The Alex Film Society will screen two spine-chilling features for Halloween. “The Old Dark House,” featuring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart and Charles Laughton, and “The Raven,” starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Alex Theatre.

Guest host is Turner Classic Movies (TCM)’s Illeana Douglas (Melvyn Douglas’ granddaughter) and special guests Bela Lugosi Jr. and Sara Karloff (subject to availability).

Universal Studios was the undisputed master of horror and the macabre during the 1930s and ‘40s. The Alex Film Society celebrates the Halloween season with a pair of films featuring two of the studio’s most popular stars.

“The Raven” (1935) teams Boris Karloff with his frequent onscreen nemesis Bela Lugosi. The picture highlights Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem and features Lugosi as a Poe-obsessed mad surgeon who just happens to have a torture chamber in his basement. Karloff is a fugitive murderer on the lamb who falls victim to Lugosi’s mad schemes. Both actors were at the height of their fame, making this fast paced thriller one of Universal’s best offerings. Universal is providing an excellent 35mm print for the occasion.

“The Old Dark House” (1932) was assumed to be a lost classic until a film negative was discovered in the Universal vaults in 1968. It has since assumed cult-like status among fans of director James Whale, who helmed  “Frankenstein” (1931), and “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935). Whale packed his offbeat take on horror with star talent including Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton and Raymond Massey. 4K restoration is courtesy of the Cohen Media Group.

Illeana Douglas is an actress, director, screenwriter, producer and more. She gained notice in her first starring role as the singer songwriter in “Grace of My Heart” (1996) and supporting roles in Gus Van Sant’s “To Die For” (1995) and the quirky “Ghost World” (2001) added additional luster to her feature film career. Martin Scorsese featured her in “Goodfellas” (1990) and “Cape Fear” (1981) and her comedy chops led to TV guest appearances on “Seinfeld,” “Frasier,” “The Larry Sanders Show” and “The Drew Carey Show.”

As part of the TCM family she hosted “Second Looks” and has done TCM film introductions and memorable interviews with some of Hollywood’s greatest and has written and produced numerous segments for TCM. She brings a unique perspective to the AFS Halloween screening of “The Old Dark House” as she is the granddaughter of Melvyn Douglas, one of the stars of that film and a Hollywood legend whose 50-year career included starring roles in “Ninotchka” (1939), “Hud” (1963) and “Being There” (1979).

Bela G. Lugosi, the only child of actor Bela Lugosi, is the managing member of LUGOSI LLC. Lugosi practiced law in Los Angeles for 52 years before retiring in 2016. In 1963, while a student at USC Law School, Bela G. Lugosi brought the historic suit against Universal Studios (Lugosi v Universal) for the illegal use of his father’s name and likeness on merchandise. After years in the courts, this suit paved the way for the California Celebrity Rights Act enacted in 1984. With the establishment of that Act, Bela Lugosi’s name and likeness became a lawful, descendible property right, one that Bela G. Lugosi continues to protect.

Born on her father’s 51st birthday during the filming of the “Son of Frankenstein” (1939), Sara Karloff keeps her father’s professional and personal legacy alive by maintaining a website, www.karloff.com, and participates in many Halloween-themed productions and has appeared at several Turner Classic Movies film festivals and throughout the year speaks to Boris Karloff’s multi-generation fan-base.

Opening the festivities is “It’s the Cat” (2004). It is animator Mark Kausler’s heartfelt and engaging homage to 1930s Hollywood-style about a mischievous black cat produced in a very old cartoon retro-style using hand-painted cells!   

There will be Halloween-themed raffle baskets up for grabs. Movie and raffle tickets purchased support the Alex Film Society – a non-profit arts organization.

Purchase tickets online at www.alexfilmsociety.org. For parking and ticket information, visit www.alextheatre.org.