One of many on-campus activities at Clemson is the film series that the world cinema program puts on each semester. Students in WCIN 3990, taught by Dr. John Smith, choose the theme and films for each semester, and this fall’s series is themed “The Greats.”
While the lineup of films isn’t fully finalized yet, those that have been chosen are exciting.
“One of our coolest screenings will be a 35mm showing of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s ‘House,’” Sharbel Feghali, a world cinema and English double major who is a student in the WCIN 3990 class, told The Tiger.
Clemson’s McKissick Theatre is one of the only screening rooms in South Carolina with a 35mm film projector. In a 35mm screening, the movie is projected from physical rolls of film, which was standard practice when “House” was released in 1977. If you’ve never seen a movie projected on film before, it’s not an experience to miss — the depth of the colors is amazing.
“House,” a cult classic of Japanese horror, is a highly sought-after film, especially around Halloween. “We were very lucky to secure this print,” Feghali said. “We had to book the movie a year in advance to secure the reels.”
Another unusual screening will be the 1984 classic “Stop Making Sense,” directed by Jonathan Demme and featuring the influential band Talking Heads. It has been regarded as the best concert movie of all time.
The film will be screened at Clemson’s outdoor amphitheater across from Cooper Library, which should make it feel like a true concert experience as the onscreen band performs classic songs like “Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down the House.”
The showing of “Jaws” will also be special, using the Watt Family Innovation Center’s 3D projector. Steven Spielberg’s classic blockbuster is sure to be all the more exciting and unsettling in three dimensions.
While they’ll be screened in more conventional environments, the other films in the series are still worth seeing. Among them is Charles Laughton’s “The Night of the Hunter,” an incredible, visually stunning movie that’s not often shown on the big screen.
The series will also include more contemporary releases, like “Aftersun.” The Charlotte Wells-directed dramedy, which was released in 2022, stars Paul Mescal and is already on its way to becoming a classic.
The series’ directors intentionally aimed to balance obscure and less widely shown movies with more recognizable films, so there should be something for everyone, whether you’re a fan of horror, comedy or anything in between.
Updates on the fall 2025 film series will be posted on Clemson world cinema’s Instagram @clemsonworldcinema.
