Dennis James, an accomplished film organist, returned to his alma mater Oct. 16 for his annual show, “Dennis James Hosts Halloween.”
Each year, James picks a silent film and performs an accompaniment on the organ to ring in the spooky season.
The show this year consisted of a combination of a German silent film, “Waxworks,” and a reenactment of a 1947 radio show episode, titled “The Waxwork.”
Before the show began, audience members showed off their Halloween costumes for the chance to win a prize in a costume contest. The costumes ranged from a clown to someone who described their costume as “a woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind, so most people’s worst nightmare.” The winner was a person dressed as an Uno tarot deck, though my personal favorite was Superman accompanied by his very own Krypto dog.
After the contest, James began the show by reminiscing on his childhood and his path to becoming a film organist. He shared that as a child he would mute silent films on television, which were all paired with the same basic tunes, because he could think of better music to pair with the stories in his head. After learning the accordion, James wanted to switch to a “less annoying” instrument and, as he put it, ironically ended up learning the organ. He began his formal organ training in Philadelphia at the age of 12 and has been in love with the instrument ever since.
The show continued with a reenactment of a radio show episode, performed by local actors and students from IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance.
The episode came from the popular radio drama show “Suspense,” which focused on thriller plots and aired about 945 episodes during its 20-year tenure. This episode, titled “The Waxwork,” aired in 1947 and follows a journalist who spends the night in a wax museum filled with imitations of famous murderers. However, one of the figures is revealed to be the actual murderer disguised as a wax figure of himself, leading to the journalist’s demise.
The stage was set up to look like a 1940s recording studio, and the actors dressed to match the time period.
While this radio story was a bit simple, it was a great performance from both the actors and James on the organ. It was impressive to see the performers act through their voices and body language, as there were no props or intricate sets.
I also enjoyed watching the sound effect operator on stage, similar to foley work in film. It was interesting to see it done live, and it helped ground the story despite having limited visuals.
The organ was a great addition to the story and definitely elevated the horror elements of the tale. There’s a magical quality to hearing an organ when the pipes are right next to you and you can see the performer.
James began the second half of the show explaining the history of “Waxworks” and briefly describing how he put together the accompanying score. He said the original 1924 score for the film was lost, so he stitched together pieces found in other silent films into a continuous score that went along with “Waxworks.”
The film “Waxworks” is a 1924 German silent film that tells the stories of three different people found within a wax museum.
It was very impressive to see James play such a challenging but beautiful instrument for the entire length of the film. The music added depth and emotion to each scene, bringing the movie to life.
I must say, I expected the film to have more horror elements since it was advertised as a Halloween show. However, besides the gothic nature of old silent films accompanied by an organ, the film did not have many horror components at all.
I found this part of the show to lull a bit as, despite the impressive organ playing, the film itself was a bit boring. I have never been the biggest fan of older movies, so that could have contributed to my disinterest in this section of the show. If you are a film buff who loves old silent films, this would probably be an enticing and thrilling show for you.
While the show is an impressive feat of organ playing that exposes audiences to the beauty of live organ, it isn’t for everyone. Especially if you’re not super enthused by silent films.
