The Academy Museum has announced a lineup of nearly a dozen films that will play between April 3 and May 30 as an overview of cult favorites that first found a fanbase as midnight movies. The series is a tie-in to the Academy Museum’s exhibition “John Waters: Pope of Trash” and in honor of Waters’s third feature, “Pink Flamingos,” a late-night mainstay at the Elgin Theater in New York City in 1972. While not necessarily a horror-exclusive experience, there are several horror titles in the mix, including “Night of the Living Dead,” “Eraserhead,” and “Donnie Darko.”
Night of the Living Dead
George Romero’s now-definitive zombie flick was dead on arrival when it premiered in cinemas at the end of 1968. Too frightening for family matinees and too raw for general audiences, “Night of the Living Dead” first found its diehard fans at a Washington, DC revival house in 1971, followed shortly by a near-continuous midnight run from 1971 through 1973 in New York City at both the Waverly (now IFC Center) and the now-shuttered Olympia and Bijou theaters.
“Night of the Living Dead” will play on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the David Geffen Theater. Purchase tickets.
Eraserhead & Asparagus
David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” was the first film to intentionally hold its world premiere at midnight at the 1977 Filmex festival in Los Angeles. The film never found a mainstream audience, but it was picked up as a midnight movie at several theaters in New York City, where it ran for close to three years. In Los Angeles, “Eraserhead” ran at midnight at the Nuart Theatre for nearly four years straight.
“Asparagus” is an animated hallucination created by Suzan Pitt. The film was acquired by Ben Barenholtz in 1978 for the explicit purpose of whetting the audience’s appetite before screenings of “Eraserhead.” The film played for two years at both the Waverly in New York City and Los Angeles’s Nuart Theatre.
The films will be played together, just as they were in the 1970s, on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the David Geffen Theater, and will be presented in 35mm. Purchase tickets.
Donnie Darko
Richard Kelly’s feature debut as a writer-director, “Donnie Darko,” failed to find an audience upon its initial theatrical release. After its home video release generated new interest, pushing it into cult status, the Pioneer Theater in New York City began midnight screenings. Those continued for 28 straight months, only stopping at the distributor’s request when planning for a re-release.
“Donnie Darko” will show in 4K on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the David Geffen Thater. Filmmaker Richard Kelly will appear. Purchase tickets.
House (ハウス)
Still screening at midnight at repertory theaters around the country, Ōbayashi Nobuhiko’s psychedelic horror film “House” first made its late-night theatrical appearance at the IFC Center in New York City, thanks to Janus Films, the theatrical arm of the Criterion Collection. The film had its first screening at the theater in 2010 and continues to this day.
“House” will show on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the Ted Mann Theater and be presented in 35mm. Purchase tickets.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The sequel to Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” was the first film to screen in the inaugural year of Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section in 1988.
“Hellbound: Hellraiser II” will be shown on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the Ted Mann Theater in 35mm. Purchase tickets.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a midnight movie classic that saw audiences commit to repeat viewings that, over time, incorporated shadow plays, elaborate cosplay, and near-mandatory audience participation. After running at Greenwich Village’s Waverly Theater in 1976 for 95 weeks, the film flourished nationwide in the midnight hour in hubs like Austin, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Honolulu. Shortly after its premiere, a near-religious devotion to the magic of Rocky Horror’s theatrical experience made its way to Los Angeles’s Nuart Theatre, which first launched weekly Saturday night screenings in September 1986 that continue to this day.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will play on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the David Geffen Theater. Purchase tickets.
You can find the complete midnight movie program lineup at academymuseum.org.
