In a week that seems made for movies, we even get an actual Friday the 13th—in October!
Tuesday, October 10
At 7 p.m., Best Video in Hamden screens Ravenous, “a 1999 horror Western cannibal film” Roger Ebert described as “a darkly atmospheric film… where you savor the texture of the filmmaking, even when the story strays into shapeless gore.”
Also at 7, the Hamden Art League presents “Detailing Nature in Ink” at the Hamden Senior Center, with member artist Jeanette Compton demonstrating the process behind her intricate depictions of natural objects.
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Wednesday, October 11
At 6:30 p.m., East Rock Brewing offers a session of horror movie-themed trivia.
Other venues offer actual movies. At 7 at 53 Wall Street, the Yale Film Archive screens 2023 Palme d’Or-winning courtroom thriller Anatomy of a Fall two days before its official release, while, at 8:30 in Pitkin Plaza, the Movies in the Plaza series presents 2005 Saturn Award-winning horror spoof Shaun of the Dead.
Thursday, October 12
Criterion Cinemas, New Haven’s only commercial movie theater, is set to close its doors forever today. Showtimes on this final date start between 1 and 8 p.m. and feature nine films from The Exorcist: Believer, a new horror release, to Stop Making Sense, a 1984 concert film starring the Talking Heads.
Books & Brews, a used book sale benefiting Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven, runs from 5 to 8 at 168 York Street Cafe, which is offering food discounts to anyone who buys a book.
Meanwhile, at 6, the 2023 New Haven Documentary Film Festival, a.k.a. NHdocs, kicks off at the New Haven Museum with a “gala” screening of Black Barbie. Presenting “the story behind the first Black Barbie” doll, the movie leads to a live Q&A with producer Aaliyah Williams. The schedule for the 11-day festival picks up tomorrow with four screenings, followed by another 16 over the weekend.
At 7 in Yale’s Humanities Quadrangle, the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies screens I Am Free… But Who Is Left?, a film that reconstructs, via firsthand survivor accounts, what the Jewish-majority town of Hrubieszów, Poland, and one of its families went through during World War II. A Q&A with directors Joanne W. Rudof and Lawrence L. Langer is set to follow.
Friday, October 13
This weekend, the New Haven Museum (from noon to five today and tomorrow) and the Beinecke Library (from 1 to 4 Sunday) celebrate Dictionary Day (which is actually Monday, October 16) with an array of “original manuscripts and publications” relating to pioneering dictionary-maker Noah Webster’s life in New Haven, among other topics.
Centered around Pitkin Plaza, “A Nightmare on Orange Street” marks Friday the 13th with a crafty vendor market, an art show opening reception, yard games to “a chilling video DJ set” and an outdoor screening of Get Out between 5 and 10 p.m.
At 7, 8, 9 and 10, the Shore Line Trolley Museum hosts The Haunted Trolley, a half-hour interactive “murder mystery experience” being offered throughout the month of October on, you guessed it, one of the museum’s trolleys.
The next New Haven Bike Party, “a costume-friendly, SLOW social ride” covering up to 10 local miles, is billed as a “Bike Party in Screamland” owing to the timing.
And what would Friday the 13th be without an appearance by Michael Myers? At 9, Cafe Nine hosts a “Return to Camp Crystal Lake” party promising “retro horror vibes” and a soundtrack tuned to “the best of ’80s and ’90s alternative, new wave and post-punk.”
Saturday, October 14
From 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow on the Lebanon Fairgrounds, it’s the final weekend of the 2023 Connecticut Renaissance Faire. The weekend skins an “All Hallows” theme onto the usual medieval fantasy proceedings, completed tonight by a “Halloween Knights” event “included with your same-day admission to the Faire.” “As the sun sets, The Connecticut Renaissance Faire transforms into a spooky and magical wonderland. With lanterns and Halloween lights, you can explore our medieval marketplace and discover unique treasures while immersing yourself in a world of mystery,” whose attractions include “fire shows, costume contests, and safe Trick-or-Treat activities.”
At the West Haven Italian American Civic Association, 10 pizzerias come together for “Pizza Wars: West Haven vs. Milford.” Attendees and judges will decide who wins between five West Haven pizza places—Lorenzo’s, Zuppardi’s, Mike’s, Cappetta’s and Casa Bianca—and five Milford ones: Bella Napoli, Honey Spot II, Nautilus, New Haven Pizza Place and Silver Sands Pizza.
Also at 11, New Haven Preservation Trust board member Channing Harris leads a walking tour meant to track “the evolution of New Haven’s urban planning from large-scale, sweeping urban renewal to the reactive response of adaptive renovations and historically sensitive contextual projects.” Beginning on the front steps of City Hall, the registration-required tour will also highlight “unbuilt projects such as I.M. Pei’s and Paul Rudolph’s City Hall visions.”
The 2nd Annual Amplify the Arts Festival fills the Eli Whitney Barn in Hamden (across the street from the main grounds of the museum) with “art, food vendors, music and more” from 1 to 7 today and 2 to 6 tomorrow.
At 7, the Shubert “puts the spotlight on New Haven’s local singing talent” while turning its stage into an intimate cabaret venue. Performers include Thabisa Rich, Langston Lynch, Finn the Scientist and Love n’ Co.
Also at 7 (and tomorrow at 4), Madison Lyric Stage presents “Maidens, Witches and Femme Fatales,” a performance of “some of the greatest arias and scenes from the world of opera” with a focus on female singers.
Sunday, October 15
Ever heard of “steinholding”? I hadn’t. Nevertheless, Two Roads Brewing in Stratford hosts the Steinholding State Championship Finals starting at 2:30, challenging competitors to hold a full one-liter beer stein straight out in front of their bodies for as long as they can.
Written by Dan Mims. Image 1, featuring a screening room at Criterion Cinemas, photographed by Dan Mims. Image 2, featuring, presumably, a still from Black Barbie, sourced from NHdocs. Image 3, featuring dueling knights, provided courtesy of The Connecticut Renaissance Faire. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
