'Time Bandits' and 'Phantasm: Remastered' to play in cinemas on Art House Theater Day: Exclusive details

EW can exclusively reveal that a 2K restoration of Terry Gilliam’s family-friendly fantasy-adventure Time Bandits and filmmaker Don Coscarelli’s horror film Phantasm: Remastered will both play in cinemas as part of the inaugural Art House Theater Day, which takes place Sept. 24. The event will also feature a collection of stop-motion short films from animation distributors GKIDS called A Town Called Panic: The Specials. Over 185 venues are participating in what is being described as a nationwide celebration of the cultural and community growth that art house theaters provide.

“Art House Theater Day is a chance to show film-lovers that their local theaters are part of a larger cultural movement,” event co-founder Gabriel Chicoine said in a statement. “These cinemas are not passive, insular venues — they are passion-driven institutions that collaborate with distributors, filmmakers, and each other to deepen film appreciation and to increase the diversity and artistic integrity of what you see on the big screen.”

The new version of Time Bandits, about a young boy who falls in with a band of time-traveling thieves, has been supervised by Gilliam himself. Phantasm: Remastered is a 4K restoration of Coscarelli’s 1979 film, overseen by the director in cahoots with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot company. Screenings of Phantasm: Remastered will also feature a sneak peek at the fifth film in the horror franchise, the upcoming Phantasm: Ravager, including a tribute to actor Angus Scrimm, who died this past January.

“When I made Phantasm three decades ago, the term ‘indie’ didn’t have the same positive connotations that it does today,” Coscarelli said. “But that’s what Phantasm was. And in the decades since, the art house movement has cultivated an appreciation for independent films that break molds and push boundaries. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that in 2016, art houses have embraced Phantasm and are giving it new life on Art House Theater Day. It’s really a dream come true to see it playing in so many exceptional theaters on the big screen, the way I originally intended.”

As previously announced, the documentary Danny Says, which details the life and career of rock band manager and publicist Danny Fields, is also screening as part of the event.

You can find a full list of participating venues at the Art House Theater Day website.