Opening movie for a cult horror movie night

[swiss tony]

Hi everybody!

I know I haven't been around in a while but I'm hoping you guys can help with a few ideas.

I'm staging a monthly cult horror movie night at a local bar that has a 12x8 ft screen and seating for around 40. I'm dressing the room with lots of Halloween props that my wife's event company uses for staging Halloween parties i.e. full size toe-pincher coffins, apothecary jars containing body parts, various limbs, blood-stained props.

I'm going to target horror fans, as they will be loyal but would also like to fill all the seats. I'm thinking anything from 1910 - 1990. Not too obscure but probably the first and only time people will see these movies on a big screen. I want to create a buzz on opening night and I'm considering either:

EVIL DEAD 2 or TCM



Thanks for your help:)[/B]

[Despare]

When is this happening? Evil Dead 2 would be better if you're doing this closer to the release of the Evil Dead remake while the success (financially at least) of Texas Chainsaw 3D might draw some interest to the original if you're doing this soon. Just my thoughts.

[swiss tony]

Three weeks from tonight. I know what you're thinking, too soon for proper execution but the opportunity just landed in my lap.

I'd love to start with Re-Animator or Return of the Living Dead or Demons but I want to ease people in gently.

[metternich1815]

I would reccomend The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) because it is a more mainstream classic. Do they consider it a cult classic? It did do pretty well in 1974, earning something like thirty million dollars. It is interesting, though because I have actually never seen Evil Dead 2. I own about 320 horror movies and have seen probably somewhere around 370, including The Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Reanimator (1985), which by the way I also own (I have not seen Demons, although it sounds familiar).

[Ice Pik]

I was actually thinking the first evil dead. But TCM does sound good because of the new release of it. Pick a movie that will be make people drinking want to kinda interact with each other. drunk person "that's fucked up! AWESOME!"

[swiss tony]

Yeah, I suppose it is mainstream. I want to maintain integrity with horror fans and I'm slightly worried the target market won't find TCM interesting enough.

On Demons, you have to see this. It's a great movie especially for an 80's child like myself. I have a signed pic by Geretta Geretta in my collection. Because I love the movie and because she travelled in Northern Ireland during the 'Troubles' and taught acting in youth and community schemes.

[newb]

I would probably go with The Evil Dead but the first one. Like Despare said it would coincide with the release of the remake.

Reanimator would be a fun movie with people drinking.

[MichaelMyers]

Evil Dead I. Cannibal Holocaust as a back-up.

[Fatmalky]

Evil dead would be my choice. I have never really liked Tcm always found it a bit dull. It's a great idea to have a horror night at a pub hope it all goes well

[metternich1815]

I have always loved The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). The film was very well directed and I thought the Leatherface of that film was scarier in terms of appearance than all future variations of him in the future. Additionally, some of the performances may have been forgettable, except for Marilyn Burns and definitely the entire Sawyer family. It almost seemed as if they were filming a real homicidal family in Texas. Also, I thought the opening scene taking photographs of those skeltons was particularly original and even creepy. Plus, I also thought it was interesting that the film had the title it did, but yet there was no sex and most of the violence was implied, there was even very little (fake) blood. In my opinion, the film has held up very well and I particularly enjoy it. On the other hand, Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is a different story. I rented that film from Netflix and it was one of the only horror movies that I nearly could not finish (although I forced myself to finish it). Don't get me wrong I have been sickened by a number of other horror films and have avoided ones I thought would be just too distrbing (suchh as the Human Centipede), but this is the first and only that I started and actually considered stopping. To this today that movies still haunts me. It may have created the "found footage" film and had interesting questions on "civilization", but it is one horror movie I will never watch again.