The Music Box Massacre Part 3 - Surviving 24 Hours of Horror Films

Last year at this time I wrote about my experience of attending the second annual Music Box Massacre, 24 hours of horror films at the Music Box Theater (3733 N. Southport) in Chicago. In May I followed up with the 17 hour Sci-Fi film festival at the same theater. Now I am back to tell you about the 3^rd Annual Music Box Massacre attended by my nephew and myself over the weekend of October 13 and 14.

This year is year number three but only the second time we have attended the event. I can't speak for how year one went but this year was an improvement over last year's. One of the main reasons for this is the host of the event, Rusty Nails, a young and energetic horror film buff who has also dabbled in directing small budget horror films. He takes the microphone before each movie and talks to the crowd making us feel part of the show. And, yes, he is there for every minute and is very personable. He comes up and talks to you and expects you to do the same. After the show he invited the whole crowd for breakfast and while my nephew and I awaited our ride he twice approached us to make sure we knew the invite was still in place.

For one we knew what to expect and came better prepared. Snacks and energy drinks were packed ahead of time and there was a proper amount of rest the night before. We relied on the theater for our thirst quenching for the duration.

We arrived this year around 10:45 a.m. for a noon start time. This was about 15 minutes earlier then last year and we were surprised to find a bigger line. We stood in the brisk air talking to fellow horror film lovers (I, myself, realizing that despite my status as a film buff, I have nothing on some of these people who discuss horror films I have never even heard of) while awaiting the doors to open. At around 11:20 Rusty made his appearance to the crowd in line and announced he would be letting everyone in after getting a high five from each and every person. He started at the back, worked his way to the front and the doors were open.

Much like last year there were tables of items being sold. Practically anything horror movie related you could think of was there. T-shirts, DVD's, posters, buttons, magnets, books, action figures, comics. Tables lined with them. There was also a DJ in the lobby playing scary music and Halloween staples such as Monster Mash. To his credit the DJ made it through the 24 hours as well. Rusty also had auctions of books and movies with the proceeds going to a foundation to feed those suffering from HIV. It's a good cause and the generous crowd forked over $700 in the first auction. Unfortunately I didn't get a final figure for what had been collected. I call it an auction but basically Rusty holds up the item, announces a price and waits to see if someone calls out. If they do Rusty invites them to the front of the theater. If not he either lowers the price or puts it aside for later. Items this year included a book on Lon Chaney and DVD's from episodes of the Showtime anthology series Masters Of Horror, with the segments autographed by their respective directors. Another thing I just love is the vintage horror/sci-fi coming attraction trailers shown before the start of several of the movies. For me it brings back lots of memories plus I see previews to films I never even heard of, most notably a movie about a gay motorcycle gang called The Pink Angels.

One of the positive changes from last year was that the Music Box kept its concession stand open for the duration of the Massacre unlike last year when they closed up about 2 a.m. They also had bagels and muffins to sell for the morning crowd though I am still hopeful that fresh donuts will be available for sale in the coming festivals. The Music Box should also consider selling coffee and hot chocolate as many patrons go outside between movies to stretch or smoke and the air can get quite chilly at this time of year. Another complaint I had last year was that pizza was brought in and they seemed to run out before you knew it. Now I don't know if that was the case this year or not as my nephew and I got in line and got our slices. By the way, the slices sell for $5 (up $1 from last year) but are the size of a quarter of a full pizza. It is well worth the price and, in fact, I couldn't finish my slice. Energy drinks were supplied again this year but, oddly, they were brought in this year in the early afternoon and it appears there weren't nearly enough (by overheard grumblings from others) as many people didn't get a can. Last year they came later and there seemed to be an ample supply.

Now on to the Massacre. The show began shortly after noon after two young men completed a short and enjoyable music set. This replaced a band that played last year around 11:30 p.m. that was so loud I had to leave the auditorium and go outside where I could still hear the music some. Rusty came in and got the crowd roaring and cheering then the curtain rose and we were underway.

The Cat and the Canary, a 1927 silent film was the debut attraction. The story, which seems almost overused today, is of a group of distant family members who gather at the mansion of a dead relative for the reading of the will. When a young cousin is granted the riches, she soon finds herself in fear for her life as others start to disappear at the hands of a madman. Or is it one of the other members of the family trying to get the fortune? This is a fairly entertaining film and a welcome way to kick off the festivities (Rusty has made sure to book a silent movie to open the show each year). The Music Box provided an organist to provide live musical accompaniment to the movie and it added a great deal to the pleasure of the film. The organist brought the house down late in the movie. One of the characters is in deep thought and the organist played the theme from Jeopardy! The audience cheered and we were well on our way.

Movie number two was Tod Browning's classic Freaks, (1932),an almost hypnotic horror tale of members of a circus. Browning used actual circus freaks to help tell his story of a midget (little person in today's lingo) who breaks the heart of his true love when he falls in love with a woman who is using him only for his money. Of course when the freaks discover the plan they decide to take matters into their own hands with unforgettable results. The film is mesmerizing in its visual imagery no doubt aided by the realism of Browning's cast. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was the next feature and kudos to Rusty for booking this film right after Freaks. It was a welcome relief to just sit back and laugh for 90 minutes. The film is a classic and the audience appreciated it.

The afternoon slate ended with an odd film called Equinox, a 1969 film made by three 19 year-olds who obviously had little to no budget. The story tells of two young couples in the woods for a picnic who come across, among other things, a castle that appears and disappears, a cave inhabited by an old man with a book of evil that he hands over to them, a psychotically possessed policeman and a variety of Claymation creatures that were added in later. I can admire the tenacity the filmmakers had in getting it made but they are saddled with a script that is all over the map and often makes little to no sense. Unfortunately there was also a cast of stiff actors. It was the low point of the festival for me but many in the audience seemed to enjoy it. And, because of the rarity of the showing of this film, the print was in bad shape and the film came to a stop several times during its showing which would put the schedule behind almost an hour.

The evening festivities began with a showing of Michael Powell's controversial 1960 film Peeping Tom, about a psychotic man who likes to film women as he kills them thus recording the moment of their death. He meets a woman who lives in his building and falls in love with her while having to resist the urge to ever "film" her. Powell, a respected British filmmaker of the 40's and 50's was ruined by the controversial nature of this film that was considered shocking at the time. Today it is less shocking but no less intense as we watch this psychotic man fighting his urges to kill. This film deserves comparison to Hitchcock and should be seen.

The highlight of the Massacre as far as promotional items for the show went was the 20^th anniversary showing of the cult hit The Monster Squad, a modern day clash between The Little Rascals and the classic Universal monsters. When the film came out in 1987 I was not a fan of this film in the least. Watching it again I found more things to like then before but still had some problems with it. After the show its director, Fred Dekker (who also introduced the film), did a Q&A session for about 30 minutes with the audience which was very entertaining. After that Dekker gladly met with the audience in the lobby and signed anything offered to him (at no charge) and happily posed for pictures.

Saturday evening ended with a showing of a 1987 Italian film called Demons 2, a film I was unfamiliar with (as well as the original Demons). That is one of the draws to this festival for me in that I enjoy seeing movies I know little to nothing about. It's a basic tale of possessed people living in a high rise wreaking havoc within the building. The film was written by Italian horror master Dario Argento and directed by the son of the great Mario Bava. One of its stars, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni was on hand to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards. She was entertaining and very energetic having never before seen the film before an audience. Afterwards she, like Dekker, happily signed autographs and posed for photos.

We were now at the midnight hour with half the festival completed and another half still to go. Interestingly the audience never seemed to fluctuate in numbers. It was over three quarters full at noon and remained that way at noon the next day.

The first movie on an early Sunday morning was David Cronenberg's Videodrome, the story of the owner of a small cable channel (James Woods) looking for more original and controversial material for his station. When he comes across something called Videodrome he soon finds himself in a bizarre world of exhibitionism, S&M and hallucinations he never bargained for. This is not one of my favorite Cronenberg films as it starts out with some interesting ideas but you soon realize Cronenberg's well has been drained and he relies of weird visual imagery to carry the film forward.

Next up was Halloween III: Season Of The Witch, a film I must confess is somewhat of a guilty pleasure to me. It is so absurdly silly and over the top that I admire the tenacity of Tommy Lee Wallace, it's writer/director for almost pulling it off. Most people despise this film because it has nothing to do with the first two Halloween movies, a conscious decision made by producer John Carpenter. There is no Michael Myers in sight nor is he mentioned. Instead Wallace crafts more of a black comedy then a horror film about one man's plot to kill children on Halloween night with a device inside the masks he has made. Unfortunately this was where I had my biggest complaint at this year's massacre. Several people behind us took it upon themselves to make loud, offensive and un-funny comments throughout the film for the entire theater to hear. There were many of us who were not amused but the occasional giggle from distant patrons kept them going throughout even shouting out dialogue before it was spoken by the character. I wish the Music Box had either ushers or security on hand to quiet them down.

Next up was the Roger Corman version of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a very young Jack Nicholson. Corman's films are more successful when you realize how little money and time was spent on each of his films. Most of all it was fun to see the three veteran actors together with Nicholson still getting his acting chops in place. The wee hours ended with 1974's cult classic It's Alive, about a woman who gives birth to a mutant baby with sharp claws and big teeth that kills at will and escapes to the streets of Los Angeles. Yes you read that correctly. Sure it's silly but it was the perfect movie at that time of the morning.

Daylight was now upon us as we wound down. Death Dreamer was the next film and one I had never heard of before. Directed by Bob (A Christmas Story; Porky's; Black Christmas) Clark, Rusty booked this film in tribute to the man killed last April. The film tells the story of you typical American family welcoming home their son from Vietnam. It's especially meaningful because the family was originally told the son had been killed. When he returns he is withdrawn, cold and rude. And soon he develops a taste for blood and murder. The film is obviously low budget but Clark has some fun with the silly premise. Next was a short film (22 minutes) called The Demonology of Desire, a rather twisted tale of a teenage girl's demented desires being fulfilled with the aid of a teenage boy who has a crush on her. She uses him and her best friend to do some unspeakable things to other people as well as something that is locked in a cage in the basement.

This year's Massacre concluded with Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, a film with as many fans as detractors. I belong in the latter group. Kubrick had terrific source material in a terrifying novel by Stephen King and blew it by miscasting Jack Nicholson as a writer who slowly goes mad in the isolation of a huge hotel he is the caretaker of. Nicholson looks loony five minutes into the film when he flashes his Cheshire Cat smile so his transformation to madman is ineffective. Equally miscast is Shelly Duvall as his wife. You can see her acting when she is trying to look afraid and she has no chemistry whatsoever with Nicholson. Kubrick also makes the mistake of moving too slowly with the story until it almost grounds to a halt.

At noon on Sunday the brave crowd emerged into a day of misty rain from the theater. We all gathered in the street for a picture and then slowly the crowd dissipated heading home to sleep no doubt. During the course of the Massacre, Rusty announced his partial line-up for his 2^nd annual Sci-Fi fest next May. 2001: A Space Odyssey; Soylent Green, Dark Star and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. My nephew and I have already agreed we will be attending.

Last year when we emerged my nephew informed me he never wanted to do another 24 hour festival again. This year, 48 hours after it ended, we spoke on the phone. He is ready for next year already. So am I. I think a tradition has been born.