SECRET MOVIE CLUB presents
Part of our ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE MASTER Series, Saturday, October 14, 2023
LOCATION: The Secret Movie Club Theater, 1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90021
*Please note entrance/parking is actually in the back of the 1917 Bay St building. Our entrance is NOT on Bay Street. You access our entrance from Wilson Street by turning into the street art alleyway/corridor in the back of the building. Look for our signs which are always posted on Wilson and in the corridor to guide the audience.
7pm ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS EPISODES: Breakdown, Bang! You're Dead, Lamb to the Slaughter, One More Mile To Go (Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1955-1961, 24-26mns each, 110mns total) Digital Presentation
930p PSYCHO (1961, dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Universal, USA, 104mns) DCP [Original theatrical version]
The story of PSYCHO, possibly the most important horror film of all time, is inextricably tied to the story of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, Hitchcock's long running television series which ran from 1955 through 1962. So it seems almost (forgive the pun) criminal that the two are not paired together more often.
It's somewhat startling and sobering to realize that at THE SAME TIME Hitchcock was directing some of his most enduring masterpieces (VERTIGO, NORTH BY NORTHWEST), he was pulling hosting and occasional directing duties on a television show bearing his name.
What the television show gave Hitchcock (beside more paychecks and name recognition) was a kind of sketchbook in which he could work with a television crew, used to working fast for little money, to further hone is already knife sharp craft.
In fact, Hitchcock would take his television crew with him when he made PSYCHO. Forgoing color, a big budget, big stars, Hitch would use his nasty incisive brilliant television approach on PSYCHO to make the impact of the story and the storytelling even more unsettling.
It's interesting how often the best horror movies (Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, etc) benefit from the creativity borne out of problem solving when you have a low budget. Also, the lack of the safety net signals to the audience that big budgets bring (high production value, well paid stars, occasionally anodyne stories that pull their punches all telegraphing this is a movie) means that anything could happen. And often does.
It's somewhat paradoxical (though inspiring) to realize many of the low budget horror movie masterpiece tropes begin with PSYCHO and Alfred Hitchcock-one of Hollywood's biggest directors. Made at the height of his fame and success.
First, as Exhibits A-D, we show four of Hitchcock's greatest episodes directed by the master himself. BREAKDOWN (starring Joseph Cotton), BANG! YOU'RE DEAD (about gun violence), LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER (adapted from a Roald Dahl short story) and ONE MORE MILE TO GO (a clear rough draft for the first part of PSYCHO) all show the master honing his craft to tell a 24-26 minute short story of suspense.
We then move to the main event: 1960's revolutionary, ground-breaking PSYCHO. Powered by one of the all-time great performances with Anthony Perkins as motel owner Norman Bates under the thumb of his never seen dictatorial mother (who lives in the house above the motel), PSYCHO tells the story of Phoenix secretary Marion Crane who steals money from her boss only to have a change of heart when she stops for the night at the Bates Motel.
What happens from here can not and will not be spoiled here. But sufficed to say, some of the greatest shocks and scares TO THIS DAY unfold. PSYCHO is the 2001 of the horror genre. Hitchcock knew the rules of suspense and terror so well that he knew full well what a shock the movie would be to audiences when he broke those rules.
Instead of the numb promise of a happy ending, we are plunged into a senseless world where all bets are off. PSYCHO is a contradiction wrapped in a paradox. A wildly entertaining ride that nevertheless gets closer than most movies to showing an aspect of existence we all find hard to accept.
Come see the master at the height of his powers both on the small and the large screen.
Best always,
Craig Hammill
Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer
*Please note that though we strive to always show titles on 35mm film if advertised, we may have to screen digitally if the print we receive is in such bad shape or if we don't receive the print in time because of a shipping delay. We will do our best to alert the audience. When this does occur, we will offer each ticket holder who chooses not to attend a complimentary ticket to a future event in exchange. (Disclaimer: Good for 90 days – Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REFUNDS:
We can offer refunds up to 24 hours before showtime. Please request a refund through Eventbrite and we will process ASAP. After that, no refunds. Sorry.
However if something last minute comes up and you can’t make the screening, for whatever reason, just write to us before showtime: community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening, good for 90 days. (Disclaimer: Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)
HELPFUL SECRET MOVIE CLUB (1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, LA, CA 90021) THEATER PARKING TIPS:
We recommend that you park just outside our theater. Remember our theater is actually in a beautiful street art alleyway in the back of the 1917 Bay Street building. You get to our entrance by taking a right on Wilson, then a right behind the building. We are the first set of black steps on the right after the big gate.
There is also a parking lot at the corner of Mateo and Violet Street, just 2 blocks from our theater, which costs $7 per car.
HOW CAN WE STAY ON TOP OF NEWLY ANNOUNCED 35MM SCREENINGS, EVENTS, ETC?
You can follow us on Instagram/Twitter: @secretmovieclub or Facebook: @secretmovieclub35mm
You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter at secretmovieclub.com or by writing to us at community@secretmovieclub.com and using the header “SUBSCRIBE ME TO NEWSLETTER”.
HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS:
You can always email us at community@secretmovieclub.com with any other questions, concerns, thoughts, recommendations.