Fascinating Film Garden
As dusk falls, the open-air theatre in the Falkman courtyard will be screening hair-raising horror classics 14–19 August. The tickets are on sale now!
Enjoy movies under the Helsinki sky. The highlight of Helsinki City Museum’s vibrant summer event season is Fascinating Film Garden with a programme dedicated to European and American horror films.
On Friday 14 August, the audience will get to enjoy Joe Dante‘s cult comedy Gremlins (1984) and James Whale’s gothic horror classic The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). On Saturday 15 August, the evening will feature Tim Burton‘s spellbinding horror fantasy Sleepy Hollow (1999) and J.A. Bayona‘s chilling ghost story The Orphanage (2007). On Wednesday 19 August, the event will culminate in William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) – a film that needs no introduction.
The films will be screened with an old-time analogue 35 mm film projector. The technical implementation will be carried out by Helsingin Studiopalvelut, with whom the City Museum has been collaborating since 2018. Refreshments and film treats sold by El Fant Cafe & Wine Bar. Come and enjoy this urban courtyard, the late summer’s dusky nights and classic films on the silver screen!
The films will be screened with an old-time analogue 35 mm film projector. Photo: Helsingin Studiopalvelut
Tickets
Tickets €12. Tickets will be sold at the door if any are available. The seats are not numbered; please arrive in time. The doors open at 20.00. See you at the Falkman courtyard!
Programme
Friday 14 August
21.00 Gremlins (dir. Joe Dante, 1984)
A film in a Christmas time setting, Gremlins tells the story of Billy (Zach Galligan), a boy who receives a sweet but unusual pet as a Christmas present from his inventor father. The creature, named Gizmo, should not get wet or allowed to be in sunlight, and it must never, ever be fed after midnight. However, when these instructions are neglected, a story of wild twists and turns begins – and soon enough the town is overrun with Gizmo’s kin, unfortunately each more malicious than the last. Created by director Joe Dante, screenwriter Chris Columbus and producer Steven Spielberg, this “family film” is full of aesthetics from the 80s and comical twists.
Age rating: 16
23.00 The Bride of Frankenstein (dir. James Whale, 1935)
Published in 1818, Mary Shelley‘s work was the basis for the legendary monster movie Frankenstein, which James Whale directed and then ended up making a sequel to in 1935. In the highly anticipated sequel, the iconic Boris Karloff reprises his role as the monster who, after surviving a windmill fire, wants his creator to build him a female companion. Elsa Lanchester plays the title role as the Bride of Frankenstein.
Age rating: 16
Saturday 15 August
21.00 Sleepy Hollow (dir. Tim Burton, 1999)
Based on Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the film Sleepy Hollow is one of director Tim Burton‘s most acclaimed works. In 1799, detective Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent from New York to investigate unexplained murders in a small town. The villagers believe that the perpetrator of these atrocities is a headless horseman acting under the cover of night. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki has captured a dreamlike feeling to this stylish horror epic.
Age rating: 16
23.00 El Orfanato – The Orphanage (dir. J.A. Bayona, 2007)
Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona digs through the typical conventions of the genre, discovering an ambitious and distinctive ghost story. Laura (Belén Rueda) and her family return to her childhood orphanage. She is planning a new children’s home for children with intellectual disabilities, but the strange circumstances capture the imagination of her son Simón (Roger Príncep), who delves deep into a world of his own. The handprint of the producer Guillermo Del Toro is clear in the elegant visuals of The Orphanage. The film has even been compared to Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.
Age rating: 16
Wednesday 19 August
21.00 The Exorcist (dir. W. Friedkin, 1973)
This haunting portrayal of an American family whose daughter, Regan, is possessed by a demon is an undisputed landmark of the horror cinema canon. The tale of good versus evil with religious undertones provoked both adoration and anger at its release – audiences queued for hours to see William Peter Blatty‘s bestseller on the big screen. Directed by William Friedkin, the film also received high praise from film critics, becoming the first horror film to compete for a Best Picture Oscar. The Exorcist makes chilling use of practical effects and has not lost any of its power over the decades. You now have a unique opportunity to experience the masterpiece starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow in an outdoor screening.
Age rating: 16
This summer, the Fascinating Film Garden will host timeless horror classics such as The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Photo: Park Circus/Universal
Photo: The Exorcist (1973). Park Circus / Warner Bros.
