This year we’re celebrating the yuletide season with the underappreciated superhero flick, Batman Returns!

Batman Returns (1992)

Sat. Dec. 3
Doors – 7:00 PM
Organ Overture – 7:30 PM
Film – 8:00 PM
Tickets - $6
2hr 6min | PG-13 | Action/Adventure | USA

Directed by Tim Burton, perhaps the 90s most unconventional big-time director, this might just be the most unconventional Christmas flick ever. 

Yes, that’s right. Move on over Die Hard!  The warmth of holiday cheer doesn’t feel nearly as cozy if it isn’t chasing back the frosty gloom of a dark knight, a black cat, and a . . . grotesque penguin-man. 

You’ll be ready for a nice warm cup of cocoa by the fire after watching stars Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Danny DeVito don elaborate rubber costumes as they kick, whip, and waddle their way through the demented urban dreamscape of Tim Burton’s Gotham City. It turns out Mr. Burton’s dreams are like nightmares for the rest of us. But unlike the bad dreams you have at home, this one is on a movie screen where you won’t confuse the creepy clown gang, vampiric industrialist, (Christopher Walken) or hopelessly corrupt city for the real thing.  

This movie definitely has a weird style all its own. Which is a big reason why it has been reappraised in recent years as one of the best superhero movies of all time. But it also boasts iconic performances by DeVito and Pfeiffer who embody the roles of The Penguin and Catwoman. Meanwhile the dark, brooding and satirical script explores political corruption, vengeance and trauma while managing to be a fast-paced and fun action/adventure spectacle. 

Join us! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Silents at the Senate closes out the Fall season with Flesh and the Devil, a film so intense with emotion – swinging from youthful cheer and love, to uninhibited lust, jealousy, and wrath – that we may need to keep the lights off in the theater for a minute after the movie.  

You'll need some time to collect yourself.   

Sat. Nov. 5
Doors – 7:00 PM
Film – 8:00 PM
Tickets - $12
1hr 52min | NR | Melodrama/Romance | USA

This enduring silent classic deftly blends light comedy, steamy romance, and tragic melodrama, making our Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ, unparalleled in its versatility, the perfect instrument for providing musical accompaniment. As the film takes you on this journey of agony and passion, organist John Lauter will be there to compliment and intensify the feelings with his live organ score.  

Starring romantic screen idols Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, Flesh and the Devil was and still remains a shocking and trailblazing film with visual style and stirring performances. Calling to mind the erotic thrillers of the 1980s like Fatal Attraction, this movie sizzles. The chemistry between its stars, who began a real love affair during shooting, cannot be denied. Meanwhile the camera titillates with then unheard-of close-ups of open mouth kisses and horizontal love scenes, while evocative flourishes of light and shadow heighten the dazzling eroticism of the drama.   

You will hardly believe what they were allowed to put on screen in the old days.  

And seeing it the way it was intended to be seen, on the big screen with live organ accompaniment, is a cinematic and musical time-traveling experience you won’t soon forget. Plus, as an added bonus, you can stick around after the show for a chamber tour, a rare chance to get an up-close look at the inner workings of a theater pipe organ. 

See you at the theater! 

Silents at the Senate is supported by the Knight Arts Challenge 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Join us for a night of film, art, and seasonal vibes to benefit the restoration of the Mighty Wurlitzer!

Halloween Party at the Senate—A John Carpenter Themed Fundraiser

Sat. Oct. 29
Doors – 6:00 PM
Organ Overture - 7:30 PM
Film – 8:00 PM | 1hr 31 min | R | Horror | USA
After Party 10:00 PM - Midnight
Tickets - $6 (with optional donation)
Full Bar | Costume contest | Halloween themed art | Dark and eerie John Carpenter music

It’s the Saturday before Halloween and a force of nature has wreaked havoc on the vital parts of our most precious organ. No, we don’t mean Michael Myers, that personification of evil with a William Shatner mask and a fondness for knives. And the organ we’re talking about doesn’t pump blood. No, the organ in question is the Senate Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ. The force of nature is time.

Enjoy this special screening of the classic 1978 Halloween where all proceeds support further restoration of the historic Senate Theater Wurlitzer. In addition to a very special Halloween organ overture, expect a costume contest judged by Michael Myers himself, an art show, the eerie music of John Carpenter, and a full bar. Admission will remain $6 but donations of any amount are graciously accepted.

And now, about the movie:

If you don’t know, John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of the most revered, respected and influential horror films of all time. It tells the story of a single-minded and silent psychopath who has recently escaped from a mental institution and stalks a group of teenagers on Halloween night. Using Hitchcock’s Psycho as inspiration, it even stars Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of the earlier film’s Janet Leigh. A huge success with audiences and ultimately with the critics, Halloween set off an explosion in horror cinema, spawning dozens of imitators and a slew of sequels, remakes, and reboots.

The spare yet striking visuals, moody and minimalist score, suspense-soaked screenplay, and playfully dark humor have been expanded upon, reimagined, and even, arguably, improved upon. There is nothing, however, quite like the original So grab your friends, don your Halloween best and come party for a cause at the Senate Theater.

Halloween Party at the Senate is Sponsored by:

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.