The Del Mar theater on Pacific goes beyond the typical movie experience. Midnight movies and the secret film festival are just some of the special events that the theater puts on each year. The Del Mar and its sister theater The Nick both focus more on films than they do on movies and often feature films that are playing in limited selection. The midnight movie is a weekly screening of a film. The selected film is usually a cult classic and something everyone should see at some point. Check out this run-down of the fall midnight movie schedule at the Del Mar, previews included!

Fight Club (9/28-9/29)





Bases on the novel of the same name, Fight Club is a movie everyone needs to see at some point in their life. Simply, Fight Club is the story of a man who is becoming increasingly disconnected with his environment and creates an alternative to his own reality. It is difficult to fully explain the movie without giving away the power of its story, but it is one of my personal favorites and I would highly recommend it.

Pulp Fiction (10/5-10/6)





Quentin Tarantino had developed a particular style in his cinematography which is best demonstrated through Pulp Fiction. The story is a mess of other stories weaved together into one. Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thermon, and John Travolta all come out to play in this film. Keep your eyes peeled for the UCSC t-shirt!

The Lost Boys (10/12-10/13)





Vampire film based out of Santa Cruz, CA. If not for the hokey acting, it’s worth seeing all the familiar sites of the boardwalk becoming overrun with vampires. Lost Boys follows the story of a pair of brothers and their interactions with the local vampire gang. The older brother becomes involved with the vampires, and the younger brother desperately tries to save his brother from his fate.

The Shining (10/19-10/20)





Jack Nicholson plays an author driven to madness in this film based off of a Steven King novel. While looking for the trailer to this film, I almost linked to this spoof trailer that makes The Shining seem much more playful than the film actually is. The film, like most King films, has a surreal quality to it that is unnerving and makes for great suspense and discomfort. If you have not seen The Shining yet, a theater setting is the way to go.

Rocky Horror Picture Show feat. Slugs in Fishnets (10/26-10/27)





Rocky Horror is the longest running film of all time. Accompanied by “Slugs in Fishnets” acting out scenes live on stage and the ever enthusiastic audience participation, this is a great film to see to get you in the mood for Halloween. Rocky Horror is made great not by its plot, which is pretty weak, but by the outrageous characters and high energy musical numbers.

American Psycho (11/2-11/3)





Ohhh Christian Bale, you are one crazy chainsaw weildin’ yuppie. Bale is straight up malicious in this film, and it is magnified by the people around him not picking up on his madness. This is not a movie for those who are squeamish to violence. Christian Bale plays a yuppie by day, and a twisted psychopathic, narcissistic serial killer by night. Truly frightful.

The Crow (11/9-11/10)





Crow is a dark film based on a comic on the mythical power of crows to revive the wrongly killed so that they may once again walk the earth. The story gained an immense following, with multiple film sequels, a television series, and books.

Mars Attacks (11/16-11/17)





After watching the trailer for this, I am definitely going to go see it. Tim Burton directing, a slew of famous names, and aliens. Really, really, goofy lookin’ aliens. The story is that of a very botched first contact with Martians and the repeated attempts of the people of Earth to successfully broker peace with the visitors.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (11/30-12/1)





This is the movie of my childhood. My brother and I would watch this movie on loop on weekend afternoons. To this day, I can still name this as one of my all time favorite films. After several years of secrecy, Willy Wonka, renown candy maker and local eccentric, decides to open his factory doors to whomever can find the golden tickets he’s placed inside five chocolate bars. The characters are surprisingly well developed for a children’s movie and Gene Wilder is a delight.

Gremlins (12/7-12/8)





MOST MISLEADING TRAILER EVER. Gremlins is geared to be a kid’s film, except kids don’t find gremlins to be cute. In fact, their antics prove to be most terrifying. Watching it all grown up is definitely a must.

The Thin Man (12/14-12/15)



I’ll be honest, I do not usually have patience for older films. I find the dialogue to be drawn out and the acting to be cheesy. However, I appreciate that the Del Mar does not limit its selection to only high-energy modern films. The Thin Man is a mystery comedy about the disappearance of “the thin man” and his possible involvement in a murder. His friend, the main character, sets out to not only find his missing friend, but to bring the real murderer to justice.

If you’re looking for something to do this fall, the Del Mar has you covered. Pop up some corn and let me know what you think of these groovy films!