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The Golem/The Unknown

A Halloween Double Feature

JON US FOR A SILENT HORROR DOUBLE FEATURE WITH ORIGINAL SCORES PERFORMED LIVE!

SLEEP IN CINEMA returns to Under the Mountain on October 6, 2024 at 6 PM for a double feature with live music that will melt your brain in your skull well before it’s even Halloween! Join us at the O’Neal Library for THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD (1920) and THE UNKNOWN (1927), featuring original scores performed by Birmingham-based musical acts BITTER CALM and B.SONNIER!

Our double feature:

THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD (1920)

Widely recognized as the source of the Frankenstein myth, the ancient Hebrew legend of the Golem provided actor/director Paul Wegener with the substance for one of the most adventurous films of the German silent cinema.

Suffering under the tyrannical rule of Rudolf II in 16th-century Prague, a Talmudic rabbi (Albert Steinruck) creates a giant warrior (Paul Wegener) to protect the safety of his people. Sculpted of clay and animated by the mysterious secrets of the Kabbalah, the Golem is a seemingly indestructible juggernaut, performing acts of great heroism, yet equally capable of dreadful violence.

With its remarkable creation sequence (a dazzling blend of religion, sorcery and special effects) and the grand-scale destruction of its climax, The Golem was one of the greatest achievements of the legendary UFA Studios, and remains an undeniable landmark in the evolution of the horror film.

THE UNKNOWN (1927)

The most celebrated and exquisitely perverse of the many collaborations between Tod Browning and his legendary leading man Lon Chaney, The Unknown features a wrenchingly physical performance from “the Man of a Thousand Faces” as the armless Spanish knife thrower Alonzo (he flings daggers with his feet) whose dastardly infatuation with his beautiful assistant (Joan Crawford)—a woman, it just so happens, who cannot bear to be touched by the hands of any man—drives him to unspeakable extremes. Sadomasochistic obsession, deception, murder, disfigurement, and a spectacular Grand Guignol climax—Browning wrings every last delicious shiver from the lurid premise.

It is even listed in the film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which says, "Drawing a remarkable and haunting performance from Chaney and filling the plot with twists and unforgettable characters, Browning here creates a chilling masterpiece of psychological (and psychosexual) drama."

Our musical performers:

BITTER CALM

Bitter Calm is a band from Birmingham, AL, led by guitarist and lead singer Michael Harp, with support from violinist Meg Ford, bassist Alex Guin, and percussionist Chayse Porter— all local heavyweights in their own right. Their newest record Eternity in the Lake of Fire is released by Earth Libraries and can be purchased here: https://earthlibraries.com/collections/bitter-calm/products/bitter-calm-eternity-in-the-lake-of-fire-pre-order

B.SONNIER

Raised in a Cajun Catholic family in South Louisiana, Byron Sonnier is now a multimedia artist living in Birmingham, AL. His artworks are inspired by his upbringing, along with a fascination with revival tents, preachers, and snake handlers. His work extends to electronic music, which he produces under the moniker B.Sonnier. More about his art and music can be found here: https://byronsonnier.com

Our panelists:

Gareth Jones has taught Film Studies for 16 years in three states, currently at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  In addition, he has worked for over twenty years for the Sundance Film Festival as a consultant for festival logistics in parking and transportation.  He co-hosts a radio show on Substrate Radio about movies called Sleep In Cinema.

More panelists  TBA

No Longer Silent is brought to you by Sleep In Cinema, which is a Substrate Radio program.

Doors at 5:30pm; movie at 6:00pm

THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD (1920) 86 min.

THE UNKNOWN (1927) 66 min.

This event is 18+ and up.

Snacks, drinks, and complimentary adult beverages available with ID.

This screening is brought to you by Under the Mountain, your local series of horror-related events hosted by the O’Neal Library. Join us for exclusive horror author visits, chilling movie screenings, and many more macabre things to come.

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For more information about Sleep In Cinema, follow them on Facebook or @sleepincinemabham on Instagram and @sleepincinemaAL on X (formerly Twitter).

Under the Mountain can be reached at undrmtn@gmail.com

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