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When Dan Chapman and Joe Ori bought the historic Manlius Cinema in December, the theater was in need of repairs. The basement had leaks and the building’s electrical system was malfunctioning — the historic hidden gem needed work.

But, from day one, they knew they wanted one thing: a Halloween celebration.

“We think Halloween is just such a fun time for people to get involved in (horror movies),” Chapman said. “Fall is in the air, it’s maybe sometimes a little rainy, it’s like perfect movie-watching weather. “

Chapman and Ori, who own a bar next door to the theater called A.W. Wander, wanted to use their new venue to bring some classics to the community and both are lifelong horror fans. Ori called himself a “massive John Carpenter fan” and Chapman loves “An American Werewolf in London.” The pair made sure their favorites made it into “Manlius Cinema Presents: Halloween 2023,” a cinematic celebration from Oct. 17 to 31.

The program will feature eight classic movies, including “Halloween,” “Beetlejuice” and “Carrie.” The selections are beloved films from the 1970s and ‘80s, which today are scarcely available in theaters. However, any of these movies could have played at Manlius Cinema during their original runs since the single-screen theater is over a century old.

In its long history, Manlius Cinema has never been anything other than a movie theater. It adapted and survived the transition from silent to sound pictures and then film to digital. Ori said its previous owners, Nat Tobin and Eileen Lowell, made sure to sell the theater to buyers who would maintain its legacy.

“Me and Dan (Chapman) both have had a passion for film, filmmaking, that general scene, so we wound up taking it over,” Ori said. “We’re going to try to keep it a movie theater because it’s what’s good for the community.”

For decades, the theater served as an art house that brought independent and foreign films to audiences in central New York. Its selections often went against the grain of other theaters. In early November 1978, while multiplexes and local theaters across the country were showing John Carpenter’s hit slasher “Halloween” — the opening movie of Chapman and Ori’s holiday program — Manlius Cinema devoted its only screen to the Academy Award-winning French film “Madame Rosa.”

Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor

Manlius Cinema changed ownership last December and was bought by Joe Ori and Dan Chapman. They aim to continue showing art films, like the previous owner, but introduce movies that attract a wider audience, like their current Halloween event.
Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor

Now, as the new owners, Chapman and Ori hope to strike a balance between the tradition of art film at Manlius Cinema by showing movies like “Past Lives” and “Asteroid City” while also introducing opportunities for the community to see mainstream movies like “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” Chapman said the theater provides audiences a more personal environment to watch new releases than a multiplex.

“We’re still trying to keep in a lot of the art film that Nat (Tobin) used to run and making sure that we’re still keeping that community actively involved,” Ori said. “But at the same time, too, our goal has always been to expand on … programming and bring some families out here.”

The theater’s themed programming blocks, which Chapman and Ori introduced this month, are a key part of their commitment to keeping independent programming at Manlius Cinema. In addition to their Halloween slate, the theater ran a retrospective of John Carpenter’s work earlier this month, called Carpenterfest, all while still making room for the Swifties with showtimes of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” mixed in.

Kendall Phillips, professor of communications and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, has visited Manlius Cinema in the past and appreciated that the Carpenterfest program included some lesser-known titles. Phillips has written several books on horror films, including “Dark Directions,” which covers three key horror directors, including Carpenter.

Phillips said that independent theaters like Manlius provide a space for people to share cultural experiences without resorting to Netflix.

“An independent theater is able to bring its community different voices and challenge us and provoke us,” Phillips said. “I am thrilled that Manlius is still there. I wish there were more theaters like that in Syracuse, but I really encourage all the students to make a point to go patronize the Manlius Cinema. We need those independent spaces.”

Chapman and Ori extensively renovated the theater after taking over. Along with fixing the leaks and electrical work, the pair had a bigger problem. Early into their ownership in May, the digital projector broke only 15 minutes before a show.

For a moment, it seemed like the theater might have to close indefinitely. But miraculously, Manlius Cinema found another independent theater in Virginia that sold them a replacement.

“As soon as we installed that, the picture quality was better. The sound quality was better because they had a better encoder,” Chapman said. “It wasn’t like we were replacing an old projector with the same old projector and continuing on, we actually got some upgrades that benefited the experience of the cinema.”

Published on October 17, 2023 at 10:32 pm