Dr. AC (aka Aaron Christensen) and I will once again make it to the Sulzer Regional Library in Chicago for this year’s lecture series, where the library has been gracious enough to have us back each year to talk about the horror genre! Each Tuesday of October, we’ll be discussing a different topic dealing with the genre. In the past, we’ve covered different directors, women in horror, horror through the decades, and more. This time out, the subject is Houses of Horror: The Studios That Made the Screams! We’re going to delve into some of the studios behind the films we love, and what made them different or unique. Stop on by for the lecture and join in the discussion afterwards!

Starting on October. 6th, and going every Tuesday of the month, from 6:30pm to 7:45pm, there is a different lecture each week. Here’s a breakdown of what we’re covering each week.

Week 1: Black and White on a Budget – October 6th at 6:30pm
While Universal, Warner Bros. and MGM were cranking out classics by the fistful during the 1930s and ’40s, several “Poverty Row” studios were hot on their heels, borrowing horror stars like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi to conjure their own particular brand of spookiness. While names like Republic, PRC, and Monogram may not be held in the same esteem, they managed to generate a worthy body of work, with titles like The Devil Bat, King of the Zombies, The Ape Man, and Dead Men Walk. Click HERE for the link for that week with all the details.

Week 2: AIP – Masters of the Drive-In – October 13th at 6:30pm
Sam Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, and Roger Corman cranked out hundreds of films to satisfy the growing youth market in the 1950s, eventually changing the face of cinema forever. Everything from huge creature features to hot-rod sci-fi mashups to classy color adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe starring Vincent Price, American-International Pictures (AIP) became THE low-budget studio that challenged the majors… and won. Click HERE for the link for that week with all the details.

Week 3: Hammer Horror – The Studio That Dripped Blood – October 20th at 6:30pm
After toiling away for decades, a small British film production company hit upon the idea of updating the Universal Classic Monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man) in vibrant color while also adding more graphic flesh and blood. It was a winning combination that made them a worldwide sensation, turning actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing into international superstars and creating a brand name that endures today: Hammer Horror. Click HERE for the link for that week with all the details.

Week 4: Toho – The House of Giant Monsters – October 27th at 6:30pm
This esteemed Japanese movie studio, known for Akira Kurosawa’s samurai epics, also became famous for an entirely different brand of entertainment: the kaiju eiga, (giant monster movie)! Immortal names like Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah combined with fanciful effects and detailed model work managed to create a unique world that blended sci-fi spectacle, social commentary, and juvenile delights that still captivate the imagination 70 years later. Click HERE for the link for that week with all the details.