THIS WEEKEND: Zombies & Chainsaw Massacres at the Aero

There are some great double features coming up at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, courtesy of American Cinematheque's "Zombies, Chainsaw Massacres & Other Forms of Terror" series. It kicks off this Saturday, August 14 at the Aero, where they're screening a Tobe Hooper double feature of The Funhouse and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, featuring a Q&A with Hooper (moderated by Mick Garris) in between the films. Quick, someone go and ask him if he actually directed Poltergeist! I'm sure he never gets tired of that one.

And don't forget about "Drop Undead: Zombie Weekend," three days of arm-battling, eye-gouging, shark-wrestling fun:

• Peter Jackson's Dead Alive and Cemetery Man on Friday, August 20 at the Egyptian
• Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness on Saturday, August 21 at the Aero
• Night of the Living Dead and Lucio Fulci's Zombie on Sunday, August 22 at the Egyptian
  

TONIGHT: Ghostly Double Feature at the Aero Theatre

I love ghosts. In fact, haunted house movies are probably my #1 favorite horror subgenre. So if I wasn't playing a show tonight, I would be at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica for this Double Feature, part of their Apparitions, Hauntings & Supernatural Sightings series:
First up is POLTERGEIST (1982), the Spielberg-produced, Tobe Hooper-directed tale of a malevolent entity that essentially kidnaps a little girl. This is one of those scary movies that I grew up watching, and I love it. There are some eerie moments (little boy is assaulted by his clown doll, omg!) and some disgusting ones (two words: bathroom sink), but what I like the most is that the suburban southern California setting reminds me of where I grew up to a T.
THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973) is up next. Based on a novel by Richard Matheson, this movie is an enjoyable riff on a familiar theme: Paranormal researchers find themselves in a genuinely haunted house. I prefer The Haunting (1963 version, of course), but this one is good as well. Bonus points for being made in the '70s. Horror films from that era always have a great look about them - I can only describe it as "deliciously unwholesome."

The screening starts at 7:30 PM tonight, September 3rd. The Aero Theatre is at 1328 Montana Ave. (at 14th Street) in Santa Monica, CA.