Shots From The Studio #29

For this weeks Shots from the Studio I’m going to talk about two theatrical repertory movie screenings I attended over the past few weeks. They were two very different films, two very different theaters and two very different events.

   The first was at the independent theater Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California. As part of their month long tribute to sword and sorcery films, all of which were from the 80’s, I saw Dragonslayer. This high concept movie from 1981 tells the story of a apprentice sorcerer who, after his master is killed, journeys to a neighboring kingdom to slay a dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside and demanding human sacrifice. It’s a great movie with a solid story and some truly amazing practical dragon effects.

   The second film was 1987’s horror classic Hellraiser. This movie is hugely important to me because after renting it on home video in 1988 it introduced me to the works of Clive Barker who’s novella “The Hellbound Heart” this film is based. I immediately became a rabid Barker fan. I quickly began consuming all of his available books, films and art. This screening was put on by Fathom Events and shown at AMC theaters nationwide.

   I had never had the opportunity to see either of them in the theater so I was very excited for both. I had a great time at both films but they were two very different experiences.

   The Dragonslayer showing was at a small independent, two screen theater which was about a 90 minute drive. It started at 1:00pm on a Sunday afternoon. It was much more of an event and even had t-shirts for sale celebrating their month long Sword and Sorcery theme. Yes, of course, I bought one.

   The Hellraiser screening was at my local AMC multiplex about 15 minutes from my home. It was at 7:00 on a Thursday evening. There was a very interesting Doug Bradley (Pinhead) interview following the film. I had seen it before as part of the DVD special features but it was still very fun to see. 

   Both screenings had their merits. While Dragonslayer felt more like a special event in the vintage theater  with the commemorative t-shirts it was a bigger commitment of time and travel. Seeing Hellraiser by comparison wasn’t very different from most other movie going experiences aside from the film itself. But it was much more convenient and showing nationally.

   I would say I had more fun at the Dragonslayer showing but that could be because me and three of my good friends hung out in downtown Santa Ana , had a great lunch (thank you Wurst House) followed by and awesome fantasy movie. Where as, for Hellraiser I got home from work, changed, grabbed a hot at the concession stand and watched one of the most formative horror movies of my youth.

   But there is something to be said for the AMC experience. Because the Frida Cinema was also showing another favorite fantasy movie of mine, Excalibur. But that showing was at 7 pm on a Wednesday so there was no way, with work, family, and the 90 minute drive I was going to be able to make that happen on a weeknight.

  I hope more theaters start having these special screenings of older movies. In this age of streaming and digital releases I think it’s a great way to get people excited about the theatrical experience again. And if there’s a theater near you having a repertory screening get some friends together, have a great meal and go check it out.