PT drive-in to show spooky triple feature for Halloween

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A terrified typesetter spends a night in a haunted house.

An empathetic alien crashes to Earth.

A murderous mama’s boy makes a name for himself in the motel biz.

Port Townsend’s Wheel-In Motor Movie drive-in theater (210 Theatre Road) will host a triple feature of seasonal showings for Halloween, from Friday, Oct. 30 to Sunday, Nov. 1. The films are “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), “It Came from Outer Space” (1953), and “Psycho” (1960).

The spooky comedy “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” was directed by Alan Rafkin and stars Don Knotts as the titular typesetter and aspiring newspaper reporter Luther Heggs, who is assigned by his editor to spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion that has been the site of several mysterious murders.

The sci-fi classic “It Came from Outer Space” was directed by Jack Arnold, based on a story by Ray Bradbury, and stars Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush, who see a strange craft crash into the Arizona desert, but even as strange happenings begin around their small town find it difficult to convince the authorities it was an alien ship.

Rush won a Golden Globe in 1954 as “most promising female newcomer” for her role in the film, which was eventually nominated for the American Film Institute’s “Top 10 Science Fiction Films” list.

Perhaps the most infamous movie of iconic director Alfred Hitchcock’s illustrious career, “Psycho” stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Martin Balsam, and relates the now-famous story, based on the novel by Robert Bloch, which was very loosely inspired by actual events, of the fateful encounter between a desperate embezzler on the run and the shy proprietor of a failing motel. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock. Often ranked among the greatest films of all time, “Psycho” also set a new level of acceptability for on-screen violence, deviant behavior and sexuality in American movies and is widely considered the earliest example of the so-called “slasher film” genre.

Reservations ($15 per carload) are required; visit www.ptwheelinmotormovie.com to learn more and save a space.