Press Release Submitted by Mary Turner
Get ready for the third annual Spooky Fest at the Dietrich Theater in historical downtown Tunkhannock! A 14 day movie festival showing 13 different Halloween movies ranging from frights to family fun, a movie with something for everyone! Spooky Fest starts on October 16 and runs through Thursday, October 29 and is free for all thanks to generous sponsors. Please note that advance tickets are not available, and seating is first come, first served.
Experience a thrilling selection of classics, horror flicks, and children’s favorites that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The films featured in this year’s Spooky Fest are The Addams Family, An American Werewolf in London, The Babadook, The Birds, Carrie (1976), Casper, The Craft, Halloween, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Scooby Doo, Sleepy Hollow, Trick ‘r Treat, and Urban Legend. All screenings are free, and for select showtimes, you can also enjoy a complimentary small popcorn and small soda.
The sponsors that made all this possible are The Belt Law Firm, PC, Catherine J. Garbus, Devon Energy, Gem 99 & 100 / PAL-FM 103.9, H.A.N.D.S. of Wyoming County, Nimble Hill Vineyard & Winery and Toni & Sam Hockman.
Make sure to celebrate the spooky season from October 16 – 29 at the Dietrich Theater and enjoy a variety of films that will delight and terrify audiences of all ages. For showtimes and full schedule, visit www.DietrichTheater.com. Be there…if you dare!
Below is the full Spooky Fest schedule. Showtimes with a * by it include complimentary small popcorn and small soda:
The Addams Family
Show times:
Oct. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 24 at 4:00 p.m.
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 99 min
Language: English
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd
Based on the iconic characters from television, The Addams Family stars Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman and Christopher Lloyd as the titular family. When a man claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams, arrives at the Addams’ home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester’s life. With the help of his lawyer, Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
An American Werewolf in London
Show times:
Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 97 min
Language: English
Director: John Landis
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher
Winner of the first Academy Award for Makeup, An American Werewolf in London follows two American college students David and Jack who are backpacking through Britain when a large wolf attacks them. David survives with a bite, but Jack is brutally killed. As David heals in the hospital, he’s plagued by violent nightmares of his mutilated friend, who warns him that he is becoming a werewolf. When David discovers the horrible truth, he grapples with his mortality before the next full moon causes him to transform from man to murderous beast.
The Babadook
Show times:
Oct. 16 at 9:00 p.m.
Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: NR
Runtime: 94 min
Language: English
Director: Jennifer Kent
Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall
Released in 2014, and amassing a massive cult following since, The Babadook follows Amelia who finds herself at a crossroads. She struggles to discipline her ‘out of control’ 6 year-old son Samuel who she finds impossible to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called The Babadook turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. When Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.
The Birds
Show times:
Oct. 17 at 4:00 p.m.
Oct. 21 at 1:00 p.m.*
Oct. 28 at 1:00 p.m
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 119 min
Language: English
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy
From the prolific horror director Alfred Hitchcock and featuring the film debut of Tippi Hedron, The Birds follows Melanie who meets Mitch in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds, and they strike up a romance. One day, birds start attacking children at Mitch’s sister’s party and what ensues is a sudden and unexplained series of violent bird attacks on the small village of Bodega Bay, California.
Carrie (1976)
Show times:
Oct. 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 98 min
Language: English
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
Starring Sissy Spacek in one of her most iconic roles, Carrie is the chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel where withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother at home. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom by the empathetic Tommy Ross, Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.
Casper
Show times:
Oct. 18 at 4:00 p.m. *
Oct. 24 at 1:00 p.m. *
Rated: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
Language: in English
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Starring: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty
Starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci, Casper is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat. Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state, but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.
The Craft
Show times:
Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 23 at 9:00 p.m.
Oct. 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 min
Language: English
Director: Andrew Fleming
Starring: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell
Starring Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, Rachel True, and Fairuza Balk, The Craft follows three wannabe witches who recruit a new student Sarah with the gift of telekinesis to their coven. Bonnie, Rochelle and Nancy, like Sarah herself, all have troubled backgrounds, which combined with their nascent powers lead to dangerous consequences. When a minor spell causes a fellow student to lose her hair, the girls grow power-mad and they begin to experience the negative consequences of their combined powers.
Halloween
Show times:
Oct. 16 at 7:00 p.m.*
Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Rated: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Language: in English
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran
Starring the iconic scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis and spawning countless sequels and imitators, the original Halloween begins on a cold Halloween night in 1963, when six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murders his 17-year-old sister. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Show times:
Oct. 24 at 10:00 p.m.
Rated: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Language: in English
Directed by: Jim Sharman
Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick
Starring the late Tim Curry and featuring performances from Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the ultimate cult classic that has influenced generations. Sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and
Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.”
Scooby Doo
Show times:
Oct. 17 at 1:00 p.m.*
Oct. 25 at 1:00 p.m
Rating: PG
Runtime: 86 min
Language: English
Director: Raja Gosnell
Starring: Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar
Zoinks! Based on the classic kids television series, Scooby Doo stars Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini in the iconic roles of the Mystery Inc. crew. Two years after a clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close its doors, Scooby-Doo and his clever crime-solving cohorts Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma are individually summoned to Spooky Island to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip Spring Break hot spot.
Sleepy Hollow
Show times:
Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 25 at 4:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 105 min
Language: English
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson
Starring Johnny Deep and Christina Ricci, based on the classic horror short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, and winner of the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Sleepy Hollow follows New York City Police Constable Ichabod Crane who is sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow, where a headless horseman is leaving a trail of decapitated bodies in their wake. Ichabod must try to solve the case while avoiding being the next victim.
Trick ‘r Treat
Show times:
Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 82 min
Language: English
Director: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker
Starring Anna Paquin and Brian Cox, Trick ‘r Treat tells four interwoven Halloween horror stories with a common element in them: Sam, a trick or treating demon wearing orange pajamas with a burlap sack over his head, who appears in each story whenever one of the other characters breaks a Halloween tradition. These interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten.
Urban Legend
Show times:
Oct. 17 at 9:00 p.m.
Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Rating: R
Runtime: 99 min
Language: English
Director: Jamie Blanks
Starring: Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart
Urban Legend is a cult classic slasher film set at a university beset by a rash of gruesome murders that resemble old urban legends. When her friend Michelle is killed by someone hiding in her car, Natalie begins to notice the pattern. Her suspicions grow stronger when her own roommate is strangled to death. Soon the quiet college campus is transformed into hunting grounds for a maniac, and Natalie struggles to find the killer and stop the bloodshed before she becomes the next victim.