Something Wicked This Way Comes: Horrorfest

Classic Trailers and Vintage Horror at Fargo Theatre

By Anthony Pilloud
Contributing Writer

Thursday, Oct. 27th, the Historic Fargo Theatre will be showing a special screening of Horrorfest, a once-in-a-full-moon event brought to you by Grindflicks, the ghoulish guys who did the previous Grindfest trailer nights that were at the same venue. The event consists of three parts; Black and White and Blood Red will be starting at 6:45 p.m. and consists of classic Grindhouse and vintage horror trailers, followed by a screening of Nosferatu with live organ accompaniment at 7:15, and after that will be the Late Night Fright Fest, an amalgamation of more trailers for the 18+ aged crowd at 9:30 p.m.

“What I love about a good horror movie is that the story toys with your deepest fears and creates an incredible tension” says Randal Black, Grindflicks spearheader, local DJ for KNDS and general fright-hound. Black was also responsible for the Grindfest events prior to Horrorfest. “What I like about exploitation movies are the equal portions of imagination and rebellion that is present in them. Most of the Grindhouse movies were made with little-to-no-budget, so the filmmakers had to try to make the most out of what they had… It’s great to be able to expose people to a true cinematic underground”.

The musical accompaniment for Nosferatu will be played live on the Fargo Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ by Lance Johnson. Johnson is a member of the American Institute of Organ Builders and is the founder of the Johnson Organ Company. Johnson is the head organist at the Fargo Theatre and can still be heard playing live on weekends there. The score for Horrorfest’s showing of Nosferatu is a Lance Johnson original.

Nosferatu (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) originally premiered 1922. It is still considered to be one of the forerunners of modern horror. The black and white masterpiece, staring Max Schreck as the inimitably original Graf Orlok, the Nosferatu, can rarely been seen in such a fashion as this anymore. The film was even responsible for nearly all modern perceptions of the vampire. It was the first time that a vampire was killed by sunlight directly.

The trailers that will be shown in tangent with Nosferatu are virtually all pure gold. Ranging from the absurdly hilarious to the downright unsettling, you can see previews from both horror classics to hidden Grindhouse indies. You can even see the original trailers for such staples of horror as The Exorcist and The Shining (both of which are still considered to be some of the most frightening trailers ever made). Horror classics and exploitive indies collide at Horrorfest.

Excluding Nosferatu, almost all of the showings will be from the 70s to 80s era of exploitation and horror cinema. “ There’s a certain amount of originality and inventiveness going on during that period that has never been matched” says Black, “I believe that’s why movie studios are currently so fixated with remaking movies from that period.”.

Alongside these, you will experience a wide array of Grindhouse genres (don’t worry though, they are all frightening in their own right). Blaxploitation meets Robert Louis Stevenson (sort of) in Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde; and who can resist any movie called The Worm Eaters? I’d say that pretty much speaks for itself. Other classics include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead, yet some cult fan favorites have snuck their way in as well, such as Invasion of the Blood Farmers. There may even be a surprise or two, for those fearless enough to watch.

The stream of trailers – both prior and post Nosferatu – play out like a regular film festival, and that is exactly what the folks at Grindflicks wanted. Audience members are encouraged to come and go as they pleased; just so long as you experience at least some of the smiles and screams offered by this vintage era of cinema.

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IF YOU GO:
WHERE: The Historic Fargo Theatre
WHEN: Oct. 27th, Black and White and Blood Red at 6:45 p.m., Nosferatu featuring Lance Johnson on the Organ at 7:15 p.m., and Late Night Fright Fest at 9:30 p.m.
COST: 7$