Is there anything more divisive than a horror movie? There will always be an audience that loves settling in for a series of inventive kills, as well as people who can’t think of a worse way to spend two hours.
And while the visceral thrills of slasher films with masked killers might not be for everyone, the horror genre offers so much more than blood and gore. For those who find joy in psychological tension and existential anguish, horror of the mind provides a different kind of thrill—one that resonates on a deeper, more emotional level.
Movies like “Carnival of Souls,” “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Shining” build dread instead of relying on gore. They take the inevitability of death and transform it into a suffocating atmosphere. It is a kind of psychological horror that flourished during the isolation of the digital age with movies like “The Babadook,” “It Follows,” and “Hereditary” using the supernatural to explore deeply human traumas.
And when it comes to personifying the horror of the mind, there is no better fit than a vampire. Ever since Bela Lugosi welcomed us into his castle in Tod Browning’s “Dracula,” vampire movies have explored human weakness—whether through stories of people ensnared by their allure (“The Lost Boys,” “Let the Right One In”) or through the vampire’s own tortured perspective (“Only Lovers Left Alive,” “The Addiction”).
This tradition continues in Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” a stunning adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s unofficial Dracula adaptation from 1922. The enduring relevance of “Nosferatu” after more than a century speaks to the role horror plays in our lives. The story of losing someone still living, whether to addiction, abuse, or cult-like influences, remains universally relatable. These stories, much like their protagonists, remain eternal.
And horror lovers get it: When we watch a horror movie, it lets us confront our fears head-on. Ignoring the boogeymen allows their shadows to grow, but by forcing our monsters into the light, these movies give us a sense of control—if only for two hours.
Now Playing
“A Complete Unknown”
The story of how Bob Dylan transformed into a defiant icon.
James Mangold, director of “Walk the Line,” brings the electric true story of Bob Dylan to the big screen in “A Complete Unknown.” Timothée Chalamet stars and sings in this depiction of Dylan’s transformation from an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota to the defiant icon who changed music forever.
Seth Rogovoy, author of “Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet,” will join us for a talkback after the 1:30 p.m. screening of “A Complete Unknown” on Sunday, January 5. After the talkback, join Seth in our lobby for a signing of his new book, “Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King”
An animated epic from the director of Moonlight.
From Barry Jenkins, the Oscar-winning director of “Moonlight,” comes a new take on one of Disney’s most legendary characters. “Mufasa: The Lion King” follows the orphaned lion cub as he leads an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny against a threatening and deadly foe.
Continues this week!
Coming Soon
“September 5”
A gripping thriller that examines the shifting ground of journalistic ethics, “September 5” puts you inside the control room that captured one of history’s darkest days. Peter Sarsgaard portrays legendary producer Roone Arledge in this depiction of the ABC Sports crew that covered the murder and abduction of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics in real time.
Starts January 17.
