It's the end of an era, Milwaukee. After nine years of midnight showings of cult film classics, The Friday Night Freak Show at The Times Cinema is coming to a close.

"We needed to give it a break at this point," says Eric Levin, the cinema's co-proprietor. "We've been noticing the attendance getting lower and lower over the last few months, although I'm not entirely sure why that is. It's possible that the films people grew up with in the '80s are not relevant for the group who comes now, who is between ages 15 and 22."

Years ago, it was a much different story, says WMSE Station Manager Tom Crawford, who, along with Levin and WMSE's former development director Blaine Kennedy, helped birth the Friday Night Freak Show in 1997.

"There's always been something about midnight cult films," says Crawford. "Growing up, the Avalon Theater played them, and when Saturday night came, that's what we did. When Eric started coming down the station to talk about what was happening at The Times we started talking about midnight films and we decided that we wanted to bring back what was."

"It was really successful for quite some time," says Levin, remembering sold-out showings of "A Clockwork Orange" when anywhere from 200 to 400 people would show up. "We have tried many different kinds of films over the course of nine years, and we thought we know the audience pretty well. But now it doesn't seem like anything is drawing."

Crawford says the real "knife in the heart" came on June 30 when a showing of "Reservoir Dogs" -- a movie that should have reeled in the masses -- managed to attract fewer than 50 people.

"We've been doing this a long time, and people's viewing habits change," says Crawford. "Single screen theaters are being replaced by personal plasma screens in the home."

Levin, who has operated The Times Cinema since 1993 and who has recently been forced to switch his classic and foreign film agenda to a calendar of mostly first-run films to stay profitable, agrees.

"What it comes down to is that people don't appreciate the experiences of seeing films with an audience on a big screen anymore," says Levin. "People seem to be getting more insular. The people who were really into the Freak Show nine years ago are now looking for other things to do. I'd like to know what it is that people find so captivating other than seeing great films at midnight."

The good news, Levin says, is that he has plans to screen the occasional midnight film at his theater.

"I'd have to structure it as more of an event, and it would certainly be with WMSE's involvement, but if we find films that we can premiere for midnight -- something that's new and intriguing -- we'd be open to doing it."

Other than that, Levin says that The Times Cinema has had a positive response to the overall format change and is slowing building a new niche audience.

"Lately our format is playing the films that never make it to Milwaukee," he says. "These are the films that, if we weren't playing them, they wouldn't be showing in Milwaukee at all. It's going pretty well; we've had strong titles lately."

The Friday Night Freak Show is continuing throughout July, with "Clerks" playing on July 7, "Snatch" on July 14, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" on July 21 and "The Boondock Saints" closing the Friday night cinematic tradition on July 28.

11 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 17, 2006 at 8:49 p.m. (report)

lisa said: NO! Can it be true you've taken away one of the last truly unique and authentic joy's of Milwaukees underground. I was just planning to stop in the city with some friends. I looked up this site to see what would be playing Aug.25 for the freak show. And low and behold I find this sad news. A word to the owners, If I may... Stop trying to cater to an ignorant youth, just continue to do your thing and soon they will realize where the real fun is at, maby the Times are hard now, but they will get better. stand firm in the tradition that we so love. we cant let popular trends roll over that which gave birth to creative thinking. My favorite part of the experience is that you can talk and get excited about a film, durring the show one can laugh, shout, be yelled at or have a joke screamed out, this can't be found any where else and only makes the movie experience better. Love you guys- try to keep it alive.

Posted by OMCreader on July 26, 2006 at 3:56 p.m. (report)

Jenna Leskela said: I was just thinking about quality vs. quantity today (in terms of events) and I find that having fewer events and making them better leads to a greater success, so I love to hear that the Times will be doing them sporadically, I'm sure they will be a hit.

Posted by OMCreader on July 13, 2006 at 8:58 a.m. (report)

black panther said: I don't know about the rest of you, but I skip the Freak Show because a midnight movie is too late for my tired old ass. The prospect of having to drive through Tosa and their looking for somethin to do Police dept, at 2 in the morning is not too appealing. How about a 10:30 Freak Show???

Posted by OMCreader on July 12, 2006 at 9:49 a.m. (report)

Movie buff said: I saw the Rocky trailer, wow!!!!!!!! This looks like a great movie!

Posted by OMCreader on July 12, 2006 at 2:31 a.m. (report)

Jake said: I think that the problem is that the people who have the money, and means to see the shows on a consistant basis have been turned away by the sometimes vulgar, and obnixious crowd. Seeing Donnie Darko on the big screen again was something my wife and I were looking foreward to, and had planned on seeing some other upcoming movies at the Times...yet while we were there it was a movie watching nightmare...there was drinking, rudeness, and a complete disrespect for anyone else in the crowd by two seperate groups, who actually almost started fighting after the show. Say what you will about needing "cult" shows, but I think the environment of the FNFS is what ended up ruining itself.