The City of Garland is launching its own film festival this weekend. The event will feature films that were shot in Texas. They're calling the festival "It Came From Texas".
"What we're leaning on is the films that played in the drive-in in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s," said festival director Kelly Kitchens. "So these films are films that you really can't see anywhere else."
Since many of those films were considered low-budget when they were made, the selection includes a number of science fiction and horror titles. That includes one of the most famous horror films in the genre, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". One of the key members of the production team is originally from Garland.
"We are bringing in Ron Bozman and Kim Hinkel," Kitchens said. "Ron Bozman was the production manager. It was his job to make sure nobody really got hurt by the chainsaw. He graduated from Garland High School in 1965."
Bozman has had a long career in the film industry, including work on the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. Henkel is the co-writer of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". He has also worked consistently as a writer and producer and has taught at Rice University.
While "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has gone on to develop a reputation as a "cult classic" in the horror genre, other films on the bill this weekend are less well-known. Those include several that were filmed in Dallas, such as "Beyond the Time Barrier" and "Attack of the Eye Creatures".
The films will be screening on Saturday and Sunday, October 28th and 29th, at the Plaza Theatre in downtown Garland.
"This theatre was built in the 1940's. It now has a brand-new screen and a brand-new projector, so these films are going to look as good as they possibly can," Kitchens said.
A full schedule of events is available on the city's website.
Tickets are also available online here.