MIDNIGHT MOVIES: FROM THE MARGIN TO THE MAINSTREAM

Stuart Samuels' documentary lovingly looks back at six films that during the 1970s kickstarted a new pastime among the hip ... seeing weird-ass movies at midnight. The impact of these films ... El Topo, Night of the Living Dead, Pink Flamingos, The Harder They Come, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Eraserhead, some of which ran for years ... was such that by decade's end, gore, aberrant sexuality and shock humor had moved into the mainstream. Sadly, what didn't survive was the heady communal experience of watching a cult film, and it's nearly impossible to convey today the fraternity these works engendered. Regardless, Midnight encapsulates a critical and amusing chapter of film history. Careers, too, were made at midnight, and it's heartening to see how enthusiastic the directors, including zombie king George Romero and Mexico's Western-surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky, remain about their genre-busting works. Night of the Living Dead producer Russ Streiner will lead an audience discussion following the 7:30 p.m. Mon., May 15, screening. Starts Fri., May 12. Oaks (AH)