Halloween is on AMC

It premiered in 1978, when I was six. I remember seeing it with my sister in the then busted down Calvin Theater. The Calvin was one of the three theaters in my hometown at the time. There was the Academy of Music, where the prestige and/ or art films were screened. "Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie" would be there. There was the Pleasant Street Theater, which was practically a sheet on a pole. "I Am Curious (Yellow)" would have screened there. Mainstream features were at the mall in Hadley.

My sister and I saw it at The Calvin. It was once one of the jewels of the town, with an ornate ceiling, proscenium and balcony. By 1978 like most of its brethren it was "improved" with dropped ceilings, indifferent staffing and no lighting. Which served the movie well.

There's a passage in Stephen Kings "Danse Macabre" where he describes seeing "Wait Until Dark" in the same sort of theater in Times Square, and how powerful the scene where everything on screen goes black in a room where there isn't anything lit.

The Calvin was close. When we were picked up we checked every inch of that car including the ashtray before we'd commit to a ride home...

Happily, the Calvin didn't fall to the wrecking ball (like the Beverly and the Warner did in my adopted hometown). It's a lively venue for live music and still shows movies. Good for them.

Photo: Amazon