Beginning on March 9, vintage movies will return to Fire Hall Theatre as Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre screens four of the best public domain movies out there.
For four Fridays in March -- March 9, March 16, March 23 and March 30 -- March Movie Madness will begin at 8 p.m. at the Fire Hall, first with a classic movie, then followed by "Reefer Madness," everyone's favorite mid-century American propaganda film.
"Reefer Madness," released in 1936, revolves around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana. Over the years, it's become a cult classic.
"While the theater in no way supports the use of illegal substances, it does support laughter," said a news release from Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre. "By the end of the month, the hope is (that) audiences will be able to recite lines along with the characters in the film, a la other classic audience participation movies, like 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.'"
Here's the March Movie Madness line-up. Tickets will be $5 at the door. Fire Hall Theatre is at 412 Second Ave. N., tucked between Grand Forks City Hall and Central High School and all movies will begin at 8 p.m. with "Reefer Madness" at 9:30 p.m.
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- March 9, "House on Haunted Hill," (1959, 75 minutes). Starring the king of creepy, Vincent Price. Before the 1999 remake, there was Vincent with his freaky eyes as an eccentric millionare married to a gold digger. Five guests are invited to spend the night in a haunted house. The guest who makes it until morning wins $10,000.
- March 16, "A Bucket of Blood," (1959, 66 minutes). Directed by Roger Corman, the king of "B" horror flicks and winner of an honorary Oscar in 2010, "Bucket" is a classic about a man who gains fame among beatniks for his realistic sculptures, made by covering dead bodies with clay.
- March 23, "The Golem," (1920, 85 minutes). This year's multiple Oscar winning picture "The Artist" has paved the way to a return to silent movies. "The Golem," considered an unforgettable horror masterpiece, is set in 16th Century Prague, where Rabbi Loew creates a giant Golem from clay to protect his people from their persecutors. Spoiler alert: Things go horribly wrong .
- March 30, "The Man with the Golden Arm," (1955, 119 minutes). Starring Frank Sinatra, this film deals with a different kind of madness, the kind that comes from heroin addiction. Frankie is fresh out of rehab and trying his best to kick his habit. Can he resist? With Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak.
