QUEENS — These flicks will give you chills and thrills.
This summer's annual Classic Film Fridays series, held at Rufus King Park in downtown Jamaica, is screening movies featuring psychopaths, from Alfred Hitchcock’s famous 1960 thriller “Psycho” to “The Silence of the Lambs,” directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
The lineup also includes Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining,” Martin Scorsese's “Cape Fear,” and Rob Reiner's “Misery,” all of which “have some crazy person at the center of them,” said Greg Mays of A Better Jamaica, a nonprofit that organizes the series.
Every year the series, now in its eighth season, features movies based on a specific theme.
“Everyone has a different taste in movies and we just want to make sure that everyone’s needs are being met,” Mays said.
Last year, the series presented five films that featured the late Robin Williams. In previous years, residents watched James Bond movies, romantic flicks and monster films, the organizers said.
A Better Jamaica is also behind the “Family Friendly Movies” series, which shows films throughout the summer, Monday through Thursday, in four Jamaica parks: Cambria/Cabbell, Brookville, Baisley Pond and Saint Albans.
This year's lineup includes: “The Karate Kid,” “Ratatouille,” “The Avengers,” “The Color Purple,” “The Matrix,” “War Room,” “Cars,” and “Brown Sugar.”
For more information and to see the complete schedule, go here. Screenings are free of charge and are scheduled to start after sunset. Residents should bring blankets or lawn chairs. Both series run throughout July and early August.