Chicago film critic Nick Digilio will introduce a screening of The Exorcist at Park Ridge's Pickwick Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and sign copies of his new book in the lobby.
The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series will show the original 1973 theatrical version twice that day: a 1 PM matinee and a 7 PM evening screening. Digilio's live introduction and discussion precede the 7 PM show only.
Doors open at 6 PM, and Digilio will be in the lobby to meet attendees and sell signed copies of 40 Years, 40 Horror Films. The book, published Sept. 15 by Eckhartz Press at $25, covers his favorite horror film from each year since 1985. It features a foreword by Rich Koz, better known to Chicago TV audiences as Svengoolie, who wrote that Digilio's book lets readers "share his take on forty years of the movies we love, and love to be frightened by."
Digilio spent 35 years at WGN-AM, including more than 20 years hosting the station's top-rated overnight show. He has interviewed guests at the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention for more than two decades. On Instagram, Digilio described the Oct. 7 event as The Exorcist in the Pickwick's MegaTheater and confirmed he would sign books before and after the film.
Organist Jake McDonagh will play pre-show music at 6:30 PM, continuing the Classic Film Series' tradition of live organ performances before evening screenings. The series opened its 13th season on Sept. 16 with a screening of The Third Man (1949).
The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture. It earned 10 Academy Award nominations and won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. Based on William Peter Blatty's novel, itself drawn from a reported 1949 exorcism case, the film grossed $193 million in its initial theatrical run after opening Dec. 26, 1973.
The film is rated R.
Matinee tickets cost $10. Evening tickets are $12 at the door or $10 in advance through pickwicktheatre.com.
Upcoming community events:
- Oct. 7: The Exorcist at Pickwick Theatre, 1 PM and 7 PM, with Nick Digilio at the evening show
- Oct. 11: Free art and music fest at Niles Village Plaza
- Nov. 13: PRAA Dueling Pianos fundraiser
