Blumhouse, a horror production company, will be partnering with AMC this fall to host BlumFest, which rescreens a few of their popular horror films in theaters. Screenings are offered every Wednesday night until Oct. 30. 52 cities in the U.S. at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time.
The streaming schedule is as follows:
Oct. 16, 2024- “Happy Death Day” - Released in 2017
Oct. 23, 2024- “The Black Phone” - Released in 2021
Oct. 30, 2024- “Five Nights at Freddy's” - Released in 2023
“Happy Death Day” written by Scott Lobdell is about Tree Gelbman, a college student who wakes up on her birthday and dies. Except, she dies, wakes up again on the same day, and dies again. Reliving the day of her murder, Tree has to find out who her killer is before her death becomes permanent.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“The tongue-in-cheek approach by the filmmakers and their willingness to laugh at themselves makes this a better experience than the corny title would have you believe,” said Keith Garlington, an Arkansas-based filmmaker.
“The movie is funny and entertaining. I laughed throughout the whole thing. It is obvious that this was their goal and that they didn't attempt to make an actual horror film. Can definitely recommend [Happy Death Day] if you're in the mood for a "horror" movie that's not too serious,” said one reviewer on IMDb.
“Happy Death Day” is a slasher film that makes the audience laugh. Tree is a sorority girl, which isn’t what a typical horror movie character would entail, and illustrates the idea that the movie isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. For people who don’t like gore or serious horror, this is a good Halloween movie to watch.
Photo courtesy of Syfy.
“The Black Phone” written by Scott Derrickson is a horror mystery film. Ethan Hawke plays The Grabber, who kidnaps teen boys, locks them in a basement and kills them. Finney, the main character played by Mason Thames, gets kidnapped by The Grabber. While in the basement, he gets phone calls from a disconnected phone. On the line are The Grabber’s dead victims, who attempt to help Finney escape.
An interesting part of the plot had to do with Finney’s sister having psychic abilities that may lead to Finney’s whereabouts. The actors gave great performances, especially since most of them are children.
This movie, while rated R, was not gory. There is very little gore and more so jumpscares, explicit language and mentions of alcohol and drug use.
“This film isn't going to be for everyone, it is such a bleak and macabre story, some may find it upsetting, it has a similar feel to IT, the original that is. That said, it is very original, tense and loaded with suspense, if you're into it you'll have so many questions, and you'll want to know the outcome. Maybe some of it's ambiguous, but that is on the film's favour I think,” one user on IMDb said.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” written by Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback and Emma Tammi is a horror/mystery film based on the video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (FNAF).
A young man takes a job at the abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria while taking care of his sister. While he is working, they discover evil animatronics that attempt to take their lives. Working with a police officer, the sibling duo has to survive the animatronics who plan to take their souls.
FNAF is a popular video game played by many around the world. For audiences who haven’t played the game, watching the movie will feel like they have.
“I was living for the look of the creature costumes. So many kudos there. The acting is pretty decent for a studio movie, as it really should be,” one user on IMDb said.
“Do not take it too seriously, let it flow, enjoy the funny effects, have fun with it,” another user said.
“This whole month is a love letter to Halloween and our fans, and we’re grateful to our partners at AMC for joining us for BlumFest, our annual October celebration of all things Blumhouse. I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of Paranormal Activity, because it feels like we’re just getting started,” said Jason Blum, Founder and CEO of Blumhouse in an interview with Variety.
BlumFest 2024 is the 15th anniversary since Blumhouse began its partnership with AMC. Fans who attend these special screenings can win giveaways, view exclusive sneak peeks, and more.
Fans of the paranormal (or not), can secure a seat on the AMC website.
Those living on or near campus can head to the AMC Indianapolis 17. Visit the AMC website to see other theaters in Indiana screening these movies. Just make sure to get advanced tickets before seats run out!
Umu Sow (she/her) is a freshman majoring in political science and double minoring in global, international studies and French. Her free time includes cooking and reading romcoms and fantasy books.
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