Stepping out of Mile End tube station into a mild October night, things seemed very normal. People walked by in twos and threes, and the crowds of Oxford Street felt a world away. But down a smaller side street, hemmed in by towering stacks of flats, something rather unusual was about to take place.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery had been taken over by Orange for a screening of The Exorcist. As I approached the gate of the cemetery with my friend, we were greeted by a large bouncer, a smaller chap in a high visibility jacket and the loud, incessant bleating of a fire alarm. Apparently the smoke machines which were busy creating a spooky ambience inside had also tripped an alarm, and moments after we got to the gate a fire engine and a police car arrived. We waited outside the gate with a slowly growing crowd of film fans. The firemen went in. The alarm did not stop.
A group of four people, two men and two women, approached the main gates clutching cans of strong lager. They confronted the bouncer and asked to be allowed through the cemetery. The bouncer politely told them that this was not possible tonight, and that they would have to go around. Two or three other local characters had already been greeted with the same news. The group’s leader announced that he ‘[knew] this gaff like the back of [his] hand’ and lead his intoxicated friends away down a tree lined grove. He would later be proved correct.
Meanwhile, the fire alarm was stopped, the emergency services left and we were allowed in. Inside we were given wind-up torches (which are brilliant) and directed to follow a path amongst the ancient graves and tombs. The famous Exorcist music was playing softly on a loop from loudspeakers dotted about the place, and at intervals along the eerily-lit pathway several enthusiastic actors pretended to be priests and possessed girls. The effect was spoilt somewhat by equally regular clumps of security people in more hi-vis clothing, but it did make the exposed location feel safer. More fun-house than mad house.
At the end of the meandering walk there was an army of Orange employees, some offering cups of (rather pleasant) mulled wine, others acting as ushers. We were the first to arrive, and so got seats in the front row. A canopy covered the seating area, looking a little like a section of the Sydney Opera House, and each seat had a bag of goodies, a headset and a blanket. The bag contained popcorn, chocolate éclairs, a free SIM card and a leaflet about the cemetery. The popcorn and wine made a sickly paste in my mouth, and I took the time before the screening began to use the facilities, which were located back at the entrance.
On my way, I encountered a group of three young girls. They were being questioned by two police officers, had apparently snuck into the cemetery somewhere. One was refusing to give them her details, her argument being that she was a ‘young girl’. The insurgency had begun.
Before the film started, the journalist and writer Kim Newman gave a little talk. He read with awkward good humour from a health and safety checklist which had been thrust into his hands moments before, and then got onto firmer ground. He basically said that The Exorcist is a fun movie rather than a truly scary one, though it still contains some awesome one-liners. He also told us that we would have the option of listening to either the original soundtrack or the director’s commentary on our headset.
The film began, and I loved every second. Cold crept in as the night went on, and it matched the growing intensity of the possession that occurred on screen. At various appropriate moments the tech guys pumped in some more smoke, though this did little to add to the atmosphere. If you haven’t seen The Exorcist, I would recommend it, but would suggest that some of the effects feel a little dated and the plot is (dare I say) goofy.
At various points during the screening the night air was punctuated by loud screaming and shouting. Security people, patrolling around the grounds, would run off in pursuit of the hidden noise-makers, only to saunter back empty handed after five minutes. Then the screaming would start again, and the chase would follow. The persistent and bored people who would usually have occupied the cemetery on a Friday night were clearly using their time to mess with their hi-vis usurpers. And I rather enjoyed watching them do so.
So the first Orange Cinema screening was definitely an Event. The build-up, whilst a little cheesy, generated a sense of occasion, and various people had clearly put in a lot of effort to make the night possible. I won’t be forgetting it in a hurry. You can check out pictures on the Orange Film facebook group, and presumably they will be holding similar screenings in the future if you want to get involved.
