film screening

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The fake blood ran thick as students and Hyde Park residents vied for free movie passes at "Halloween on Halloween," a Doc Films midnight film screening and costume contest held Tuesday in the University of Chicago's Max Palevsky Cinema.

More than 100 people came out to the event, a showing of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic "Halloween" sponsored by Doc Films, the university's student film organization. Those who dressed up received free admission and entry into the pre-screening costume competition.

Many attendees, enticed by the offer of free admission, assembled their costumes quickly using whatever materials they had on hand. Second year Thomas Kelley-Kemple used "duct tape and bananas" to put the horns on his Viking helmet while recent graduate Drew Huening constructed his lobster claws out of cardboard and a pair of salad tongs.

First prize went to freshman Sam Casper, who came as bloody-shirted, cricket-bat-toting "Shaun" from the 2004 British horror-comedy "Shaun of the Dead." Casper, who lives with several cricket fans, said he "couldn't let a good prop go to waste." For his efforts he won unlimited admission to all Doc Films screenings next quarter.

"He had the total package," said Doc Films Programming Chair Lixian Hantover, whose rubber chicken costume included a ball cap with an orange rubber glove taped atop it.

The midnight screening was the latest installment in Doc Films Tuesday night film series, "Revisiting the 'American Nightmare': Horror in the 1970s." The group planned the costume contest hoping to raise student awareness for Doc Films' programming, according to Hantover.

"A lot of students don't always know what's going on and the event seemed like a good opportunity to give a face to Doc, to remind people that we're here," she said.

Doc Films will screen its next horror film, George Barry's 1977 film "Death Bed" Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Max Palevsky Cinema and shows films from other genres nightly at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for non-members and go on sale an hour before showtime.

Luke Joyner, Docs Film calendar chair; Yana Morgulis, co-chair; Lixian Hantover, programming chair and Louis Anderson, volunteer ticket seller set up for the event. Joyner kept his "creepy old man" mask on the whole night.

Cam Keitel and Megan Muir came dressed as a Nightcap and a White Russian, respectively. "We were down in our kitchen trying to figure out what to make and we figured out there were all these great visual puns in drink recipes," said Muir. They had set out earlier in the evening with other friends, "Bloody Mary" and "Fuzzy Navel," but said they had disappeared off to the library to study "because we go to U of C."

Keitel and Muir show off the recipes to their drinks.

Sean Sheperd-Burns and Mead McCormick wanted to be "recognizeable but badass" when they decided to come as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from the television show "The X-Files."

Patrick Augustine put his "cereal killer" costume together because "people here like visual puns." The box of knockoff Cheerios put him on "the right side of justice for once," he bragged.

Docs Films Co-Chair Kian Bergstrom is a 5th year doctoral student in Cinema and Media studies at the university. His costume consisted of nine strings of colored Christmas lights, two lantern batteries, and a leisure suit he bought on eBay for $8.50. It took him four hours to assemble. "People have said I remind them of Christmas," he said. "I was just trying to look awesome." He kept one power pack in his breast pocket and another in his pants.

Thomas Kelley-Kemple desribed his costume as "a viking" though he knows vikings didn't wear kilts. "Leather jerkins with fur trim wouldn't have fit the budget," he said.

Docs Films Co-Chair Yana Morgulis and her roommate Maya Ahlstrom, dressed as a cowgirl and "something from the 50s."

Costume competition finalists line up in the theater to hear the judges' decision.

Sam Casper in his winning Shaun of the Dead costume. "I bought this shirt to destroy it," he said.

Kim Neer, Sophie Johnson and Juell Stewart sat near the back of the theater. Kim's costume, based on a makeup kit called "Flame Fatale" was "all about the eyelashes." Johnson said her costume came about when she realized "I've got this dress and just want to clown around tonight." Juell assembled her costume as quickly as possilble so as to get into the movie for free.

Recent U of C graduate Drew Huening wearing his wonderful homemade Lobster costume.

Audrey Edwards and David Moore as Groucho Marx and the Marlboro Man. Moore was actually smoking a Newport Cigarette as it was the only kind he could bum off his friends before the event.

Mariya Akilov was thinking about "oral hygiene" when she came up with her tooth fairy costume. Rachel M. agreed that the Rainbow Brite film was a pinnacle of cinematic achievement.