Who said that October was the only month of the year for watching scary movies? Cinepocalypse, now in its third year at the Music Box Theatre, proves that Chicago’s biggest horror fans want blood, guts, and terror in June too.
“The beauty of the space at the Music Box Theatre is that it’s kind of like a cinematic church,” says Goldbloom. “It’s such a fun playground for a programmer to come into and design a festival. From a format standpoint, 35 mm, 70 mm . . . there’s really nothing you can’t do.”
“I grew up listening to Danzig and the Misfits,” says Goldbloom. “The fact that he’s trusting us with his world premiere is pretty goddamn great.”
“Horror has always been ahead of the game, going back to George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead,” says Goldbloom. “Whether it’s political fears, technological fears—horror films often are not what they seem. There’s an underlying theme, there’s a commentary.”
Paul Verhoeven’s violent sci-fi masterpiece Total Recall will be shown in 70 mm with actor Michael Ironside in attendance. Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners, starring an incredibly 90s-looking Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, and Julia Roberts, will also be shown in 70 mm. The festival will premiere a new 4K restoration of Peter Markle’s Hot Dog . . . The Movie for the film’s 35th anniversary.
Putting together this year’s fest let Goldbloom and the rest of the team explore real-life film communities and societies across the country. The rare prints of Airheads and Tammy and the T-Rex were found at the Academy Film Archive, the film preservation and restoration division of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in LA.
Thu 6/13-Thu 6/20, Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport, 773-871-6604, musicboxtheatre.com, $175 full festival pass, $125 four-day pass, $12-$25 individual screenings.
