Enzian Theater hosts Halloween horror film series

The Enzian Theater, nestled in a lush area of trees off South Orlando Avenue in Maitland, began its annual Halloween film series on Wednesday with a free showing of Dawn of the Dead on its outdoor movie screen.

This week’s screening kicked off Enzian’s Wednesday Fright Pitcher Show, which features a different horror movie shown on its outdoor lawn Wednesdays at 8 p.m. free of charge. During the showings, it will also be hosting a movie trivia game in which patrons can participate for a chance to win free Jell-O shots. The Eden Bar, located adjacent to the movie-viewing lawn, offers happy-hour prices from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

The Enzian, a not-for-profit theater, presents independent and international films throughout the year and provides guests with an opportunity to enjoy dinner and a movie simultaneously. The one-screen indoor theater is equipped with comfortable sofas and lounge chairs for about 70 people and has a full lunch, dinner and dessert menu. Meals and snacks are served while the movie is playing. 

“People come here and enjoy a full night-out experience. They don’t come just for the movie, they come to eat and hang out,” said Jennifer Guhl, Enzian’s marketing and public relations manager.

Enzian’s programming manager, Matthew Curtis agrees. 

“It’s a totally unique situation. People get a special sense that there’s something different about seeing a movie there. The grounds are gorgeous with the trees and the bar.”

Throughout October, the theater will also be showing classic horror movies. Its Cult Classics series will begin on Tuesday with the 1985 classic, Fright Night, at 9:30 p.m. 

“Our cult classics, which we have been doing for many years, must be films that are at least 10 years old and are on a 35-millimeter series. For instance, we are showing the original Fright Night, not the remake,” Curtis said. “It’s a horror comedy, really well done. People will enjoy it.” 

On Oct. 13, The Shining will be shown at noon and there will be a midnight showing of An American Werewolf in London. The cost of admission for each is $8 per person. 

“We tried to pick movies that we thought people would say ‘I’ve always wanted to see this on a big screen,’” Guhl said. 

The Halloween movie series will end on Oct. 31 with a free viewing of the 1982 thriller, Poltergeist, shown on the outdoor lawn.

“It’s intense and scary. It’s produced by Spielberg; it’s a terrific horror film,” Curtis said. “It’s Halloween night so it’ll be really fun.”

“We want people to come get a drink at the bar and just enjoy the films,” Guhl said. “We try to have a variety of things going on for everyone.”

In total, the Enzian will show 13 films throughout the month. One of which — a family movie — will be shown at Central Park in Winter Park. The others will be shown at the Maitland location and will be geared toward an older audience.

“We just like to show things that are popular, that includes Zombie. It was like the Italian version of Dawn of the Dead," Curtis said. “There’s a famous scene with a zombie fighting a shark in the water. Where else can you see that? And we are actually doing V/H/S which is really cool and creepy. It’s a brand new release which will play Oct. 26 and [Oct.] 27 at midnight. It opens in New York this Friday.”

Beyond films, the Enzian also hosts outdoor parties. On Oct. 27 it will be hosting a free Halloween carnival to be enjoyed by patrons 21 years of age and older from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. According to its website, there will be carnival games, Halloween-themed drinks and free prizes for the best costume of the night.

Because the theater and lawn have limited seating space, it is recommended that guests arrive at least 45 minutes early for their movie. 

“If you want to be able to pick the best spot, coming early is a must,” Guhl said. “It gets crowded really fast, especially for these [Halloween] films.”

For more information on the Enzian Theater’s upcoming events, visit its website at enzian.org.