Every Monday, Weber State University students can catch a screening of hand-selected Chinese vampire movies in the Wildcat Theater. Blair Sterrett, a film professor at Weber State, hosts these screenings every Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. These screenings will continue through April 17.
Sterrett said anyone who wants to stop by the Wildcat Theater is more than welcome. Sterrett used to advise the Incredibly Strange Movie Night club, but unfortunately, that club ended when the COVID-19 pandemic started. This latest venture from Sterrett is being done through the University as a professor, so it is not a student-run organization holding the screenings.
Sterrett is currently co-authoring a book about the history of this sub-genre of filmmaking and is providing reviews of these films for the book, while his co-author, John Filitinie, writes about the history and culture of the films. Sterrett feels that watching these films in the Wildcat Theater would be a better experience free of distractions, rather than watching the films at home.
“I think more things should be happening through students in the theater,” Sterrett said. “I don’t think this gets utilized as much as it should.”
Sterrett discussed the cultural impact these films had in Japan during the 80s and 90s, spreading throughout the country.
“There were Chinese Vampire toys, objects, pencils. It was kind of like the “Star Wars” phenomenon over there,” Sterrett said. “It is something that has never truly made it to the United States because it’s so exotic and foreign and is steeped in Chinese culture.”
Sterrett’s reviews for these films do not consist of how much he enjoyed the film. but rather cover how much vampire-related content was in the film. The reviews Sterrett writes will also discuss if the film proposed a new way to stop a vampire.
Sterrett also looks to see if the film borrows anything from Western culture. These films will often use music that is well known in Western culture and is noted in his review.
“I don’t always give a film a rating, but I will say when it is recommended,” Sterrett said.
