The west side of Yard Birds is seen on Monday, March 3, 2014, in Chehalis.
Toonsmith Studios at The Crow’s Nest, located on the second floor of Yard Birds Mall in Chehalis, will be hosting a screening of the horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” with a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” theme at 1 p.m. Oct. 1.
Owner Michael Duffy said he and his crew were inspired to put on the event after watching the movie and realizing it provided a perfect opportunity to hold a comedy screening.
“They’re real avid buffs of Mystery Science Theater 3000,” he said.
“Mystery Science Theater 3000,” or MST3K, as some fans call it, was a series of television movies in which a man and a few animatronic robots would watch old movies and ridicule them in real-time.
Duffy said two replicas of the robots have been made for the screening, and his fellow animators and puppeteers from the studio have been working on comedy material.
“That old, old movie provides so many opportunities for some quick quips,” he said.
Participants will watch the movie at one of two screens and can throw out their own commentary throughout the movie.
Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as zombies, and a makeup artist will be on-site to provide finishing touches on makeup. There will also be book and refreshment stands.
“Night of the Living Dead” is a 1968 horror classic directed by George A. Romero. It is largely credited with bringing zombies into the American cultural lexicon.
While the event is free, Duffy said donations are encouraged and will be put toward a puppet production spoof of Star Trek’s “The Wrath of Kahn” scheduled for later in October at the studio. The studio is creating animatronic puppets and two spaceship sets for the show.
Duffy hopes to start YouTube channels where they can showcase their animation and puppetry skills.
He also hopes to host cosplay events in the future.
“We’re getting our feet wet here, we’re going to introduce this,” he said. “This is the first of many that we’d like to do.”
