Frightful: A Silent Halloween

On Friday, October 26, “Frightful: A Silent Halloween” celebrated the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein.” In the Grand Hall at Indiana Landmarks Center, “Silent Halloween” was marked by its horrifying movies, scary music, haunting lighting, and a costume contest.

Indiana Landmarks Center is historic, located near the heart of Indianapolis. It combines a nineteenth-century church complex and an antique-filled Victorian mansion.

The Grand Hall, which used to be the church sanctuary, is one of room in Indiana Landmarks Center. In the hall, there is a beautiful pipe organ, stained glass, the original pews, special lighting effects, and Halloween decorations.

For this event, Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks, wore a costume of Frankenstein’s monster.

Sammy Terry, the ghoul who hosted late-night WTTV Channel 4’s “Nightmare Theatre” in Indianapolis, emceed the event. He is well-known for his bad puns, campy humor, and ominous laughter. During the event, Sammy Terry was live on YouTube. Throughout the event, he mentioned his line of merchandise, which includes t-shirts, DVDs, and comic books.

Indiana Landmarks coordinated with Indiana Humanities’ One State/One Story program. The event celebrated the anniversary of the novel “Frankenstein” by showcasing two silent movies. There were screenings of the 1910 silent “Frankenstein” and the 1931 sound film “Frankenstein: The Man Who Made a Monster,” starring Boris Karloff. The 1910 silent film was accompanied by University of Indianapolis musicians who performed John Berners’ music score.

During the costume contest, the people judged in the categories of the best classic monster, the best original monster, and the best couple in monster costume. The best of the best were awarded cash prizes. The crowd reacted to each participant’s catwalk and responses to Davis’ questions.