We have holidays dedicated to obsessions as diverse as talking like a pirate and making Star Wars-based puns, so it was about time we got one dedicated to art house theaters. Sure, we love heading to the multiplex to watch big comic book movies. But without art house theaters, where would people have seen the first Quentin Tarantino movies? What would the Coen Brothers have become? And which chain theaters would have said yes to a bizarre pitch about a mortician from outer space who turns dead bodies into dwarf slaves and throws metal balls at your forehead? That’d be an especially tough sell without knowing in advance just how great and enduring Phantasm would be.
Art House Theater Day will be celebrated nationwide on September 24 at over 195 participating theaters, including all branches of the Alamo Drafthouse chain. For one such branch in particular—the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas—it won’t just be an average celebration. Art House Theater Day will coincide with the Austin-based Fantastic Fest: the annual and groundbreaking showcase of all things cinematic in the genres of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action/crime, and just plain indescribable. As the planets have aligned, they’ll be celebrating just a little extra hard, with an assist from their in-house art company and online store Mondo… and a very special guest.
We’re delighted to offer an exclusive first look at Mondo’s brand-new Phantasm poster, a 24″ x 36″ screen print by Randy Ortiz in a limited run of just 225. Following the 8:15 p.m. screening of the remastered original film, Phantasm director Don Coscarelli will be signing these beauties:
If you can’t get your hands on a poster, or prefer your signed merch to take other forms, you’ll also be able to grab the Aaron Lea-designed T-shirt pictured at the top of the page, plus a Matt Ryan Tobin-created enamel pin of one of the killer spheres, and the movie’s soundtrack on vinyl.
Now, if you can’t make it to Fantastic Fest at all, we at Nerdist have the next best thing: enjoy it vicariously through us! Our own Clarke Wolfe will be onsite with interviews, reviews, event coverage and more articles than you can shake a sphere at! Stay tuned to both Nerdist.com and our Facebook page for site-exclusive content, starting September 22.
Are you ready to get fantastically festive? Go Mondo crazy in comments and let us know!
Images: Mondo
