The Colonial will be celebrating Halloween all month long this October. Our offerings run from the silly and delightful to scary and horrific. There is literally something for everyone this month. Halloween at the Home of the Blob is something you do not want to miss.
A disparate group of individuals takes refuge in an abandoned house when corpses begin to leave the graveyard in search of fresh human bodies to devour. The pragmatic Ben does his best to control the situation, but when the re-animated bodies surround the house, the other survivors begin to panic. As any semblance of order within the group begins to dissipate, the zombies start to find ways inside. One by one, the living humans become the prey of the deceased ones. Wednesday, October 1st, on 16mm.
In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler (Richard O’Brien). Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.” Saturday, October 4th. Sponsored by The Record Shop.
In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur (Lou Costello), the museum’s director, Mr. MacDougal (Frank Ferguson), demands that they deliver them personally so that they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou’s friend Chick (Bud Abbott) has grave suspicions —featuring Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolf Man), Glen Strange (Frankenstein’s Monster), and Bela Lugosi (Dracula). Sunday, October 5th.
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father’s scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster (Boris Karloff) his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit in order to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible. Wednesday, October 8th, on 16mm.
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Join the Colonial for an adults-only evening screening of Hocus Pocus, followed by Ghouls Night Out – a Halloween party for the ages! Don your best costume – maybe Madonna or Dracula? – for the screening, and then “DANCE UNTIL YOU DIE!” in our Garden Suite and Rooftop Terrace. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on a bunch of Hocus Pocus!
Conjured up by some unsuspecting pranksters, a tricky trio of 300-year-old witches set out to cast a spell on the town and reclaim their youth. But first, they must get their act together and outwit three kids and a talking cat. Friday, October 10th. Adults Only!
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After the members of a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become “ghostbusters” to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction. Saturday, October 11th.
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Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s spellbinding international breakthrough established him as one of the leaders of the emerging new wave of Japanese horror while pushing the genre into uncharted realms of philosophical and existential exploration. A string of shocking, seemingly unmotivated murders—each committed by a different person yet bearing the same grisly hallmarks—leads Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) into a labyrinthine investigation to discover what connects them, and into a disturbing game of cat and mouse with an enigmatic amnesiac (Masato Hagiwara) who may be evil incarnate. Awash in a mood of hushed, hypnotic dread, Cure is a tour de force of psychological tension and a hallucinatory journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind. Sunday, October 12th.
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After intrepid working girl Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) becomes the new owner of a reputedly haunted mansion located on Black Island near the Cuban coast, a stranger (Anthony Quinn) phones to warn her to stay away from the castle. Undaunted, Mary sets sail for Cuba with a stowaway in her trunk — wise-cracking Larry Lawrence (Bob Hope), a radio announcer who helps Mary get to the bottom of the voodoo magic, zombies and ghosts that supposedly curse the spooky estate. Sunday, October 12th.
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High-school nerd Louise Miller (Robyn Lively) learns from psychic Madame Serena (Zelda Rubinstein) that she’s possessed with magical abilities that will begin working on her 16th birthday. When the prophecy proves true, the teenager uses her new powers to get what she’s always desired: popularity. After getting back at some bullies, the young witch casts a spell over hunky jock Brad Powell (Dan Gauthier). But Louise soon learns that getting what you want isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Wednesday, October 15th.
Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather’s experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor’s fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn). Friday, October 17th.
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The biggest horror movie event on the East Coast returns! Exhumed Films is proud to partner once again with the iconic Colonial Theatre to subject our fiendish fans to another full 24 hours of non-stop, monstrous mayhem!
The 24 Hour Horror-thon Part XVIII will start at noon on Saturday and go straight through until noon on Sunday–or beyond! As in previous years, the lineup of films is kept secret; audience members will only find out what the features are as they unspool onto the screen. The show will be a combination of popular horror titles mixed with some really rare gems. Plus, we’ll run tons of classic trailers, shorts, and other oddities, all projected from 35mm film. We will also have amazing prize giveaways, tons of merch for sale, and a bevy of spooky surprises!
Do you think you have what it takes to withstand the Horror-thon? Can you stay awake for the entire 24 hours? Who will survive, and what will be left of them? Join us at The Colonial Theatre on October 18 to find out! October 18th – 19th. All on 35mm!
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After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien. October 18th. Sponsored by Morgan Francis Realty.
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Aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin) discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead performer. This enigmatic masked presence is Erik (Lon Chaney), also known as the Phantom, a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. When the Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection, her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry), sets out to rescue her. October 19th. With Brett Miller playing a live accompaniment.
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An executed convict (Boris Karloff) returns from the grave to revenge himself against the gangsters who framed him for murder. Wednesday, October 22nd.
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After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back. October 23rd, Pay-What-You-Wish Screening. Presented by the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County.
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On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away inside a sanitarium under the care of child psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis. On October 30, 1978, Myers escapes and makes his way back home to Haddonfield, turning a night of tricks and treats into something much more sinister for three young women, including Laurie Strode, the star-making role for Jamie Lee Curtis. October 24th. On 35mm.
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The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry. October 25th.
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Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable. Sunday, October 26th.
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In this highly influential silent horror film, the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder). After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile, estate agent Knock (Alexander Granach), who is both obsessed with and manipulated by Count Orlok from afar, awaits his master to arrive at his new home. Sunday, October 26th. With Ian Fraser playing a live accompaniment.
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In the Mexican town of San Angel, Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoë Saldana) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) have been friends ever since childhood. Although their lives have taken different paths — Maria was sent to Europe, Joaquin joined the military, and Manolo studied to become a bullfighter — one thing remains the same: Manolo and Joaquin both want to marry Maria. Little does the trio know that battling husband-and-wife deities have made a high-stakes wager on the love triangle’s outcome. November 1st. In celebration of Día de los Muertos.