'Shock-tober' Brings Classic Horror Films to Penn

It’s that time of the year again, and to mark the impending Halloween season, the is dusting off some scary classics for the entire family.

“Shock-tober” is an annual tradition at the Penn, said Ellen Elliott, the director of Friends of the Penn, which manages the theater.

“We have a list of classic films we enjoy, and each year, we go through that list to see what’s available for us to show,” she said. “This year we have a little bit of everything.”

Halloween is one of the biggest seasons for the Penn, which often hosts monthly classic films during the holiday season and throughout the year, in addition to contemporary films. This year, the four films that make up the classic Thursdays series include the riveting Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Bride of Frankenstein, as well as the light-hearted the Ghost and Mr. Chicken and Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer.

The features this year will be shown once, with the exception of the Abbott & Costello film, Elliott said.

“We run pretty much at capacity for all of the movies, but we have had to turn people away (for Abbott & Costello), she said. “So we decided to run that one twice.”

To help classic film lovers plan their viewing activities up until Halloween, Plymouth Patch has compiled a list and summary of each of the films scheduled next month. The series kicks off Oct. 6. All show times are 7 p.m., with an encore presentation of Abbot & Costello Meet the Killer at 9 p.m.. All tickets at $3 per person. For more information, call the Penn at (734) 453-0870

Oct. 6

The Ghost & Mr. Chicken (1966) – Funnyman Don Knotts stars in this comedy as Luther Heggs, a newspaper typesetter and aspiring reporter who’s hoping his big break comes after he spends the night at a haunted house in Kansas. Prior to staying at the home, he observes what looks like a murder, and like any good reporter, tries to scoop the competition and break the story. But when more information comes to light about events years earlier at the home, Heggs is thrust into another mystery with hilarious results.

Oct. 13

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) – Perhaps the most well-known of the many film adaptations based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explores the tragic and unpredictable events that play out when a mild-mannered doctor attempts to push the limits of science and explore his own duality. This 1941 version was directed by Victor Fleming of Gone With the Wind Fame, and stars some of the biggest names in film, including Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner.  

Oct. 20

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) – Constructed after the events of the original Frankenstein movie, the Bride of Frankenstein follows the efforts of Dr. Frankenstein’s efforts to create a mate for his first monster, who is lonely. But for the doctor, who has abandoned his plans to create life, not every aspect of creating a new monster goes as planned. The film stars Boris Karloff, who reprised his role as the monster, and Elsa Lanchester, who plays a dual role, one of which is the monster’s manufactured paramour.

Oct. 27

Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer (1949) – This surprisingly fresh twist on the horror genre embodies both classic horror and comedy, channeling the talents of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and the eternally creepy Boris Karloff. The story takes place at a resort hotel, where a prominent attorney is found dead by an inept bell boy, played by Costello. The film follows the attempts of the bell boy and the hotel’s on-site detective, played by Abbott, to clear the bell boy’s name, and unravel the mystery of the attorney’s murder.