The creepy notes of a live organ fill the auditorium as the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu” illuminates the screen at the Logan Theatre. The halls are lined with cult classic film posters from the 1980s as movie goers make their way to their seats. 

The Logan Theatre is hosting its 7th annual Horror Movie Madness series throughout the month of October. 

The theater, 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave., will feature a long list of cult classic horror films leading up to Halloween, as well as a party Oct. 19.

“We are really into Halloween, so when Mark Fishman first acquired the theater, it was one of the things he really wanted to do big,” said Jennifer Zacarias, director of Marketing and Events at the Logan Square Theatre. “He’s a lover of horror movies, he’s a lover of Halloween and so am I, so it makes it very easy.”

She said the film series started with regular late-night movies. The theater offers monthly themed programs, and October’s theme is horror films.

The Logan Theatre plays two Halloween movies a night, at 10:30 p.m. and  11 p.m. All movies are cult classics and look better on the big screen, she added.

“Sometimes it takes a little while for us to pick the movies, because aside from bringing back the ones we know people love—such as ‘The Shining,’ ‘Halloween,’ ‘Friday the 13th’—we try to [play] something new,” Zacarias said.

One of the films new to the event this year is “The Thing,” a 1982 science fiction film starring Kurt Russell, which will play Oct. 16-18.

“I really look for horror films that have a lot of suspense. I look for films that might not have a lot of outward scares, but there’s a lot done with the film-making to build up to scary moments,” said senior cinema arts and science major and President of the Cult Cinema Club Jack Porter. “What really makes a good horror film is,  through a combination of cinematography and editing, they can make anything scary.”

Second year Kishwaukee Community College student Megan Renwick said people are drawn to the genre because it is an interactive experience.

“You get scared, you sweat, your heart races—that is something that you get from thrill rides, but you are watching a movie to get this [feeling],” she said.

The Logan Theatre film series offers free family afternoon matinees, as well as 8 p.m. screenings during the week leading up to Halloween. Costumes are encouraged.

“People enjoy the fun of it,” Zacarias said.

“ It’s [a holiday] people can have a lot of fun with, and it’s a wide spectrum. We also do a kids’ screening for families, where it is free to the public, and we do activities and play ‘Charlie Brown’ and ‘Casper.’”