AFI Dallas teams with Texas Frightmare Weekend for Night of the Living Dead 40th anniversary gala at the Inwood

by John P. Meyer

AFI Dallas gears up for its second annual festival on March 27, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on with the organization between now and then - those on their mailing list receive year-round invitations to special film screenings.

Texas Frightmare Weekend comes off over the weekend of Feb. 22-24. This will be the third annual event for organizer Loyd Cryer. Loyd, too, is not completely idle between main events, and he's teaming with the AFI folks on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 21 for a super-duper gala horror show extravaganza at Dallas' Inwood Theater.

On that evening, those lucky enough to attend this invitation-only event will be treated to a 40th anniversary screening of the zombie movie that started it all: George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Not only will the film be projected using rare original prints, but after the show the director himself will be on hand to answer questions from the crowd. (Like, maybe, "how did you get all those dead people to walk?" Stuff along those lines.)

Scout Taylor-Compton and Malcolm McDowell get the news that they'll be coming to Dallas a day early

Romero will be joined on stage by a large number of the original cast members from Night..., including Marilyn Eastman, Bill Hinzman, George Kosana, Judith O’Dea, Kyra Schon, Russ Streiner and John Russo. Also in attendance (because they're going to be participating in Frightmare Weekend in the days following anyhow) will be Malcolm McDowell, Dee Wallace Stone, Tom Savini, Ed Neal, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor Compton, Kristina Klebe, Courtney Gains, Kelli Maroney and Ken Foree.

(Dang! - I'm starting to wonder if there'll be any room left in the theater for ordinary filmgoers.)

Mr. Romero is one busy old dude: after headlining the Frightmare Weekend he'll be taking his groundbreaking original film on an international 40th anniversary tour, with U.S. destinations announced thus far to include Adelphia, MD; L.A., CA; Secaucus, NJ; Rosemont, IL, Erie, PA; and St. Louis, MO. (Overseas whistle stops are yet to be announced.) And of course Romero's fourth film in the "Dead" cycle - Diary of the Dead - opens in wide release on Feb. 15.

Oh, I mentioned that this was an invitation-only event, right? In order to be invited, you must sign up on either the AFI Dallas or the Texas Frightmare mailing list - or both, of course.

Party on, North Texas zombies (and those who love them).