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    Best Horror of the Last Decade Terrorizes Gateway Film Center

    Each and every week, you can catch the newest in indie horror at the Gateway Film Center (1550 N. High St.), courtesy of their program Nightmares on High Street, the longest running horror series in the US.

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    But if you’re looking for scares a little more tried and true, every so often, GFC appends the series with a little classic terror. Nightmares from the Crypt, the regular program’s irregular companion, champions older genre films worthy of big screen treatment – although not necessarily that old.

    You can expect a full slate of some semi-recent stunners this summer, beginning Tuesday, July 2nd, with a screening of hometown hero Michael Dougherty’s visually arresting 2007 cult hit Trick ‘r Treat

    GFT runs a Crypt slate a couple times a year, so what makes this edition so special? Two things.

    Firstly, the staff at the Gateway has pulled together what they are calling the best horror films of the last decade. That’s a big statement.

    And secondly, we had the chance to participate in the countdown.

    The Film Center reached out to its Facebook and Twitter followers, as well as guests at the theater, to determine the final film to make their 7-feature list.

    According to Chris Hamel, President of Gateway Film Center, the whole idea began as some office bickering.

    “For weeks we had been having a debate internally about the best horror films of the decade,” he says. “We decided that would be the premise of our annual July From The Crypt series.”

    Hamel says everyone on the staff got involved.

    “The whole film center team decided on the first six films, and I think we did a hell of a job,” he says.

    Hamel’s most excited that his personal favorite, 2007 French import Inside, made the cut, but the ballot count did not always go his way. He wanted to see Ti West’s 2009 indie gem The House of the Devil on the roster, but it didn’t make the first slate.  

    “Some films I wanted to see on the big screen did not make the final list, but that is always going to be the case with such a limited number of weeks,” he says.

    Why give theatergoers the chance to weigh in?

    Says Hamel, “Because the internal debate on our team was so spirited, we decided to allow the audience to decide the last film.”  

    Hamel says the candidates for the coveted final slot were determined by feedback from guests, combined with GFC staff favorites that didn’t make it through the first round.

    Vote in options were Spain’s [Rec] (2007), Sinister (2012), The Descent (2005), The House of the Devil (2009), and Sweden’s Let the Right One In (2008).

    “I really wanted House of the Devil to win, but over half of the more than 300 votes we got were for The Descent,” he says. “Clearly that film scared a lot of people, and I am looking forward to seeing it on the big screen for the first time!”

    The terrifying spelunking disaster The Descent joins this Nightmares lineup:

    • Trick ‘r Treat (2007): 7/2 (8pm), 7/3 & 7/4 (midnight), 7/6 (4:30pm). Don’t miss the kick-off party 7/2 in The Torpedo Room before the 8pm screening.
    • The Conjuring (2013): 7/4 (midnight), 7/5 (4:30pm), 7/8 (7:30pm), 7/10 (9:30pm)
    • Cabin in the Woods (2012): 7/11 (midnight), 7/12 (4:30pm & midnight), 7/15 (7:30pm) 7/17 (9:30pm)
    • Inside (2007): 7/18 (midnight), 7/19 (4:30pm & midnight), 7/22 (7:30pm)  
    • Drag Me to Hell (2009): 7/18 (midnight), 7/19 (midnight), 7/20 (4:30pm), 7/24 (9:30pm)
    • The Mist (2007): 7/25 (midnight), 7/26 (4:30pm & midnight), 7/29 (7:30pm)
    • The Descent (2005): 7/27 (4:30pm), 7/31 (8pm)

    For more information, tickets and showtimes, visit www.gatewayfilmcenter.com

    A full slate of movie reviews (including reviews of nearly every film in this lineup) 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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