AT THE TRIPLEX: Criminal minds

Movies have long been obsessed with serial killers, even before we had a name for them.

Early Hollywood was flush with stories of murder, though, thanks to the production code, they were usually supernatural monster movies like Tod Browning’s “Dracula.” Human monsters, meanwhile, were relegated to foreign productions like Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lodger” and Fritz Lang’s “M.” Decades later, serial killer movies like Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Michael Powell’s “Peeping Tom” would push the envelope so far that they helped end the production code altogether.

After that, as stories of real-life monsters began to make their way into the press, movies produced killer after killer, from Michael Myers to Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman. The cinematic serial killer boom eventually bled into television procedurals and true crime podcasts, creating a thriving genre with no signs of slowing down. Even while the actual rate of serial murder has seen a steep decline since the early 2000s, we’ve become overwhelmed by so much murder-related content that serial killer stories can now seem ho-hum.

Enter “Longlegs,” which opens at The Triplex this week: A surprise hit that has broken through a summer of sequels with its story of an FBI agent on the hunt for a Satanic killer. Director Osgood Perkins (son of “Psycho” star Anthony Perkins) pulls from inspirations like “Silence of the Lambs,” “The Omen,” and “Annabelle” to create a hazy, off-putting production that keeps you anxious from the very first frame.

“Longlegs” strikes a nerve because its hero doesn’t truly understand what she’s up against or how she can stop it. It brings an uneasiness back into a genre that’s become synonymous with “comfort watching.” It reminds us that true evil is unknowable and that, even if they’re old news, serial killers are far from mundane.

NOW PLAYING

“Twisters”
A new generation of storm chasers comes to the big screen.

Lee Isaac Chung’s (“Minari”) follow-up to Jan De Bont’s 1996 disaster classic, “Twisters” follows a new generation of storm chasers as they put their lives on the line to learn more about nature’s most destructive storms. Led by rising stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People)” and Glen Powell (“Hit Man”), “Twisters” is a throwback action movie for people who like their films as big and loud as possible. Ends Thursday!

“Deadpool & Wolverine”

Two of the biggest names in comics team up to save the multiverse (and break the fourth wall) in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman officially join the MCU in their signature foul-mouthed, violent fashion when these iconic superheroes are brought together to fight a new super-powered foe.

COMING SOON 

“How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer”

Eleven bestselling books, two Pulitzer Prizes, six marriages, and nine children. Take an intimate look at the life of a towering figure of American literature in “How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer,” the new documentary from director Jeff Zimbalist. Join us on August 9th after the 7:15 screening when Maggie Mailer sits down with The Bookstore’s Matt Tannenbaum to discuss her father’s life and legacy. More tickets just released! 

“It Ends With Us”

Romance returns to the big screen in “It Ends With Us.” Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover, “It Ends With Us” is the story of Lily (Blake Lively), a young woman who starts to see echoes of her traumatic childhood in her relationship with charming neurosurgeon Ryle (director Justin Baldoni). When Lily’s first love, Atlas, reenters her life and upends her relationship with Ryle, she must rely on her inner strength to decide her future. Opens August 9th.

“A Celebration of the Music Inn”

Woody Guthrie. Miles Davis. Bruce Springsteen. Bob Marley. For nearly three decades, the Music Inn hosted some of the biggest names in music history right here in the Berkshires. Celebrate the amazing legacy of The Music Inn with a weekend of film screenings, panel discussions, interviews, exhibits and live music. Festivities kick off at the Lions Den on August 9th and 10th, with a day-long festival of screenings, interviews, and music coming to The Triplex on August 11th.

“Dory Previn: On My Way to Where”

“Dory Previn: On My Way to Where” follows the life of acclaimed singer songwriter (and longtime Berkshires resident) Dory Previn from her start as an Academy Award-nominated lyricist for Hollywood musicals through a public breakdown following a tabloid scandal and her re-emergence as a cult artist in the Laurel Canyon scene.
Director Julia Greenberg & animator Emily Hubley will join us for a talkback following this advance screening on August 17th.

“Bill Cunningham New York”

One of the most joyful documentaries of the 21st century, we’re thrilled to have director Richard Press and producer Philip Gefter join us for a screening of their 2011 documentary “Bill Cunningham New York” on August 14th. Following the famed fashion photographer as he documents New York from his bicycle, the film also sits down with Cunningham’s famous friends (and frequent subjects) including Tom Wolfe, David Rockefeller and Vogue magazine’s Anna Wintour.