Eat, drink and get the wits scared out of you at this horror film series

09:53 AM CDT on Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Greg Russell / Staff Writer

Denton’s late-night movie beat will soon take a turn for the sinister.

Every second Friday of the month, PitofHorror.com and the upcoming DallasMovieGuide.com will present a “classic” ’70s or ’80s-era horror film in a midnight screening at Denton Movie Tavern, each movie ready to be embraced as the grindhouse escapism it is.

Remember The Monster Squad? How about Hell Night,  Suspiria or The Beyond? The upcoming Friday Night Frights list will likely include those and more, such as Hellraiser, selections from the Freddy and Jason canon and the original version of The Exorcist.

This weekend, it’s Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), with a guest appearance at the screening by actress Lar Park-Lincoln, who played the telekinetic Tina Shepard — one of the few characters in that series to allow Jason Voorhees to meet his match. Park-Lincoln will introduce the midnight screening, and will be available afterward for autographs and a question-and-answer session.

Park-Lincoln said The New Blood still stands out to fans, likely because of its female protagonist.

“The character I play is the first female character to fight Jason back,” she said. “It was pretty strong for its time. Jamie Lee [Curtis] in Halloween was a victim. [Sissy Spacek in] Carrie was a victim. Tina just kept going against Jason.”

The Jason movies, Park-Lincoln admits, still resonate with people.

“The fun and kind of hysteria in this particular series has never died down. I don’t know why,” she said.

She also said she has no problem with being associated with the films or receiving fan mail from around the world.

“I’m very grateful,” Park-Lin­coln said. “There are very few people who can really do what they want to do. Mine was acting.”

Local anticipation for Friday Night Frights is already high; with the factors of nostalgia and horror fandom intersecting, there’s no way a movie lover could pass it up.

“There’s a whole community here where, these are their movies and they love it,” said Erin Lucia, Movie Tavern’s director of special events and marketing. “There is nothing like the movie experience, seeing any movie on the big screen. And we, every day, try to bring back the art of watching movies in their original form — whether it’s Pirates of the Caribbean or ‘Fred­dy and Jason Part Seven.’”

Lincoln’s appearance this Fri­day is one of several bonus features you can expect from Friday Night Frights. Every screening event will offer something extra — be it a guest appearance, giveaways or the chance to see a horror film unavailable on DVD.

“We are inundated by comments and calls about people being excited,” Lucia said. “We hope we have a very large turn­out, so we can confirm the other movies for the rest of the year.”

Paul Salfen, editor of the on­line Dallas Music Guide and Dallas Movie Guide, is helping helm the Frights lineup, and he doesn’t doubt the undeniable appeal.

“People can eat and drink, and they can watch it with an appreciative audience,” he said. “What we’re really trying to do is make sure there is plenty of stuff given away — almost everybody should be able to walk away with something.”

As for this Friday’s selection, Salfen noted it had a personal importance.

“For Friday the 13th Part VII, I snuck into the theater as a kid,” he said. “I had this excitement, not only of getting away with that, but just the atmosphere like that, and the crowd that kind of film brings. As a film critic, I’m one of the only ones who appreciates a film like this when it comes around.”

Last July and August, Lucia said, Movie Tavern had attempted something similar to this: a midnight weekend run of college comedies such as Animal House and Old School, which didn’t last long.

“Great concept, low turnout,” she said, adding that the summer months, with a lower number of students in the area, may have been a cause.

“Whereas, we think this horror genre will work very well,” she said. “It will appeal to the Denton people to come to this event. All are welcome at the Movie Tavern.”

GREG RUSSELL can be reached at 940-566-6861. His e-mail address is grussell@dentonrc.com

Friday Night Frights

What: Friday Night Frights presents a screening of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, with a guest appearance by the film’s lead actress, Lar Park-Lincoln

When: Doors open at 11 p.m. Fri­day; screening starts at midnight.

Where: Denton Movie Tavern, 916 W. University Drive

Details: Tickets are $10. Park-Lincoln will be on hand after the screening for a question-and-answer session and autograph signing. The next screening in the series is Aug. 11, with Hell Night and The Burning. For more information, call 940-483-1483.