Years ago on Halloween we’d go to the IU Auditorium’s Pipe Organ Film Party to watch a silent horror film while Dennis James played the enormous pipe organ. The pipe organ tunes were written for the theaters’ organists to play to create suspense, romance, and key the villain or hero in the silent films. I loved it.
The audience traditionally dressed in elaborate Halloween costumes. People came for the film but also to see and be seen in outrageous get-ups.
One time I saw a whole row of Quasimodos with humps on alternating shoulders.
IU has a stellar costume design department and those folks went all out for the Pipe Organ Film party. Some of those realistic costumes scared me. Pair that with the film noir and the thundering, spooky pipe organ music and the audience was in horror movie heaven.
We were enthusiastically participatory.
There were hisses when the bad guy showed up. Sharp collective intakes of breath at the suspenseful parts. Sighs went the heroine was being romanced and sometimes even horn flourishes of “ta da!” when the hero came on the screen. The pipe organ led it all.
Years later when I was living in Ann Arbor, I saw that Dennis James was going to be playing the pipe organ on Halloween to Nosferatu at the Michigan Theater. I bought 5 tickets and waxed enthusiastically to my friends about how fun it would be and the adventures I’d had at the silent films in years past.
Four friends were hot to go with me.
We dressed in our most amazing costumes: Dracula, the hunchback of Notre Dame, a risque little Miss Muffet, a trench coated flasher and a really lame ghost. That was Rick who cut eye-holes in a stripped sheet he found at Goodwill.
We piled into the car all excited and headed over to the theater. Imagine our surprise when we headed into the lobby only to find that we were the only people in costume. Seriously. People were dressed in suits and formal attire. I saw a mink stole or two for god’s sake. This crowd looked at us like we were from Mars. Rick wanted to take off his sheet but I held him down.
“Screw it,” sez me. “It’s Halloween. We’re seeing a scary movie. No one here knows us. Let’s have fun!”
I slipped in my fangs, smiled at a bunch of people and ordered some popcorn at the counter. The kid behind the counter loved us. I think we made his night. The film was great but my friends and I were deflated. Turns out the movie was being shown as part of the Michigan Theater Organ Society.
Guess they were in their own costumes, but I think ours were way more fun.
We went to a local bar after the movie and found a bunch of friends who not only loved our costumes, but wished they’d come with us. They promised to make it next time. That cheered everybody up. I love to dress up for Halloween. I like slipping in my fangs. It’s fun to smile at people and shock them a bit. After all they’ve already judged and dismissed me as an aging, harmless woman.
Now they’re not so sure. May be my best costume yet.
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–Z