NYC theaters interrupt programming for spooky specials

Halloween sets the mood for all things ghastly, but where should Columbians head for a good ol’ scare-me-shitless movie? Unfortunately, two of the most hyped scary movies currently in theaters are standard case studies of what a horror film should not be.

The latest episode of the “Saw” franchise relies on stomach-curling gore and shock tactics to get under its audience’s skin, when horror film buffs know that less is often more on screen. On the other hand, the over-hyped “home-video” movie “Paranormal Activity” takes the invisible suspense idea to the opposite extreme, forcing audiences to sit through 90 minutes of whispers and rustles. The film ends on a ludicrous and unfulfilling note.

Luckily, New York City movie theaters are always willing to interrupt their regularly scheduled programming for a good holiday scare. Columbians can catch two indisputably great horror films this Halloween at the IFC Center and the Museum of Modern Art. The first, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” is already an established horror classic. The second, Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell,” should be.

“The Shining” tracks the gradual descent into madness of family man Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson. Starting with gorgeous aerial views of the New England autumnal countryside, this expertly crafted film builds at an almost unbearably suspenseful pace, ending with profoundly disturbing scenes that border on the surreal.
For those who missed—or even didn’t hear about—Sam Raimi’s excellent “Drag Me to Hell,” MoMA is providing an opportunity to catch this unique movie that is as horrifying as it is hilarious. Often the best horror films are those that include elements of other genres, and viewers of this one will find themselves laughing while peering in between their fingers.

If gothic aesthetics are more up your alley than adrenaline rushes, St. John the Divine is hosting what may be the coolest Halloween event near campus. Organist Timothy Brumfield will be playing an organ accompaniment to a screening of the original vampire film, the 1922 silent “Nosferatu,” and the nave will be filled with a procession of ghouls played by Ralph Lee and the Mettawee River Theater Company.

Watching a horror movie is perhaps the only time when shrieking in public is not only accepted, but encouraged. The best scary movies, though, provide far more than campy cathartic release—often, by pinpointing what it is that audiences find disturbing, they hint at larger social and cultural fears.

Hideo Nakata, the director of the Japanese cult horror film “Ringu” (which was remade into “The Ring”), once remarked that his choice of water as the film’s central motif was due to the ancient Japanese fear of hurricanes and tsunamis.

More so than any other genre, horror is a communal experience, drawing people together both literally and figuratively, and providing a fascinating medium with which we can explore our collective fears.

“The Shining” is playing at the IFC Center on Friday and Saturday at midnight, tickets are $12.50. “Drag Me to Hell” is playing at the MoMA on Saturday at 7 p.m., tickets are $6 for students. The St. John the Divine event plays on Friday at both 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., tickets are $20.