October at the Oldtown Horror Festival returns (+video)

Leif Jonker has had a busy year, promoting and scheduling films for his Return of the Cults film series that wrapped last month.

But he’s not taking time to rest. For the fifth year, his October at the Oldtown Horror Festival returns to the Warren Oldtown, offering classic horror films in a program he has curated, to be shown on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout October.

This year, eight titles will be shown, up from five last year, as well as some new horror treats.

“I’m most excited about presenting ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’ as a double feature,” Jonker said. “To me, these two films together represent the entirety of the ‘Alien’ saga. In my opinion, they are actually the whole complete story, and all the sequels and prequels are glorified bonus materials.”

The festival is a fundraiser for the LAPP animal shelter and is sponsored by Rusty Eck Ford. Screenings will start at 7 and 10 p.m., and tickets are $5. Here is the full slate of films:

“The Shining” (1980) — Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece stars a chilling Jack Nicholson as a writer who becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, along with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. Just stay out of room 237! Really! (Showing on Monday)

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) — A group of people in San Francisco discover that the human race is being replaced by clones that are devoid of emotion. That explains my last date! (Tuesday)

“Alien” (1979) and “Aliens” (1986) double feature — Sigourney Weaver stars as Ripley, who in the first film is part of a team that discovers a ghastly, nasty alien being, and in the sequel, is found after floating in space for 57 years before combating said ghastly, nasty alien again. (Oct. 12 and 13; $10 admission for both films)

“Scanners” (1981) — David Cronenberg’s creepy tale follows a scientist who sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt down others like him. Heads will explode! Literally. (Oct. 19)

“The Howling” (1981) — A television newswoman (Dee Wallace) is sent to a remote mountain resort where she encounters some hairy situations. Again, literally. (Oct. 20)

“Day of the Dead” (1985) — This sequel to “Dawn of the Dead” (and the third of the “Dead” movies) follows a small group of military officers and scientists who take cover in an underground bunker as the world becomes overrun with zombies. Like that’s a bad thing. (Oct. 26)

“The Thing” (1982) — John Carpenter’s classic stars Kurt Russell as a scientist in the Antarctic whose team is confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills. The film’s tagline pretty much sums it all up: “Man is the warmest place to hide.” Yeesh. (Oct. 27)

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 3:01 PM with the headline "October at the Oldtown Horror Festival returns (+video)."