The Nelson Civic Theatre Society is hosting the first ever Zombie Walk on October 25, and it’s only the highlight of a cavalcade of Halloween-themed films and events.
Friday night The Tale of Princess Kaguya, a beautifully illustrated film from Studio Ghibli, will play at 7 p.m. The film follows an aging bamboo cutter who happens upon a glowing stalk with opens to reveal a tiny nymph.
The film features stunning visuals and sweeping Japanese landscapes, which should give audiences plenty of inspiration for their Halloween costumes.
For a slightly startling change of pace, you can follow that experience with a screening at 9:40 by Borgman, a psychological thriller about a vagrant that enters the lives of an arrogant upper class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle, igniting a series of menacing and nightmarish events.
The film was an official selection of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and currently has an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
On Saturday, the Civic will host an entire day devoted to zombies. Starting at noon, professional makeup artists will be stationed at the theatre to help people get into their roles for the Zombie Walk.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own fake blood, mangled skin and rotted teeth. A quick Google search will give you a vast amount of information about how to zombie-fy yourself with ordinary household products such as food colouring.
Once everyone is prepared, the zombies will shuffle and moan out of the theatres and into the streets of Nelson. At 2 p.m. the parade of flesh-eaters will make its way through the downtown core, returning full circle in time for a free classic zombie film at 4 p.m.
According to organizers, “all–dead and living–are welcome to attend.”
The free movie will be followed up by a screening of Dead Snow 2 at 7 p.m.. A campy foreign B-zombie movie featuring a horde of Nazi zombies, it recently won best picture and screenplay in the Gutbuster Comedy Feature category.
The first iteration of the film was a surprise world-wide box office success, and is now considered a cult classic by die-hard zombie aficianados. The sequel sees the lone survivor of the first film battling Colonel Herzog and his horde of undead soldier underlings.
Dead Snow 2 is being offered as a double feature with Zombie, a 1979 Italian film that was considered the unofficial sequel to Dawn of the Dead. In England it was known as Zombie Flesh Eaters and was banned as obscene.
Tickets are $5 for the show, or $2 if paired with Dead Snow 2.
The Halloween theme continues with Only Lovers Left Alive, which screens at 7:30 p.m. on October 26. Directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton, the film is about contemporary vampires. Set against the desolation of Detroit and Tangier, the film follows an underground musician deeply depressed by the direction of human activities, who reunites with his resilient and enigmatic lover.
The film has earned rave reviews for the indie director, who has never filmed a horror movie before. Of course he gives it a signature indie twist.
Ghostbusters fans will be pleased to find out the film is being screened on October 27 as part of its 30th anniversary. Directed by Ivan Reitman, the film stars Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd.
For the screening, you can choose to show up as Venkman, Stanz, Spengler or maybe even Slimer. Staff hope to see people’s best Sigourney Weaver impressions, and will welcome all of those without physical bodies for free. Who wants to be the Marshmallow Man?
Borgman will screen for a second time on October 30 at 7:30, leaving Halloween itself for trick or treating.
For more information and ticket prices visit civictheatre.ca.
