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    Fright Club Lives… At The Drexel Theatre

    Fright Club, the late night film series showcasing overlooked and underseen horror gems, moves to the Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.), kicking off the new collaboration on Friday, June 20, with Michael Haneke’s experiment in terror, Funny Games.

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    “It’s a film series for real horror fans,” says George Wolf, co-programmer and co-host. Wolf, midday on-air personality for WNND, Rewind Columbus, 103.5/104.3 and longtime film critic for The Other Paper (RIP), says that Fright Club will stick to high quality films.

    “B-movies and campy classics are great,” he says, “But we’re looking for great movies: well written, well acted, well executed, and scary.”

    He points to the first film in the program as an example.

    “Michael Haneke is a brilliant filmmaker. Everything he’s ever made deserves to be seen,” he says. “Funny Games is actually his own English-language remake of a film he made first in 1997 in German. It’s a controversial film, one that challenges viewers and even the genre without undermining the story it’s telling.”

    Great horror is not the only criteria, though. Says Wolf, the real goal is to uncover some of the best the genre has to offer, particularly those films that fans may have missed.

    “There are some really great movies that were never widely released, either because they are independents or because they’re foreign titles,” he says. “We want to get the chance to see them on the big screen ourselves, and more importantly, share them in a theatrical setting with others who love the genre.”

    The series will return the third Friday of every month with a new installment. Future features will include the spot-on satire Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and the magnificent Belgian terror The Ordeal.

    Tucker & Dale is a crowd pleaser,” he says. “It’s impossible not to like that movie. And this will be the first time The Ordeal – or Calvaire, its original title – screens in Columbus, so we’re really excited about that. There are a bunch of others we’re trying to secure, movies that we love and cannot wait to share with an audience.”

    Wolf says, “It’s just so much fun to experience a scary movie in a theater. The image is so big, so overwhelming, and everyone else is jumping and screaming at the right times. It’s a blast.”

    Grove City’s John Dean, a fan who has yet to miss a single Fright Club event, agrees.

    “A good horror movie shown in a movie theater is just a flat out exciting experience,” he says. “I have long been a fan of horror movies. They are a twisted, fun escape for me. Fright Club is an opportunity to see a quality horror flick on the big screen. This usually isn’t always an option – but now I can count on it happening monthly.”

    Wolf is just as thrilled with the partnership with the Drexel Theatre. “It makes such great sense. We can become kind of a monthly teaser for their annual horror marathon, which is such a great event,” Wolf says. “We’re hoping to get Bruce Bartoo and Joe Neff, the marathon programmers, out to a few of the screenings, too.”

    “I’ve enjoyed all the movies shown so far, and have added some of them to my collection,” says Dean. “Some of the best horror movies I’ve seen have been recommended by a friend – Fright Club has that vibe, only on the big screen.”

    “We’re hoping everyone will remember the first rule of Fright Club – please talk about Fright Club!” jokes Wolf. “We’re always happy to get suggestions on which films to add to the series!”

    Fright Club presents Funny Games at the Drexel Theatre this Friday, June 20th, at 11:30 pm. Tickets are $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for students. For tickets and information, visit www.drexel.net .

    Disclosure: Hope Madden co-hosts and co-programs the series.

    A full slate of movie reviews is available on my website www.maddwolf.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @maddwolf and like me on Facebook at facebook.com/MaddWolfColumbus .

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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