Scary nights at the drive-in wind down, other Wichita events gear up
Things are still scary out there, obviously. Especially at the Starlite Drive-in, where Wichita Big Screen’s scary movie nights series heads into its final weeks.
Showing at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 17, will be a triple feature with “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning,” the fifth film in the Jason Voorhees saga, “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” because, well, duh, and “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,” because probably even he gets tired after a while!
At 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and 17, the series will conclude with a triple feature of the original 1981 “The Evil Dead,” about five friends who travel to a cabin in the woods and unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons (darn the luck!), “Evil Dead 2,” with more said hungry demons, and “The Beyond,” Lucio Fulci’s 1981 horror thriller about a woman who inherits an old hotel that may be an entrance to Hell. Property value be damned! Literally.
Scary short films by local filmmakers will be shown during intermissions. Admission to the programs at the drive-in at 3900 S. Hydraulic are $14 per car load or $7 per single person.For more information, go to https://starlitefun.com.
Mama.film moves on
The Mama.film series at the microcinema at the Lux, 120 E. First St. N., continues to cautiously reopen with screenings of “John Lewis: Good Trouble.”
The documentary explores the Georgia representative’s more than 60 years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health care reform and immigration. The film will be shown at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, and 6:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 14, at the microcinema. COVID precautions are in effect.
Tickets, which are $15, must be purchased online in advance at https://www.goelevent.com/mamafilm/e/JohnLewisGoodTrouble. Only 10 tickets are available per screening to allow for social distancing. No concessions will be served, but you are allowed to bring your own, including alcohol, if you are of age, obviously. For more information, go to https://mama.film/project/john-lewis.
Tallgrass gears up
This year’s Tallgrass Film Festival will be all virtual because of, well, you know. The virtual festival will be from Oct. 16 to 25 and will include a drive-in component at the Starlite Drive-In.
The opening night film “Eat Wheaties!” kicks things off at 7 p.m. Oct. 16. It follows a lonely software executive (Tony Hale, “Veep,” “Arrested Development”) whose life unravels after he is named co-chair of his college reunion, as he tries to prove that he was friends with a celebrity in college.
Individual ticketing and TALLpass purchases are obviously a little (read: very) different this year. Go to https://tallgrassfilm.org for more information. I’ll have a bigger festival preview in next week’s Movie Maniac column.
Another COVID closing
Lastly, this just makes me sad, along with everything else — Regal Cinemas posted this on Twitter on Monday, Oct. 5: “In response to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures, Regal will suspend operations at all theatres at close of business on Thursday, October 8, until further notice.” Sigh. Where am I supposed to get popcorn now?
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 5:01 AM.