Museum of the Moving Image Screens 12 Hollywood and Korean Horror Films

Be scared. Be really, really scared. The Museum of the Moving Image doubles down on dismay with See It Big!Horror and the Korean Horror Picture Show on its oversize screens. Six Hollywood classics — The Exorcist; Nosferatu; The Phantom of the Opera; The Bride of Frankenstein; Night of the Living Dead; and Poltergeist — screen in late October.  Meanwhile, the recent resurgence of the Korean horror genre will be on display with Killer Toon, I Saw the Devil, Lady Vengeance, Epitaph, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and A Tale of Two Sisters. A full schedule and descriptions of the movies are on the jump page. 

The Exorcist, Friday, October 24th, 7 pm. Hollywood’s seminal modern horror film, with Linda Blair as a young girl possessed by the devil. The shocking imagery was due to the pioneering work of makeup master Dick Smith, who also worked on The Godfather. As Smith died in August, the screening is presented in his memory.

Nosferatu, Saturday, October 25th, 3 pm. The groundbreaking German director F. W. Murnau all but invented the modern horror film with this unnerving, unofficial—adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.

The Phantom of the Opera with live music by Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton, Sunday, October 26th, 3 pm. This is probably the best film starting Lon Chaney (aka Man of a Thousand Faces). Adapted from the novel by Gaston Leroux, this silent follows an insanely jealous and horribly disfigured composer who haunts an opera house, obsessing over the beauty and talent of an up-and-coming young singer.

The Bride of Frankenstein, Sunday, October 26th, 5:15 pm. Boris Karloff reprises his role as the murderous yet melancholy monster, and Elsa Lanchester strikes a legendary pose as his newly minted mate.

Night of the Living Dead, Sunday, October 26th, 7 pm. In this black-and-white nightmare, a group of terrified people hole up in a farmhouse as hungry zombies move ever closer.

Poltergeist, Friday, October 31st, 7:30 pm. The ultimate suburban nightmare features a cherubic five-year-old who is abducted by malevolent spirits. Her parents are determined to bring her back at any cost.

And from Korea…

Killer Toon, Thursday, October 30, 7 pm. This blockbuster hit in South Korea follows a successful web-comic artist who becomes a prime suspect when her cartoons start to prefigure a series of gruesome real life murders.

I Saw the Devil, Friday, October 31st, 7 pm. Hell bent on revenge, a government intelligence agent hunts down the psychopath who murdered his wife, instigating a grisly game of cat and mouse, which drags them both through the darkest realms of depravity.

Lady Vengeance, Saturday, November 1st, 2:30 pm. A woman imprisoned for a crime she did not commit seeks revenge on the true murderer, who blackmailed her to take the blame for his crime and kidnapped her daughter.

Epitaph, Sunday, November 2nd, 2:30 pm. This unnerving anthology depicts a hospital where a young doctor falls in love with a corpse, a girl is haunted by spirits, and physicians are involved in a series of murders. 

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sunday, November 2nd, 5 pm. A punky deaf-mute desperately attempts to secure money for a kidney transplant for his ailing sister. Because his blood type is incompatible and no donors are available, he turns to a group of black-market organ dealers who offer to find a matching kidney for one of his and money.

A Tale of Two Sisters, Sunday, November 2nd, 8 pm. Two teenage sisters whose dysfunctional relationship with their stepmother manifests itself in a series of horrific incidents.

Details: See It Big: Horror, Museum of the Moving Image’s Summer M. Redstone Theater, 36-01 35th Avenue, Kaufman Arts District, October 24th through October 31st, times vary, include with admission price ($12 for adults; $9 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $6 for children ages 3-12; free for children under 3.

Bonus details: Korean Horror Picture Show, Redstone Theater and Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room, October 30th through November 2nd. Reception follows Killer Toon on opening night, October 30th, $15.

Photos: Museum of the Moving Image