Traditionally, the Music Box of Horrors is a 24-hour horror movie marathon that takes place at the Southport theater, allowing attendees to take in an eclectic lineup of obscure, rarely screened films. While the Music Box has reopened, capacity restrictions made it impossible to hold the festival indoors this year (the main theater can currently only seat 50 people in its 700-capacity main auditorium).
Instead, the independent theater has partnered with Pilsen's Chi-Town Movies Drive-In and will screen horror movies nightly throughout the month of October. The Music Box of Horrors at the Drive-In series will show individual features Sunday through Thursday and double features on Friday and Saturday, interspersed with specialized intros, pre-show content, filmmaker Q&As and more carefully curated surprises. Sponsors include Chicago-based horror merchandise company Creepy Co. (it will have spooky items for sale at screenings) and horror-focused streaming platform Shudder.
While there are plenty of niche titles on the lineup, the drive-in version of the Music Box of Horrors will appeal to a broader audience with screenings of more mainstream flicks like Final Destination, Attack the Block and the Host. Those looking for more obscure films can snag tickets to Grindhouse Fridays (featuring grisly double features of low-budget exploitation splatter films), Rip-Off Saturdays (classics like Alien and The Exorcist paired with their lesser-known cinematic imitators) and Sequel Sundays (horror follow-ups that don't quite live up to their predecessors).
Tickets to all Music Box of Horrors at the Drive-In screenings are currently on sale via the Music Box website—single features are $30 per car and double features are $40 per car. Take a look at the complete schedule of spooky cinema below, and don't forget to pack a flashlight if you're afraid of the dark!
Oct 1 at 9:55pm
Possessor (2020)
Oct 2 at 9:45pm
Blacula (1972)
Blade 2 (2002)
Oct 3 at 9:30pm
Alien (1979)
Galaxy of Terror (1981)
Oct 4 at 9:30pm
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Oct 5 at 9:30pm
The Host (2006)
Oct 6 at 9:30pm
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Oct 7 at 9:30pm
Re-Animator (Unrated Version) (1985)
Oct 8 at 9:55pm
Attack the Block (2011)
Oct 9 at 9:30pm
Nightbreed (Director’s Cut) (1990)
Def By Temptation (1990)
Oct 10 at 9:30pm
The Omen (1976)
Cathy's Curse (1977)
Oct 11 at 9:30pm
Psycho III (1986)
Oct 12 at 9:30pm
The Mortuary Collection (with Q&A from director Ryan Spindell) (2020)
Oct 13 at 8:45pm
La Llorona (1933)
La Llorona (2020)
Oct 14 at 10:15pm
Silver Bullet (1985)
Oct 15 at 10:15pm
Secret screening of a new horror film co-presented with 56th Chicago International Film Festival
Oct 16 at 10:15pm
Evilspeak (1981)
Ice Cream Man (1995)
Oct 17 at 10:15pm
Friday the 13th (1980)
Srigala (1981)
Oct 18 at 10:15pm
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)
Oct 19 at 9:30pm
Jennifer's Body (with a pre-recorded Q&A with director Karyn Kusama) (2009)
Oct 20 at 9:30pm
Grizzly II: Revenge (1983/2020)
Oct 21 at 9:30pm
Dead of Night (1945)
Oct 22 at 9:45pm
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Oct 23 at 9:30pm
Black Magic 2 (1976)
Evil Cat (1987)
Oct 24 at 9:30pm
Carrie (1976)
Jennifer (1978)
Oct 25 at 9:30pm
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Oct 26 at 9:30pm
Final Destination (2000)
Oct 27 at 9:30pm
The Being (1983)
Oct 28 at 9:30pm
Bones (2001)
Oct 29 at 9:45pm
The Stylist (2020)
Oct 30 at 9:30pm
Black Christmas (1974)
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991)
Oct 31 at 9:30pm
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Mahakaal (1994)
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