Gire: Local theaters screening classic horrors

<b>Film critics notebook</b>

It's horror time at both the Hollywood Palms in Naperville and the Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge as the two theaters present a series of classic horror tales, starting with George Romero's 1968 iconic zombie thriller "Night of the Living Dead" at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

Other titles will be screened through October, including the original "Dracula," Hammer Films' "Horror of Dracula" and "Halloween." Go to atriptothemovies.com for tickets and schedules for both theaters.

The After Hours Film Society presents "Violette," director Martin Provost's biopic about trailblazing feminist writer Violette Leduc, starring Emmanuelle Devos as the uncompromising artist profoundly at odds with the social and artistic conventions of her day. "Violette" shows at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. General admission costs $9. Go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com or call (630) 534-4528.

First Tuesday at the Midwest Independent Film Festival cranks up next week with something completely different: Seven Chicago TV pilots will compete in the 10th Annual New York Television Festival. All seven pilots will be shown, and their creators will be there to talk about them at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Century Centre, 2828 N. Clark St., Chicago. General admission costs $10. Go to midwestfilm.com.

Now, time for a very special edition of Dann & Raymond's Movie Club. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, film historian (and 007 novelist) Raymond Benson and I will be presenting movies that a 13-year-old boy might have watched before the fall of 1961.

This program will be part of the library's ambitious "One Book, One Village" community read for the fall.

Our movies have been selected to celebrate William Kent Krueger's best-selling book "Ordinary Grace," about 13-year-old Minnesota boy Frank Drum, whose story is told by the character 40 years later. The movies he might have seen in 1961 include "Exodus," "Gorgo," "The Parent Trap," "The Absent-Minded Professor" and 11 more.

Free admission. The library's at 500 N. Dunton Road, Arlington Heights. Go to ahml.info or call (847) 392-0100.

<i>Dann Gire's Reel Life column runs Fridays in Time out!</i>