Flick or treat! Local theater shows Halloween movie classics

In celebration of Halloween, the Lumina Theater in Chapel Hill is showing a spooky movie every Saturday during the month of October. The Halloween movie series is called "Flick or Treat."

The Lumina Theater is an independent, locally-owned theater located in the Southern Village community.

“It has a family feel," said Jasmine Levy, a registered nurse at UNC Health Care who said she frequents the theater. "I see elderly folks, young folks and children with their parents."

This is the second year Lumina is putting on the "Flick or Treat" event. Jason Barker, general manager of the Lumina Theater, said that he chooses all of the movies for the event.

“I’ve always been a big fan of revival film,” Barker said. “There are a number of movies that I consider to be sacred, that I grew up with, that a lot of people haven’t even heard of.”

Tickets for the showings at "Flick or Treat" cost $5, but if attendees dress in a costume related to the film, they will get in for free. 

Most of the movies are rated PG-13, with a couple being rated R to allow for families and adults alike to enjoy the event, Barker said. These movies include “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Addams Family Values,” “Twilight,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” shown in that order. 

The movies are shown at 10 a.m. every Saturday in October, and there will be a special midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Oct. 26 to finish off the event. 

“Rocky Horror last year was a sold out show, and it was a great deal of fun,” Barker said. 

The showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will include a shadow cast provided by The Low Down Cheap Little Punks of Raleigh, N.C. The cast worked at the "Flick or Treat" event last year, and Lumina invited them back for another round, Barker said. 

Shadow casting is when the movie plays in the background and is simultaneously acted out in front of the screen by a live cast, Bryan Wendeln, cast veteran of The Low Down Cheap Little Punks of Raleigh, said. 

“Start to finish, we do every scene,” Wendeln said. 

The shadow cast will provide a fully interactive experience of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” There will be prop bags for sale and various things on the screen that the audience is prompted to yell at throughout the movie, Barker said. 

The benefit of the shadow cast is that the audience gets a “two-for-one” experience. They can choose to watch the movie on the screen or the movie being acted out live in front of them, Wendeln said. 

In addition to the shadow cast experience, there will be activities preceding the show and a costume contest with prizes, Barker said. 

Last year, the event had a great turn out. Therefore, Barker said he knew they should put on the event again to bring community members together. 

“You’re not gonna get the chance to see these movies on the big screen otherwise,” Barker said. “Nothing gets you more in the Halloween spirit than seeing these classics.”

arts@dailytarheel.com