Hitchcock-tober schedule
"The Birds" (1963)
Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
119 min., Not Rated
"Suspicion" (1941)
Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
109 min., Rated R
"Dial M for Murder" (3D) (1954)
Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
105 min., Rated PG
"The Trouble with Harry" (1955)
Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
100 min., Not Rated
"Psycho" (1960)
Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
105 min., Rated R
It’s October, and what better way to celebrate the month of Halloween than with the Master of Suspense and the "Hitchcocktober" film series at the Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinema?
Every October, the Angelika celebrates Hitchcocktober in honor of director Alfred Hitchcock. Every Thursday night, a Hitchcock film will be screened with a bonus screening of "Psycho" on Halloween night.
Seeing Hitchcock classics like "Psycho" on the big screen is always a wicked delight. But this year, the Angelika Carmel Mountain is upping its game by serving up "Dial M for Murder" (1954) in a restored 3-D digital presentation. The film was originally shot in 3-D — note all the low angle shots with objects and arms protruding out to the audience — but had only a brief 3-D theatrical release before getting a conventional, "flat" release.
The film stars a gorgeous Grace Kelly as a philandering wife whose husband, played by Ray Milland, plots to kill her. But things don't go quite as planned.
The film series also highlights one of Hitchcock’s quirky lesser-known gems, "The Trouble with Harry" (1955). The trailer cheerily described it as "a delightful romantic comedy that just happens to revolve around a corpse."
Hitchcock always displayed a macabre sense of humor but this film places humor in the foreground as a quaint town deals with a pesky corpse that everyone in town seems to think he or she is responsible for the killing in some way. Edmund Gwenn is endearing and Shirley MacLaine makes her feature film debut.
The Angelika kicks off the series on Oct. 6 with "The Birds" (1963) starring Tippi Hendren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy and Suzanne Pleshette. The film begins as a romance but soon turns into a tale of terror as birds start to display odd behavior and eventually start to attack humans. There are chilling scenes as the one where a fitting murder of crows amass on the playground jungle gym behind Hendren.
Also included is the 1941 mystery "Suspicion" starring Joan Fontaine and an ever charming Cary Grant as young newlyweds. Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance as a woman who slowly begins to wonder if her husband could be a murderer.
Hitchcocktober concludes in high style with "Psycho" (1960) on Oct. 31. The film jolted audiences out of a sense of security by breaking rules and expectations about Hollywood films. Anthony Perkins steals the show as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh will be remembered forever for the infamous shower scene.
You can enjoy a Hitchcock film every Thursday night in October at the Angelika Carmel Mountain. That’s no trick and all treats.
The Angelika Film Center Carmel Mountain is located at 11620 Carmel Mountain Road. All seats are $10. For advance tickets and more information on Hitchcocktober, go to the Angelika website.
