Over-the-Top Overkill

The shlock doesn’t stop with our highlights in the profile. Oh no. October ties together the intentionally scary with the unintentional, the rebounding film scene with a thirst for bloody fun, and even an entirely serious major film festival!

Monthly Midnight Movies at The Main

The remodel of the movie theaters at St. Anthony Main by the MSP Film Society has been a boon for local filmgoers catching new releases and signature programming such as the Cine Latino festival. Now they’re onto the next important phase of programming: Midnight double-headers of cult classics, drive-in theater favs, and late-night cable discoveries! “There’s something freeing about having fun after dark. Late enough where there’s no professional obligations, no chance of getting an unwanted phone call or text, a space wide open for a unique personal experience. Midnight movies have always had that vibe of feeling like you’re getting away with something,” says host and co-programmer Chaz Kangas of 89.3 The Current. 

The debut schedule includes the upcoming November roster of Pink Flamingos and Polyester (In Odarama!), December’s Black Christmas and Dial Code Santa Claus, and January’s showings of Andy Warhol’s Blood For Dracula and Flesh For Frankenstein (In 3D). Don’t worry about the late-night coffee—the films will shock you awake.  

WHEN YOU GO
mspfs.info/MM-polypink

Twin Cities Film Festival 

No one does celebrity in Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as Jatin Setia. The executive director of the annual Twin Cities Film Festival has succeeded where few locals have—bringing in celebrities such as Lea Thompson and Rachael Leigh Cook for events supporting the TCFF, without it coming off as cheesy or desperate in the quintessential Minnesota manner. And Setia has done it while amplifying diverse voices that challenge the status quo and shift perceptions. Again this year the TCFF features fantastic selections under the eye of Artistic Director Steve Snyder, including a tremendous 140 movies set to screen in person at West End and stream on the Film Fest website. The lineup mixes breakthrough visions from Minnesota and Midwestern filmmakers with a critically acclaimed mix of independent features, cutting-edge short films, and provocative documentaries. As for the celebrity element, actor Chris Mulkey (who you’d recognize from Twin Peaks to Boardwalk Empire  to The Hidden (how’s that for schlock!?) to receive the TCFF Lifetime Achievement Award. So how could the TCFF get cooler? For 2022, the event will again include XR film and storytelling experiences across the tech spectrum in the form of virtual reality movies. 

WHEN YOU GO 
TCFF 
October 20-29
TCFF XR
October 25 
twincitiesfilmfest.org

Edina Theater Goes Gold

Throwback programming isn’t the only thing Mann Theaters has been doing—they even re-opened one of the most notable neighborhood cinemas in the metro area, the Edina Theater. Newly remodeled with a glittery gold bar (the fantastic new sign points up the escalator to The Gold Room Bar) and plush high-end seating that will make it a within-reach destination viewing spot 

WHEN YOU GO
manntheatres.com/theatre/89/Edina-4

Twin Cities Horror Festival

It might not be ‘on screen,’ but maybe that’s why the return of the annual theater event Twin Cities Horror Festival has the potential to fill your pants. The artist-centered event invented by Four Humors Theater is now in its eleventh year—making it the longest-running horror theatre festival in the country—and running for an on-theme eleven days, the TCHF tackles everything from queer horror variety fantasia to a life-sized Frankenstein creature to harpies doing “Spooky. Musical. Improv.” (Talk about true horror.) Fans of serious scares should be sure to attend Ted’s Talk presented by Catacomb Collective, the fiends behind the legit horrifying Haunted Basement. It’s maxed out with 5’s on the TCHF ratings for Language, Violence, and Blood. 

WHEN YOU GO
October 20-30
tchorrorfestival.com