By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In celebration of Halloween, the American diner and gathering point, Gringo Café in Ipanema will screen holiday-themed movies every night from Friday, October 24th through Saturday, November 1st as part of the premiere edition of the Gringo Halloween event series.
“We are making the atmosphere immersive and yes a bit spooky,” owner of the Gringo Café Sam Flowers told The Rio Times. “We will darken the whole patio area with blackout curtains, have a 100-inch screen and decorate to create a haunted house feel. Also we have an illusionist [William Mandell] coming Friday and Saturday nights both weekends.”
Two films, the first family-friendly and the second terror will play on the giant screen each night at 7PM and 9PM. Two exceptions are; the night of Sunday, October 26th when only one family film will screen at 7PM and on Halloween night when a Halloween party complete with live DJ will take the place of the second screening at 9PM.
To start the series off tonight, Friday, October 24th, “Ghostbusters” will play first, followed by John Carpenter’s classic slasher, “Halloween.” Then on Saturday, October 25th and the films “Monsters” and “Scream” will screen, and on Sunday, “Monsters vs. Aliens” will be shown.
Tim Burton’s cult-classic, “Edward Scissorhands” will start the week off, on Monday, followed by “Friday the 13th.” Next on Tuesday, it’s time for another Tim Burton cult-classic as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” starts things off, followed by “Twilight Zone.”
Friday, October 31st is Halloween and the film “Addams Family” will kick off the night followed by a Halloween party with a live DJ. Gringo Halloween will then carry on, one last night on Saturday, with a screening of “Addams Family Values,” followed by “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
“It’s unconventional, I like unconventional,” American illusionist William Mandell, who will be in character as the Joker from the Batman series during his performances, told The Rio Times. “It is a pleasure to be part of a project in Rio where new ideas are being put into action.”
Mandell moved to Rio de Janeiro five years ago and says that he has “casually done magic for more than twenty years,” and that he began to practice professionally two years ago. He has steadily been making a name for himself in Rio, wowing crowds in the South Zone and Barra da Tijuca. Following the Gringo Halloween event series, Mandell will return to the Gringo Café for weekly performances scheduled to begin on November 6th.
In addition to Mandell’s performances and the movies, during the Gringo Halloween events, special holiday-themed options have been added Gringo Café’s menu and will include; Mummy meatloaf with ghost potatoes, BBQ Skeleton Ribs, and Franken cake.
The cafe is well known for its American-style food, as well as, for hosting expatriate-friendly events, which in the past have included Thanksgiving, to World Cup game viewing parties to Quiz nights.
“I am really hoping this will be our new signature Halloween annual event,” said Flowers. “I was Director of Marketing at Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park and launched an annual event called Halloween Horror Nights. We haunted the park every night with mazes and live monsters and had a blast! I think Gringo Halloween could grow to be Rio’s ‘Must Go’ event.”
What: Gringo Halloween
When: October 24th through Saturday, November 1st. Screenings are nightly at 7PM and 9PM, with the exception of October 26th with only one screening at 7PM and the 31st when a Halloween party complete with live DJ will take the place of the second screening at 9PM.
Where: Gringo Café, Barao Da Torre 240, Ipanema
Entrance: The screenings are free with meals and drinks of varying prices.
* All films will have Portuguese subtitles with the exception of “Ghostbusters” and “Halloween” on the 24th.