From vampires to virtual reality, Halloween will bring fun and scares at Chapman on October 28

Get ready for seasonal scares and fun as two major Halloween events hit Chapman University at the same time on Friday, October 28!  Luckily they will probably appeal to different audiences — choose your frights carefully, and see you at these memorable haunts:

Friday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Halloween Film Screening:  The 1922 Silent Horror Film Classic “Nosferatu”

With Live Accompaniment by Musicians from the LA Opera Orchestra


Director F.W. Murnau’s supremely creepy 1922 vampire thriller “Nosferatu” – one of the greatest horror films ever made – is accompanied live by musicians from the LA Opera Orchestra.  The score was composed and is conducted by LA Opera’s new Artist-in-Residence, Matthew Aucoin.  Drenched in the silvery shadows of German Expressionism, this classic film still evokes shivers and scares; during his recent visit to Chapman, world-renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog named “Nosferatu” his favorite movie of all time.  Composer-conductor Aucoin says, “Its fusion of the frightening and the fun and the grotesque has a primal power that reminds me of the best Grimm fairy tales.  I’ll be improvising certain scenes at the piano, which engages with a tradition from the early days of cinema, when pianists and organists often improvised along with silent films.  I look forward to letting my inner jazz pianist loose to provide musical commentary and atmosphere!”  Arrive in your Halloween costumes (nothing too scary for children, and no weapons or weapon-like items, please) by 7 p.m. for a costume contest.  
Location: Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange.  Tickets: $25-$60.  www.muscocenter.org or 844-OC-MUSCO (844-626-8726).


 

Friday, October 28,  6 pm – 11 pm

THE HARVEST – A Halloween Virtual Reality Experience


Have you ever wanted to be a character in a horror movie? To see what it would be like to be kidnapped by, say, an evil farmer and held captive to his nefarious plans? Halloween is right around the corner and 
The Harvest
 is the perfect Virtual Reality (VR) experience to get you in the mood. Chapman University’s first VR screening event was created by a team of digital arts students and alumni from the University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, using a real set and real actors, augmented by many visual effects and animations. The students, led by director Sam Wickert, devised a new technique for shooting and post-processing that allows the actors to get “right up in your face” for maximum scare factor.  (Note: This experience is NOT for young children or the very sensitive – it’s definitely a PG-13 rating, at least, although it’s meant to excite and frighten you, not give you nightmares.) Come by any time between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday, October 28 for a night you will never forget (and we hope you live to try to forget it…just saying).

Location: Chapman University’s Digital Media Arts Center, 220 N. Cypress Street, Orange.
 
Free admission. Free snacks. Free scares. This will fill up fast — although admission is free, attendees must register on Facebook in advance: www.facebook.com/events/1788810644726592/