Off The Marquee

This is a good week to begin getting into the spirit of Halloween. Here are a couple of classic, horror-themed screenings with laughs attached to get you in the mood.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)
With a tongue and cheek title and being laden with horror movie references, Shaun of the Dead might come across on the surface as a spoof. But director Edgar Wright has a knack for filming action scenes, and Shaun has in itself become a classic of the zombie genre. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is an appliance salesman whose inability to get his act together is interrupted by a zombie apocalypse. As he battles zombies and attempts to figure out where his relationship with his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) went wrong, he and his friend Ed (Nick Frost) track through London streets attempting to return to their favorite pub picking up a klatch of survivors on the way. Shaun stands on its comedic sensibilities without sinking into parody and brings new light to the tired arena of zombie narratives.

Young Frankenstein (1974)
Mel Brooks unique brand of humor peaked in this story parodying elements of the story of Frankenstein (1931). A young Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) inherits his dead grandfather’s castle. As he attempts to outlive the stigma of his grandfather’s work, he discovers that his grandfather’s laboratory is intact and becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Shot on the set of the original Frankenstein with Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, and Peter Boyle as the monster, Young Frankenstein ages gracefully in spite of its occasionally corny humor.

Shaun of the Dead is this week’s
Bookman’s Late Night Cult Classic
Friday, October 23rd and Saturday October 24th at 10:00pm at
The Loft Cinema
3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Tucson, AZ
www.loftcinema.com

Young Frankenstein is being shown Thursday, October 29th
as part of the
Cinema La Placita Outdoor Film Series
110 South Church Ave. Tucson, AZ
www.cinemalaplacita.com

Off the Marquee is a forum for reviewing and promoting overlooked classics, cult movie screenings, second-run viewing opportunities, and independent film. If you have anything in that vein you would like to share or promote, I would be psyched to hear about it.
groovetomb@hotmail.com
www.billupsallen.com