Home for Horror: Our Opening Weekend Rundown
Howdy-do, Sleepy Hollow Cinema-goers! Mark here, Director of Programming for SHC.
I wanted to thank you all for the ever-growing support for our vision of bringing a single-screen independent cinema back to Sleepy Hollow, giving film lovers a place in town to share the joy and wonder of the moviegoing experience, and the all-important post-film discussion circles.
As you may be aware, part of our mission is to be the moviegoing “Home For Horror”, and this month, we go battily bonkers with an all-horror slate of programming, featuring films for all ages (and terror tolerances) that run the gamut from slightly spooky to terrifically traumatizing, from the 1930s to the modern millennium, all screening in the intimate setting of the Lyceum building in Tarrytown.
This weekend, we kick off on Friday, October 16th with CORPSE BRIDE (2005), with a special short cartoon lead-in, Disney’s THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW (1949) beginning at 5pm, then Tim Burton’s take on our local legend, SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999) at 7pm, and finally, to send you home with proper bad dreams, Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) at 9:15pm.
That NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET screening will kick off with a special treat, the animated short SEASON’S GREETINGS (1996), featuring the first appearance of the “Sam” character from TRICK ’R TREAT (2007).
Our “Home For Horror” series is designed to appeal to both the casual and hardcore horror fan, be they in town for the day to enjoy October in Sleepy Hollow, or local horror fans looking to get together with like-minded cinemaniacs and enjoy their favorite films in a cozy setting and soak up the bloody good fun.
Why did we pick this trio of terrors to kick off this series?
THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW is the most iconic depiction of the tale of Ichabod Crane and the galloping ghoul who saves a LOT of money on hats, a masterful mix of animated fear and frolic from Walt Disney Pictures, with beautifully rendered backgrounds and iconic imagery that spooked more than a few kids seeing this on TV over the years. Originally produced for theaters, we bring this classic back to the big screen every weekend of “Home For Horror”, as a special treat before our “Little House Of Horrors” family-friendly screenings.
SLEEPY HOLLOW is Tim Burton’s Hammeresque take on our local legend, this time featuring Johnny Depp as a quirky investigator brought to town to investigate a series of decapitations, said to be done at the hands of a certain Headless Horseman…a creepy, kooky, lushly-produced updating of the tale with an all-star cast and some fine beheadings.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET hit screens in 1984 like an atom bomb, sending audiences home with a new boogeyman to fear, Freddy Krueger, man of your bad dreams. Wes Craven’s film proposed the notion that you’re not even safe at that most vulnerable time of night, when you’re asleep, blurring the lines between the waking and dream state. Many sequels would follow, but none match the original for sheer terror, and a more serious Freddy than we’d seen in the subsequent entries (and TV show…and bubblegum cards…and talking doll…)
But that’s just DAY ONE!
Saturday, October 17th begins at 5pm with HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012), with THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW cartoon as a lead-in, then it’s time for the one-two punch of Bruce Campbell in Sam Raimi’s connected horror/comedy classics EVIL DEAD II (1987) at 7:15pm (with the SEASON’S GREETINGS cartoon up front), and ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992) at 9pm!
The weekend wraps up on Sunday, October 18th at 5pm with THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW short, followed by the animated MONSTER HOUSE (2006), then it’s time to avoid all logging trucks on your way to see FINAL DESTINATION 2 (2003) at 7:15pm, and settle in for some supremely spooky Spanish horror with THE ORPHANAGE (EL ORFANATO – 2007) at 9pm!
So which of these are YOU most excited, or terrified, to see? Join us at The Lyceum, 39 N Broadway in Tarrytown, and be part of the fright-filled fun!