Friday, September 30, 2022, FACETS presents two horror films centered on blue-collar communities in Chicago, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1982) at 7:00pm and Stir of Echoes (1986) at 9:00pm, which also remind us humans are the real monsters. 

Chicago is home to some of the horror genre’s most iconic monsters, Candyman and Chucky, but FACETS is straying from these familiar offerings to show you two other fantastic horror films shot and set in Chicago, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Stir of Echoes, both of which are underseen chillers that focus on blue-collar communities faced with devastating crimes. 

Both films capture the complicated beauty of Chicago, specifically in the ‘80s and ‘90s, incorporating many familiar sights, the grandeur and the squalor, from the perspectives of denizens and tourists. Henry utilizes O’Hare International Airport, the Loop, and Lower Wacker, and Stir of Echoes captures Avondale, Oak Woods Cemetery, and a block party under the “L.” 

Henry and Stir of Echoes are also socially conscious horror of grave importance, bravely telling Me Too stories decades before the social movement gained national attention, at points in time when these topics were strictly taboo. 

This double feature is programmed by John McDevitt, FACETS Community Engagement Coordinator.