Series

Alexandre O. Philippe: Chain Reactions

IU Cinema is delighted to welcome back acclaimed documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe in celebration of his newest project, Chain Reactions, a reflection on the impact of the 1974 horror mainstay The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Philippe’s curiosity about and interrogation of the cultural and ideological effects of iconic films and the influential filmmakers behind them have long been the fuel of his documentaries, as exemplified by The People vs. George Lucas (2010), 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (2017), Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019), Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist (2019), and Lynch/Oz (2022). Eschewing the typical behind-the-scenes or making-of documentary approach, Philippe looks at his subjects with a more unusual lens, one that focuses on the intangibles of filmmaking—how it makes us feel, how it’s interpreted, what pieces of it become locked in our memories—as well as the craft and care that goes into creating works that have not only changed how movies are made but also how we watch them.

Philippe’s time at the Cinema is always an unforgettable experience for our audiences, whether it’s in the form of a thought-provoking masterclass presentation on Alfred Hitchcock in conjunction with his Psycho documentary 78/52, an in-depth virtual conversation about Come and See with fellow filmmaker Karyn Kusama, or a Q&A with William Shatner after a screening of their film You Can Call Me Bill on the day of last year’s solar eclipse. Philippe’s latest visit promises to be just as memorable with actor, comedian, and Chain Reactions interview subject Patton Oswalt joining the filmmaker for an onstage conversation as part of the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Series. Other events will include a special grindhouse-style 35mm presentation of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre hosted by Oswalt, plus screenings of Chain Reactions and Night of Fear, the latter an Australian horror flick programmed by Philippe due to its influence on Texas Chainsaw. (Pro tip: the weekend before Oswalt arrives on campus, we’ll also be screening his beloved Pixar classic, Ratatouille!)