For moviegoers, night owls and everyone in between, the Nickelodeon Theatre is now offering a new film series called “Nick After Hours."
To Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, programming coordinator for the Nick, "Nick After Hours" is “an opportunity for us to open up the Nickelodeon after our regular hours to show films that are probably more genre-focused and also have a form of participatory or performance-oriented aspect to it.”
Rahemtullah is responsible for selecting what films will be screened. Typically, the theatre premieres trending films and whatever is doing well in arthouse theaters, specifically in festivals.
However, according to their website, "Nick After Hours" will feature “classic horror, camp favorites, pop sing-a-longs, and more." The objective is for the series to be “more genre-focused."
Other series at the Nick have included “Foreign Focus,” dedicated to foreign films, and “OUT Here,” dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community.
Alongside "Nick After Hours," the series "Saturday Stories" is also debuting this weekend. Unlike "Nick After Hours," Saturday stories is more family-oriented. The first film to be featured in that series is “Ponyo."
The first film to be featured in "Nick After Hours" is “Suspiria," a 1977 Italian horror film about a ballet dancer who experiences supernatural encounters while at an academy for the arts. “Suspiria” was selected as the first film to kick off the series because of its anticipated remake by Academy Award-nominated director Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”).
Those who are involved with the series enjoyed experimenting with their options.
“They just wanted to see what they could do after hours and what they could do outside the constraints of what we have for a regular screening,” Rahemtullah said.
Rahemtullah emphasizes that USC’s involvement is important in the continuous expansion and growth of the nonprofit theatre. Since the Nick is a nonprofit, organizers are always seeking volunteers to help make the Nick a better experience for viewers.
“This would be a space for USC students. The idea is that you all like to go out late, so what kind of films do you want to see?" Rahemtullah said.
“Suspiria” will premiere at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9. The series will continue every other month at the same time.