Tampa Theatre reveals terrifying schedule for A Nightmare on Franklin Street

It’s spooky season in the city of Tampa, and that much is evident with the return of Tampa Theatre’s A Nightmare on Franklin Street. A host of classic horror flicks, ghost tours, spooky family classics and more will hit the stage and screen at our downtown movie palace this October. In late October, the hair-raising historic landmark goes 100% Halloween with classic horror movies, guest stars, ghost tours, spine-chilling stage shows, spooky storytelling, and family-friendly frights.

Side note: Tampa Theatre officially turns 96 this October! Get those birthday candles ready, Tampa! The 2022 series will fill Tampa’s most historic – and most haunted – movie palace with all of your Nightmare favorites like classic horror films and creepy cult favorites; two screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live floor cast and audience partici… (Say it! Say it!) … pation; plenty of Ghosts of Tampa Theatre Tours; two Late-Night, Lights-Off Paranormal Investigations; the elegantly gothic stylings of Phantasmagoria with an Edgar Allen Poe-themed mainstage show; an evening of spooky Campfire Stories under the Theatre’s star-lit sky; family-friendly “Mummy & Me” screenings with FREE tickets for kids 12 and younger; and a presentation of Hitchcock’s silent thriller The Lodger with LIVE musical accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.

The Tampa Theatre released some details on brand new additions to the A Nightmare on Franklin Street lineup:

• On Sunday, Oct. 16, local author Paul Wilborn stops by to discuss his new book, Florida Hustle, after a special screening of Friday the 13^th at 2:00pm. It is the story of an aspiring teen filmmaker whose obsession with a B-movie scream queen leads him on an adventure across 1980s-era south Florida. Paul will be joined by University of Tampa film professor and horror-movie expert Ryan Terry in discussing the genre and answering questions from the audience. Now through Oct. 1, advance tickets for this special screening and post-film conversation are $20 ($17 for Theatre Members) and include an autographed copy of Florida Hustle. 
  
• On Tuesday, Oct. 18, local artist and filmmaker Antony Capers will debut the newest episode of his supernatural YouTube serial Grand Hampton as a FREE community screening. What started as a pandemic project with his family and neighbors in their New Tampa neighborhood has grown into a multi-year endeavor with a loyal cult following. Season 3, episode 1 – which was filmed in part at Tampa Theatre – will premiere on the big screen at 7:30pm, followed by an audience Q&A with Capers and members of his cast.
  
• if you don’t think too hard about it, Stephen King’s Pet Semetary is – at its heart – a story about a family who REALLY loved their cat. So what more perfect (by Nightmare series logic) film to make a benefit for The Humane Society of Tampa Bay? On Thursday, Oct. 20, one dollar from each ticket sold for the 7:30pm screening will directly benefit animals looking for forever homes at The Humane Society, and you can come meet some of those adorable, adoptable cats starting at 6:00pm during a special pre-film kitten-cuddling happy hour event in the lobby.

• On Saturday, Oct. 22, it’s 1927: opening night for the hottest new Vaudeville act to tour the circuit. A packed house has gathered. But just minutes before the auditorium doors are scheduled to open, the Theatre Manager rushes in: the star is dead… stabbed in her dressing room. The murderer must still be in the building. Nobody leaves until the killer is caught, and clues seem to be everywhere! SpiritsFest: “Opening Night” invites patrons to help sort through the dubious motives and solve the suspicious murder, all the while sampling creepy craft cocktails at every stop. Show times are 6:00 and 9:00pm, and tickets are $100 ($90 for Tampa Theatre Members). Attendance is extremely limited and 1920s-inspired attire is encouraged.
  
• Earlier this year, the supernatural stories surrounding this historic landmark caught the attention of best friends Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey – otherwise known as TV’s The Ghost Brothers – who visited with a camera crew to investigate the claims for themselves. What did they discover? Join us at 7:00pm Wednesday, Oct. 26 for a special FREE screening of the resulting episode of discovery+’s Ghost Brothers: Lights Out. Then, you’ll hear from Dalen, Juwan and Marcus themselves, LIVE on stage to talk about their Tampa Theatre experience and take questions from the audience. 
  
• On Sunday, Oct. 30, Tampa Theatre – in partnership with the City of Tampa’s Community Engagement and Partnerships Department and Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. – presents a day of spooky Spanish-language films, including the animated family comedy El libro de la vida (English w. Spanish subtitles), the 2013 mindbender La Casa Del Fin De Los Tiempos, and the found-footage bloodbath Rec (both Spanish w. English subtitles). Tickets for each film are $10 ($7 for Tampa Theatre Members).

You can see a full lineup of films, ghost tours, and events by visiting Tampa Theatre’s website.

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