Mesilla Valley Film Society is launching Night School, a new late-night screening series celebrating cult classics, horror landmarks, obscure oddities, and underrated gems. The first set of shows will run Saturday nights at 10:30pm throughout July and August. Conceived by self-proclaimed Professor Austin Wolf-Sothern, and hosted by Austin with fellow film scholars Rian Gonzales and Jeff Bennett. Each show will begin with a PowerPoint presentation pertaining to that week’s film, offering production history, cultural context, and behind-the-scenes trivia.

More than just a screening series, Night School embraces the communal spirit of repertory cinema, where audiences gather to experience movies the way they were meant to be seen: on the big screen, with fellow fans. To honor that, we felt it was important to dedicate our first semester to highlighting the cinematic experience with “Movies at the Movies!” Eight films that take place in, or memorably feature, a movie theater.

The inaugural lineup includes:
• July 11: Popcorn (1991) – A loving celebration of horror gimmicks and movie theater mayhem.
• July 18: Taxi Driver (1976) – A defining portrait of urban alienation and one of American cinema's most influential character studies, celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
• July 25: The Blob (1988) – The gloriously gooey remake that deserves its place among the greatest practical-effects horror remakes ever made.
• August 1: Messiah of Evil (1974) – Or is it MESILLA OF EVIL? A dreamlike descent into cosmic dread and one of horror's most haunting cult discoveries.
• August 8: Hunting Humans (2002) – Presented on VHS, preserving the analog grit and underground spirit of this independent cult oddity. Preceded by a cartoon on 16mm.
• August 15: Anguish (1987) – A mind-bending psychological horror experience that blurs the line between audience and screen.
• August 22: Donnie Darko (2001) – A generation-defining genre blend of science fiction, mystery, comedy, and drama, celebrating its 25th Anniversary.
• August 29: Demons (1985) – An explosive Italian horror classic where the movie theater itself becomes a nightmare.
Each presentation is brief, entertaining, and designed for casual moviegoers and die-hard film buffs alike. Whether you're seeing a favorite for the fiftieth time or discovering it for the first, Night School is designed to make every screening a little more rewarding—and a lot more fun!