'The Phantom of the Opera'| Balboa Theatre
As part of its centennial celebration, the Balboa Theatre has programmed Silent Movie Mondays, and will kick off the series with a horror classic, “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), starring Lon Chaney, who was known as “The Man of A Thousand Faces” for his brilliant make-up effects.
Chaney is a horror icon who created his own insanely epic make up and reportedly contributed to directing some of his scenes. The moment from “The Phantom of the Opera” that was seared into audiences minds in the '20s was the famous unmasking scene. There were reports (or maybe just publicists’ stories) that people actually fainted at the reveal and theaters were encouraged to carry smelling salts in case their patrons were overcome with fright.
And what better way to punctuate that reveal than with a live organ accompaniment.
“The organ is the perfect instrument for horror,” said Russ Peck, organist for the Fox Theatre Film Series at the Jacobs Music Center in San Diego. “And what's the greatest reveal in ‘Phantom’? It's when the mask gets pulled off. He screams and she screams and I mash down on the keyboard when he is revealed. Then for her reaction, I go way up and create the sound of a scream, which is a combination of a diminished cord and a bunch of extra stuff thrown in.”
I know audiences have become jaded, and acting styles and film technology have changed, but I encourage you to place yourself in 1925 and imagine how this early experiment in cinematic horror might have played out.
To help you travel back in time, the Balboa Theatre will have Peck accompany the film on the theater’s historic Wonder Morton theatre organ.
“I try not to play anything that was written after the release date so it will create this time machine experience for the audience,” Peck explained. “When they come in and see a movie made in 1925, they're going to hear it the way an audience in 1925 might have heard it. I've probably played this movie more than any movie in my career, which should come as no surprise. It is the prototype of the horror film. Truly a prototype, and I love playing it.”
He also loves playing the Wonder Morton.
“It speaks into the room,” Peck said with glee. “It is a wonderful instrument. It fits the theater beautifully. It's got just a jaw-dropping sound, and the acoustics in the Balboa are so great. I'm proud to play it and proud to take care of it.”
Attendees are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and join a parade showcasing San Diego’s “Best Dressed.”
Details: "The Phantom of the Opera" kicks off Silent Movie Mondays on Oct. 28 with live organ accompaniment at the Balboa Theatre. 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego. $24-$39.
'Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors' | The Old Globe Theatre
Another Halloween icon makes an appearance this fall in San Diego — Count Dracula. But when Bram Stoker’s bloodsucker rises from his grave at the Globe the intent will be to induce blood-curdling screams ... of laughter.
Globe artistic director Barry Edelstein was so pleased with how playwrights Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen reimagined "A Christmas Carol" as "Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show" that he commissioned them to tackle Dostoevsky's “Crime and Punishment” in 2023 as a comedy.
“The more seriously something takes itself, the easier it is to send it up,” Greenberg noted.
Rosen agreed.
"'Crime and Punishment,' even the title, feels like 'eat your vegetables,'" Rosen said. "There's a sense about it that seems so dramatic that it seemed like it was daring us to make fun of it or to find humor in it."
Now the playwriting duo sink their teeth into Stoker’s Victorian classic to hit another comic vein. You can expect the same mix of irreverent humor blended with affection for the source material. The comedy of terrors begin as vampire hunter Van Helsing and a motley crew chase Count Dracula through the English countryside in a madcap race to prevent him from claiming another innocent victim.
“There’s no sound quite as happy as that of a theatre full of people laughing hysterically, and 'Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors' delivers that every night,” Edelstein added.
This production, which Greenberg is directing, includes mild language, mild violence and mature themes. It also employs a small cast taking on multiple roles for added fun.
Take note of these special performances: Insights Seminar on Sept. 24; Post Show Forum on Oct. 1; LGBTQIA+ Theatre Night on Oct. 4; and Open-Caption Performance on Oct. 12.
Details: "Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors" runs Sept. 20 through Oct. 27 at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in Balboa Park, 1363 Old Globe Way. $98-$125.
'Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show' | Cygnet Theatre
Sean Murray has a long history with Rocky Horror.
The play was written by Richard O’Brien in 1973 and turned into the cult classic film in 1975 with Tim Curry owning the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, self-described as "a sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania." Both the play and the film pay loving and irreverent tribute to the science fiction and B-horror movies of the 20th century, so perfect for the Halloween season.
“My young impressionable teenage self that went to the Strand Theatre and saw 'Rocky Horror' was moved very much by that message as a young kid in high school. And high school is all about trying to figure out where you fit in, and this movie experience gave me permission to not care and just be who you are and not try to fit in with all the gangs or cliques or whatever," Murray said in a 2016 interview.
Murray played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s production of "The Rocky Horror Show" in 1991 and returned to the role in 2016 at Cygnet Theatre, where he also served as director. For that production Murray noted it was all about how glam rock killed the malt shop rock of the 1950s. That meant Frank-N-Furter used his androgynous sexuality as a challenge to the sexually repressed characters Brad and Janet and to the audience.
This month, Cygnet is remounting the show with Murray at the helm but with Nathan Madden making his Cygnet debut as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. It will be interesting to see what direction this production takes. The ads promise: "Sexy. Satirical. Stripped of inhibitions." I will hold my breath in eager "an...ti...ci...pa...tion" for the end results.
Advisories: Adult language, depictions of violence and sexual themes.
Details: "Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show" runs Sept. 11 through Oct. 20 at Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. $44-$73.
'Poe and His Progeny' | Villa Montezuma
Write Out Loud once again raises author Edgar Allan Poe from the grave to lend his particular brand of macabre good cheer to the Halloween season.
This year the event is called "Poe and His Progeny" and offers an evening with Mr. Poe and other like-minded authors of the macabre.
Write Out Loud artistic director, Veronica Murphy said, “For this haunting season, we are once again partnering with the Friends of Villa Montezuma to bring our audience a chilling literary experience. The mansion’s music room serves as a backdrop for these stories by some of our favorite authors.”
Prepare to meet Poe and his guests, Mary Shelley, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Guy de Maupassant and others, for the retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Frankenstein," "A Tress of Hair," and more, while immersed in the Victorian backdrop of the Villa Montezuma. Performers Paul Maley, Laurence Brown and Rhianna Basore will grip you in the imagery of these Gothic masters.
Details: "Poe & His Progeny: An Evening with Mr. Poe and Other Authors of the Macabre" will be performed Oct. 25, 26, and 31 and Nov. 1 at Villa Montezuma, Palace of the Arts,1925 K St., San Diego. $30.
Paranormal Exploration| Various
Okay, Halloween is fast approaching and at some point we are not interested in just watching plays and movies that feature creepy, supernatural happenings — we want to actually experience them!
I cannot guarantee that you will meet a ghost or have a paranormal encounter, but if you visit the Whaley House or go on a ghost tour of San Diego then you will find out about the haunted places that exist in San Diego and where people have reported paranormal activity.
The Whaley House boasts that it is the most haunted house in America, and you can visit it to find out if you agree. The origins of the property prime it for some haunted vibes since it was the original site of the Old Town gallows and thief James “Yankee Jim” Robinson was hanged there. The house was built by Thomas Whaley in 1857, and served as San Diego’s first commercial theater, a general store, and the second County Courthouse. It is also supposedly home to some spirits who refuse to move on.
Visitors can take a 30- to 40-minute daytime guided tour through the house and discover its historic legacy, and hear all the myths and misconceptions that have circulated about it over the centuries. Or, and this is my recommendation, take the two-hour After Hours Paranormal Investigation Tour that provides access to the rooms where the Whaley family lived and died, and participate in an actual paranormal investigation with a guide. The tour promises hands-on experience with the latest ghost hunting equipment within small intimate groups.
If you want to explore beyond the Whaley House, there is Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours that can take you to three spirited homes, one resurrected hotel, and a dusty graveyard. This is a guided tour and not a haunted house experience like Haunted Trails.
Ghost Tours describes itself as, “I wouldn’t call us scary as there are no clowns or monsters jumping out at you (no jump scares). You get environments, stories, and folklore. If you are looking for jump scares this is not the tour for you. Things can and do happen on the tour, and people have gotten a bit scared. It’s not because we scared them, it’s rather the environment and the person. We also bring crazed tongue ‘n’ cheek humor, think puns and wordplay. If you don’t want cheesy one-liners, this is not the tour for you.”
Here is a list of some additional haunted places you can explore on your own. I had a ghostly encounter at the Horton Grand involving some drapes that seemed to open and close on their own when I was not looking.
Details: Paranormal exploration can be enjoyed via either The Whaley House Museum, daily, at the Whaley House, 2476 San Diego Ave. with daytime or after hours tours ranging from $15-$99; or Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours, daily, bus tour meeting address: Old Town, 2415 San Diego Ave, San Diego, with multiple bus and walking tours to choose from ranging in price from $20-$58.
BONUS: 'Secret Morgue 5: Creatures and Monsters Edition' | Comic-Con Museum
I want to personally invite you to pull up a slab as I co-host six cinematic cadavers for you to dissect with my fellow Film Geeks at Secret Morgue 5: Creatures and Monsters Edition.
Yes, this is shameless self-promotion, but I can't help myself because I just get giddy with excitement as my high holy day of Halloween approaches. All I can think about is sharing my passion for horror with any willing victims. So if you love the genre as much as I do then please join me for a 12-hour horror movie marathon at Comic-Con Museum.
It’s a "secret" morgue so we do not reveal the titles of the films until they play on the screen, but this year's theme is creatures and monsters so you can expect something beastly. Each movie will be introduced by a nerdy expert or the filmmaker. Event includes two meals, six films, raffle prizes, an art show, vendors, and swag for those who survive all six films. I'm dying to see who comes.
Details: Secret Morgue 5: Creatures and Monsters Edition is a 12-hour horror movie marathon that takes place Sept. 28 at Comic-Con Museum, 2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego. $50-$75.
