Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining transcends the typical horror movie. Though it contains many standard elements of the genre (ax-wielding maniac, check; creepy ghosts and walking copses, check; a swimming pool’s worth of blood, check), The Shining manages to stand apart. I’ve seen it maybe 10 times, and my feelings on it have evolved from an initial vague dislike (it’s too methodical; Jack Nicholson is so over the top; the scariest moments involve title cards displaying the days of the week) to finding that I am now compelled to keep watching whenever I catch it on cable. Funny thing, though: I’ve never seen it on the big screen.

Thankfully, the Tampa Theatre is here to help me rectify this lifelong oversight. The venerable Tampa landmark isn’t just showing Kubrick’s creepshow. Instead, The Shining (paired with the fantastic doc Room 237) is but one of more than a dozen flicks showing as part of A Nightmare on Franklin Street, a 10-day mini-film fest devoted to all things horror. The screenings kick off with a Thurs., Oct. 17 double feature of Ringu (from Japan) and The Ring (the American remake), both of which qualify as recent classics, and continue with daily screenings or double features that hit on all the horror touchstones.

As such, vampire fans will want to hit the Interview with the Vampire/The Lost Boys double feature on Fri., Oct. 18, or the pairing of Dracula (the Bela Legosi version) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (the Francis Ford Coppola vintage) on Thurs., Oct. 24. Ghost groupies need to materialize on Sat., Oct. 20 for afternoon screenings of Casper (2 p.m.) and Ghostbusters (4:45 p.m.), followed by the incredible (and, be warned, incredibly expensive at $150) Lights Off Paranormal Investigation, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, and a special meet-and-greet with Tampa native Angela Alderman, one of the stars of Ghost Hunters International. Alfred Hitchcock gets a triple feature of sorts on Sun. Oct. 20, with the recent biopic Hitchcock (starring Anthony Hopkins as the Master of Suspense) playing before a double bill of Psycho and The Birds. The series concludes on Oct. 31 with my favorite horror movie of all time, John Carpenter’s Halloween, followed by The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I’ve only scratched the surface of all that A Nightmare on Franklin Street has to offer. Check out the list of scheduled events at the bottom of this story.

On a more kid-friendly note, the Tampa Pitcher Show will play host to Wolfman Mac Kelly’s Monster Matinee. Kelly is a nationally syndicated radio host and the star of Retro TV’s Chiller Drive-In, and he’ll be in town Sat., Oct. 19 for a special 1 p.m. showing of the horror classic Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which stars Bela Legosi and Lon Chaney Jr. The movie’s a classic, one that I watched as a young boy and remains fun and appropriate for children of all ages. The event is only $5 ($3 for kids 5 and under), and should be a scary good time for families looking to get into the Halloween spirit without all the blood and gore. More info at facebook.com/WolfmanMacKellysMonsterMatinee or tampapitchershow.net.

And finally, there’s Creative Loafing’s own Reel Terror Film Festival, which will haunt the beautiful Villagio Cinemas at Carrollwood on Sat., Nov. 16 for 12 hours of movie screenings, panels, celebrity appearances and more. Reel Terror has enjoyed a solid three-year run in our own CL Space, but for this year’s event we wanted to move to a theater with better amenities. Villagio more than fits that bill, with state-of-the-art digital projection systems and mega-comfy reclining seats throughout the freshly renovated theaters. Better yet, you can eat your face off with tasty pizzas, sandwiches (the chicken parm is to die for), apps and entrees available for purchase from the Italian restaurant inside the theater. There’s a full bar, too, and you can order everything from your seat as you watch a full slate of locally produced horror films (titles to be announced soon). Check cltampa.com/reelterror for updates on the festival lineup (we’ve got big announcements coming soon) or to buy discount $10 advance tickets.

A Nightmare on Franklin Street Schedule
Thurs., Oct. 17
7:30 p.m. Ringu (Japanese w/ English subtitles)
10 p.m. The Ring

Fri., Oct. 18 — Vampire Double Feature
7:30 p.m. Interview With A Vampire
10 p.m. The Lost Boys

Sat., Oct. 19 — Space Invader Saturday
9:30 & 11:30 a.m. Balcony-to-Backstage Tour: Ghost Stories
7:30 p.m. It Came From Outer Space (3D)
10 p.m. Aliens

Sun., Oct. 20 — Hitchcock Triple Feature
3 p.m. Hitchcock
6:30 p.m. The Birds
10 p.m. Psycho

Mon., Oct. 21 — Magic Monday
7:30 p.m. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone with live pre-show by local magician Mr. Bones

Tues., Oct. 22
11:30 a.m. Balcony-to-Backstage Tour: Ghost Stories
7:30 p.m. The Exorcist

Wed., Oct. 23
7:30 p.m. The Blair Witch Project

Thurs., Oct. 24 — Dracula Double Feature
7:30 p.m. Dracula
10 p.m. Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Fri., Oct. 25
8 p.m. Lights-Off Paranormal Investigation

Sat., Oct. 26 — Spirit Saturday
2 p.m. Casper
4:45 p.m. Ghostbusters
8 p.m. Lights-Off Paranormal Investigation

Sun., Oct. 27 — Zombie Invasion
3 p.m. Paranorman
7:30 p.m. Night Of The Living Dead
10 p.m. Dead Alive

Mon., Oct. 28
7:30 p.m. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Tues., Oct. 29
7:30 p.m. Tampa ghost stories with Deborah Frethem, author of Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay

Wed., Oct. 30 — The Shining Double Feature
7:30 p.m. Room 237
10 p.m. The Shining

Thurs., Oct. 31
7:30 p.m. Halloween
11 p.m. Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tickets for “Nightmare on Franklin Street” feature films are $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Double-feature tickets (one admission for any two of these films) are available for $15 for adults and $13 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members. Triple-feature tickets (one admission for each of the three films) are available for $21 for adults and $18 for children, seniors, military and Tampa Theatre members at the box office, located at 711 N. Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, or online (service fees apply).

Check out Tampa Theatre’s website for more information. And I’ll see you at The Shining …

This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2013.