September 2024 Special Movie Screenings 

• Courtesy Photo
• Jurassic Park

Tower of Terror 2024: The Salt Lake Film Society's Tower Theatre might still be unavailable, but the annual Halloween season showcase of scary repertory classics is still very much alive (or is it?!?). Every Friday and Saturday through Halloween, for two shows daily, some of the creepiest, grossest, most horrifically beloved thrillers and chillers of all time get a showcase in the Tower of Terror. The schedule includes 1980's Friday the 13th (9/13), 1982's The Thing (9/14), 1981's Evil Dead on 35mm (9/20), 2001's Ichi the Killer (9/21), 1978's Halloween (9/27), 1985's Dawn of the Dead (9/28), 2009's Jennifer's Body (10/4), 1983's Sleepaway Camp (10/5), 1988's The Brain (10/11), 2001's Elvira's Haunted Hills (10/12), 2018's Hereditary (10/18), 1973's The Exorcist (10/19), 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (10/25) and 1980's The Shining (10/26). Tickets are $15. The festival concludes with the traditional screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show 10/31 – 11/2 (showtimes and tickets still TBD). slfs.org

KRCL "Music Meets Movies": Festival Express: KRCL's regular series of music-themed films at Brewvies (677 S. 200 West) kicks off its new season with the 2003 documentary Festival Express. Through archival footage and contemporary interviews, it chronicles a summer 1970 tour of Canada—and the train that carried them between gigs—that featured some of the biggest musical acts of the time, including Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and The Band. Concert footage mixes with the events on the train for a portrait of a non-stop party. KRCL's John Florence introduces the film for the screening on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10, or 2-for-1 with KRCL T-shirt. brewvies.com

Utah Symphony: Jurassic Park in Concert: Utah Symphony brings plenty of classic films to Abravanel Hall for its "Movies in Concert" series, but few titles seem more perfectly suited for live orchestral accompaniment than Steven Spielberg's 1993 science-fiction spectacle about a remote island where revived dinosaurs run amok. A big-screen presentation makes it clear how well the film's groundbreaking visual effects have aged, while the Symphony brings it to life with John Williams' iconic score. This kickoff for Utah Symphony's 2024-2025 season comes to Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple) Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. nightly. Tickets begin at $30. utahsymphony.org

Blazing Saddles 50th Anniversary: Co-writer/director Mel Brooks' 1974 Western parody—about a Black railroad worker (Cleavon Little) installed as the figurehead sheriff of a racist frontier town—remains one of the most memorably outrageous comedies ever made, and high on the list of every conservative's "you could never make this today, because of woke" list. Fathom Events' "Big Screen Classics" series brings Blazing Saddles to theaters—including Megaplex Theatres locations—for two screenings: Sunday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.; tickets are $10.73 - $11.80. megaplextheatres.com

Utah Filmmaker Showcase: Local Shorts: The Utah Film Center's Artist Foundry program presents an evening of seven short films by Utah filmmakers, ranging from drama to science fiction, from documentary to music video: Don't Lose Your Heart by Wilder Simmons and Michelle Manning; Listen to Their Voices by Gabe Brown; Sentenced by Delaney Plant; Die Shiny – Sacrament by Ryan Margetts; Dear Geraldo by Adriene Klein; Dad Jokes by Ryan Margetts; and Pretendian by Regina Simons. The evening will also include a moderated Q&A featuring participating filmmakers led by Artist Foundry manager Amanda Madden. The event takes place at the Edison House (355 S. 200 West) on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested. utahfilmcenter.org

Wasatch Mountain Film Festival: Great outdoor-themed documentary films have been coming to the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival for a decade now, and the tradition continues in 2024. Nearly 50 short films—presented in 10 "blocks" of 120 – 150 minutes—cover human striving and achievement, and the mysteries and challenges of the natural world. Screenings take place Vieve Gore Concert Hall at Westminster College (1840 S. 1300 East), Thursday, Sept. 19 – Sunday, Sept. 22, with additional workshops and presentations for filmmakers. Virtual screenings will also be available for 30 days. Festival standard passes are $100 - $125, with $18 individual screening block tickets also available. wasatchfilmfestival.org