Dennis James Hosts Halloween

It’s not officially Halloween until Bloomington’s favorite musical mastermind, Dennis James, returns for his annual spooky performance. Dennis James Hosts Halloween returns, as the legendary cinema organist and IU graduate provides the soundtrack to a silent film and a live radio reenactment.

The live onstage portrayal of an old-time radio thriller titled Waxworks will kick off the evening and will be performed by actors, including students from IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, as James plays the soundtrack on IU Auditorium’s 4,532-pipe organ. This episode comes from a classic radio series titled Suspense, which was one of the most popular and successful radio programs during its run of over 900 episodes, spanning 1946-1962.

James will conclude the evening with the backing soundtrack to a screening of a 1924 German silent horror film also titled Waxworks that ties three stories together in an anthology format with the final segment featuring Jack the Ripper.