema for the
wildest stylistic flights of fancy, the most intrepid explorations of
human behavior at its most extreme.
In an ongoing partnership with The New York Times, we're
presenting an all-horror installment of The Next Generation of Film from
October 18 through 20. Contemporary horror/action
maestro Guillermo Del Toro will be on hand to discuss his work and his
apprenticeship in the world of special effects. Spider-Man director Sam
Raimi will hopefully be able to take out time from preproduction on
Spider-Man 2 to talk about and present his splatter gore fests THE EVIL DEAD and its sequel. Movie effects genius Stan Winston, creator of some
of cinema's most memorable monsters, will discuss his art. The great
Larry Cohen, still political and still prolific, will be appearing. And
we're very proud to have John Carpenter, one of America's greatest
directors, on hand to discuss his work and present his jaw-dropping
remake of THE THING.
Once again, this very special weekend program is subject to
rearrangements, and we're still confirming some more surprise guests, so
pay close attention this page and
advertisements in The New York Times for the latest developments.
We will continue our look at the horror genre with Scary Movies: 30 Years of Horror, running from Oct 18 - 31.
Read more about this program here.
Programmed by Kent Jones & Gavin Smith.
Thanks to Roberta Nordman (The New York Times), Maitland McDonagh,
Giulia d'Agnolo Vallan, Bob Clark, Gary Sherman, Daniel Bird, Dennis
Bartok.
All tickets for The Next Generation of Film events are $9.50. Sorry, there are no discounts for FSLC members, seniors or students for this series.
Tickets for The Next Generation of Film go on sale at the box office and
online at www.filmlinc.com beginning September 19.
Air travel compliments
of American Airlines.
THE RING
Gore Verbinski, U.S., 2002; 105m
Be the first to see the this remake
of the Japanese box-office smash hit Ring, a sensational tale of dread
and implacable doom: a videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading
to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days.
Naomi Watts plays Rachel, a newspaper reporter investigating the
mysterious deaths of four teens exactly one week after watching just
such a tape. Aided by her ex-boyfriend (Martin Henderson), Rachel tracks
down the video and watches it. And then the phone rings…. If this movie
is half as scary as the Japanese original, be ready for a terrifying
experience.
The original and its two sequels will show exclusively at
the Walter Reade later in the Scary Movies series.
Premiere Gala Screening at 7:30 Thurs Oct 17: 7:30 pm at LOEWS LINCOLN SQUARE, 1998 B'way at W 68th St. Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts will appear in person to introduce and
participate in a post-screening Q & A. at 7:30
(tickets for 7:30 pm at Loews Lincoln Square 1998 Broadway at 68th are sold ONLY through the Walter Reade Theater box office and www.filmlinc.com, no ticket
sales on Oct 17).
Special DreamWorks Preview: Thurs Oct 17: 12 midnight screening at the Walter
Reade Theater.
JOHN CARPENTER, PRINCE OF DARKNESS
John Carpenter began his career in movies after graduating from USC in
the early 70s, and he made a worldwide impact at the end of the decade
with Halloween, the movie that put the frightened schoolgirl/slasher
genre in motion. Throughout his 30-year career, Carpenter has proved
himself a genuine master - visually (he understands the shape of
cinemascope better than any other filmmaker), tonally (he can sustain a
mood of impending dread throughout an entire film) and thematically -
arguably, Carpenter has fleshed out the reality of evil better and more
thoroughly than anyone in movie history. We're proud to have him talk
about his career in movies, and present his utterly terrifying 1982
version of THE THING.
THE THING
John Carpenter, U.S., 1982; 109m
John Carpenter’s 1982 version of the Howard Hawks-produced
classic is not so much a remake as a whole new organism, cloned from the
same literary DNA (John W. Campbell, Jr.’s original story "Who Goes
There?"). Where the Hawks/Christian Nyby original is fast, breezy, and
haunting, Carpenter’s story of a group of scientists, stationed on the
arctic circle, slowly infiltrated by an alien parasite that first
invades and then assumes the appearance of its host, is utterly and
completely terrifying. For anyone who’s seen the film, the mere mention
of some of the scenes that Carpenter and his collaborator Albert
Whitlock orchestrated - the transforming dog, the screeching blood
sample, the upside down walking head - can send shivers down your spine.
With an amazing ensemble cast that includes Kurt Russell, Wilford
Brimley, Richard Dysart, Donal Moffat, Keith David and Richard Masur.
The ominous score is by the great Ennio Morricone
Fri Oct 18: 8:30 pm (Talk preceding THE THING)
LARRY COHEN - THE POLITICS OF HORROR AND THE HORROR OF POLITICS
From his astonishing debut with the 1972 Bone, through his classic It's
Alive films and his nervy 80s films Q - The Winged Serpent and The
Stuff, Larry Cohen has followed in the footsteps of Sam Fuller as that
rarity of rarities, a politically engaged director of pulp fictions.
Cohen has always been terrific at scaring us, but he's also been good at
dissecting our excesses and our prejudices. We're pleased to have him
back in New York to discuss his life and work, and, best of all, his
future projects, including his screenplay for the thriller Phone Booth,
starring Colin Farrell and Forest Whitaker and directed by Joel
Schumacher, to be released in November. He'll also be presenting one of
his greatest films, the 1975 cult possession classic, GOD TOLD ME TO).
Sat Oct 19: 3 pm (Talk preceding GOD TOLD ME TO)
SAM RAIMI - MASTER OF MAYHEM
This program includes THE EVIL DEAD, and its 1987 sequel/remake, EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN.
Playfully billed on its own closing credits as "the ultimate experience
in grueling horror," The Evil Dead belongs in the great tradition of
indie horror that stretches from Night of the Living Dead to The Blair
Witch Project - but with one big difference: gruesome as it is,
remember, it's a comedy. The setup is as basic as it gets, but Raimi,
working on a shoestring budget, does comic-horror mayhem like no one
else: cackling, goo-spewing demons, crazy headlong camera movement,
ferocious Three Stooges-style slapstick violence, and the inimitable
Bruce Campbell's tour de force performance. Even more hyperkinetic and
splattery, the sequel turns everything up to eleven (thanks to a bigger
budget), with director and actor giving their Three Stooges influence
free rein, most memorably in Campbell's fight to the death with his own
demon-possessed hand.
Sat Oct 19: 6:00 pm (THE EVIL DEAD)
Sat Oct 19: 9:00 pm(EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN)
Please Note: Sam Raimi is busy on the set of SPIDERMAN 2, and regrets that he will be
unable to attend the screenings of THE EVIL DEAD and EVIL DEAD II as originally announced. The
films will be shown as scheduled.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO, HORROR'S TRUE BELIEVER
Mexican writer-director Guillermo Del Toro began his career as a horror
fan; his love of the genre led him to become a special makeup effects
artist before launching his directing career with a haunting, utterly
original variation on the vampire genre, CRONOS. International acclaim
brought him north to direct Miramax's giant cockroach movie Mimic, and
in the last year he demonstrated his versatility by segueing from the
high-budget pyrotechnics and rapid-fire splatter of Blade II back to his
roots with the subtle, atmospheric indie chiller The Devil's Backbone.
It's a real thrill to have fellow horror nut Del Toro join us to discuss
his career and present his 1993 debut. Fan that he is, he'll also
introduce one of his favorite horror flicks, Gary Sherman's 1972 chiller
DEATH LINE. Gary Sherman is also expected to attend DEATH LINE, see below.
Sun Oct 20: 1:30 pm (Talk preceding CRONOS)
Sun Oct 20: 4:30 pm (Intro + DEATH LINE)
DEATH LINE aka RAW MEAT
Gary Sherman, U.K., 1972; 87m
Mind the doors! The last surviving descendent of Victorian tunnel
workers trapped by a cave-in dwells within the maze - like tunnels beneath
the London Underground, occasionally emerging from the shadows in search
of (human) food. Plague-ridden, and incapable of speech, this
all-too-human monster elicits genuine pathos in no small part due to
Hugh Armstrong's amazing performance. Donald Pleasance is the eccentric
police inspector who investigates when a senior government official goes
missing after a night on the town. This gem is hands-down the
least-known great British horror film of the 70s.
Sun Oct 20: 4:30 pm (Intro by Gary Sherman and Guillermo Del Toro + DEATH LINE)
STAN WINSTON, CREATURE MAKER
Ever wondered who's behind the special effects in both Terminator
movies, the extraterrestrial monstrosities in Aliens, Johnny Depp's
transformation into the magical Edward Scissorhands, Danny De Vito's
grotesque Penguin makeup in Batman Returns, the amazing dinosaurs in
Jurassic Park, and many, many more? Special- effects master Stan Winston
is undoubtedly the leading figure in his field, and responsible for
countless innovations in creature design, animatronics, robotics, and
special makeup. He will be on hand to discuss his art and career, show
clips of his most memorable creations, and introduce his 1987
directorial debut, Pumpkinhead, starring Lance Henriksen.
Sun Oct 20: 7 pm (Talk and clips)
Sun Oct 20: 9 pm (Intro + PUMPKINHEAD)
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