Halloween Rock Star Bash at Jergel’s; ‘The Martian’ and ‘Excorcist’ on Local Screens (Sat., 10/31/15)

1) Jergel’s Rhythm Grille is holding a Halloween Rock Star Bash and Costume Party tonight with music by Totally 80s and $2,000 in cash prizes. Costumes, music, prize money, and adult beverages—good times! 9 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale.

2) The Martian—If you’re looking for one job that is relatively safe, you could easily be a botanist. I mean, really, how aggressive are Venus Fly Traps? But Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, finds himself in a situation far from safe, and, for that matter, far from home. He’s part of a mission to Mars (they have plants on Mars—who knew?) but a cosmic storm hits base camp leaving destruction behind. His fellow astronauts survive but assume he hasn’t and hightail it back home. The problem is that Watney isn’t dead and now needs to figure out how to make do with limited resources and let mission control know that he’s stranded on the Red Planet. Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star in this Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi cliffhanger. Check Fandango for screens and times. (TH)

3) The Exorcist—It’s difficult to explain now the phenomenal media explosion caused by the release of The Exorcist in 1973. Front page stories about lines around the block, grown men passing out in the theater, people throwing up during the movie … it was cultural landmark. And it’s all about a little girl possessed by the devil and the two priests called in to rid her of the demon. Director William Friedkin used every cinematic trick available at the time to scare the living bejesus out of theater-goers. He’s helped considerably by a cast of top-notch actors: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller, and, of course, Linda Blair as the bedeviled Regan MacNeil. 2:15 and 9 p.m. Ends on Halloween. Row House Cinema, 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. (TH)

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