Do the zombie
“Is that a Baphomet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” A scene from Lucio Fulci’s 1979 gore flick Zombie.
Too old to get your Halloween on by going trick-or-treating? Yes, dressing up in costume and knocking on doors for miniature Butterfingers and the occasional LSD-dosed apple with the razor-blade center does lose its appeal after you reach, say, drinking age. Nevertheless, that most evil of holidays still retains a certain Victorian charm beyond childhood.
Fortunately, Trash Film Orgy, a local institution of fiendishly bad movies and associated tomfoolery, is one way you can honor your inner brat without ending up in jail. This year’s program, held Thursday, October 30, and Friday, October 31, at the Crest Theatre, features a fine pair of horror classics. There’s Zombie, a 1979 disasterpiece by Italian gore specialist Lucio Fulci that’s short on plot but long on blood, guts and the other essentials of quality filmmaking. Also on the agenda is Night of the Living Dead, the 1968 directorial debut of George Romero’s that’s become a kitsch classic over time.
The onscreen action starts at 9:30 p.m. Get there an hour earlier when the doors open, and you’ll be treated to an “undead hillbilly creepy freak show” in the lobby: a game called “Spelunk the Amazing Human Ass-Cave,” in which you can win prizes; music by Nevada Backwards; and assorted meth-lab mutants shambling about the lobby like broken Tinkertoys.
But wait! There’s more! Onstage during intermission will be an operatic interpretation, featuring local burlesque enthusiast Cherry Malone and others, of a crucial scene from one of the evening’s films.
Sound like fun? Admission is $9.50, with a dollar off that if you show up in costume like a good trick-or-treater.
