Welcome to Public Domain Theater, your home for the wonderful world of films that have (in the United States, at least) fallen into the public domain, and are free for everyone to see!
Well, folks, October is upon us. That means the end of Summer, the beginning of Fall, and a slow descent into the dreary cold of Winter (unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, I suppose, in which case, welcome to Spring!) But that depressing thought is balanced out by the knowledge we’re now in the spookiest season of all: that time of witches and goblins and werewolves, all leading up to that grand festival of All Hallow’s Eve!
In the spirit of the season, Public Domain Theater is proud to present a horror picture guaranteed to give your spines a shiver: Don’t Look in the Basement (also titled The Forgotten). It tells the story of a nurse who comes to work at a home for the mentally ill, where the doctors have adopted the … let’s say novel strategy of making their patients’ delusions and obsessions worse, with the idea that once they get crazy enough, they’ll pop out the other side into sanity.
Needless to say, the sanitarium quickly falls into mayhem that makes Arkham Asylum look like a safe and well-run institution.
While a cheaply made flick, its quick pace and very engaging cast make for a fright flick both entertaining and harrowing. Though with that goes the warning that there is a lot of very disturbing content on display; NOT SAFE FOR WORK once again applies.
And in case you’re at work, or just aren’t up for some graphic psychsploitation, we have a much safer and light-hearted offering as well: the Buster Keaton short “The Haunted House”. What starts as the adventures of an accident prone bank teller takes a turn as Ol’ Buster stumble into a bunch of criminals pulling a Scooby Doo scheme. And, boy, do these crooks go all out making their hideout look like a haunted house. If crime doesn’t pay, it’s because criminals blow all their money on ghost costumes and trick staircases. But damn if it doesn’t make for a wild, slapstick romp!
So wherever your taste in spooktacular entertainment may run, stop on by Public Domain Theater for a groovy ghouly good time!
Opening Short:
Feature Presentation:
