Horror cinephiles help the homeless population

Horror movie fans are some of the most peculiar people that I know. A bit cultish by nature, almost all of them are self-described weirdos, outcasts and misfits. They are bound together by the belief that they live on the fringes of society; and even though there’s this camaraderie among them, they still bicker back and forth about what makes a great horror movie — is it the blood, gore and body count, or is it suspense, jump scares, and the atmosphere created by things that go bump in the night?

As passionate, divisive and opinionated as they are about the genre, this group of bloodthirsty cinephiles tends to be, ironically, some of the most compassionate, empathetic and accepting groups of people in society. For example, this past holiday season, veteran horror host Joe Bob Briggs was able to raise more than $200,000 in a charity auction that benefited organizations like March of Dimes, the Jeanette Rankin Foundation, and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. So, I wasn’t surprised when I discovered that there was a nonprofit organization hosting monthly horror screenings here in Little Rock.

Arkansas Community Advocates ( ACA) has set aside the last Friday of every month this year as a fundraising event when it screens scary movies in exchange for a small donation; to find out more about this organization and these screenings, I sat down with one of these advocates, Timothy Winsor. We met for a late breakfast in the SoMA district of Little Rock at The Root Cafe, which is a quaint little eatery that sources most of their ingredients from local farmers. As I got to the restaurant, Winsor was there, already waiting for me, sporting a black velvety top hat and wearing a black shirt depicting Count Dracula on it. I ordered muffins and black coffee, while he opted for a vegan snack.

When asked to describe what ACA is, Winsor said, “it’s a local nonprofit that is currently located in Central Arkansas, with a branch in Batesville, that performs a variety of different services for the low-income and unhoused members of our community.” He went on to list just a few of those services: “Right now, what we’re most known for is our community refrigerator project, which is a couple of locations in North Little Rock where we have refrigerators hooked up, and individuals or local restaurants can bring any extra food and stock the refrigerators, and people that are in need of food can come by and take what they need.”

On top of the community refrigerator project, once a week volunteers provide the homeless with a warm homecooked meal along with any non-food related items they may need, such as blankets and toiletries. Regarding homelessness, Winsor said “we consider it to be a societal failing as opposed to a personal failing.”

The ACA is only a few years old and hasn’t secured any grant funding. All of its projects are funded purely through donations and help from the community. Thus, the need for grassroots fundraising. The ACA’s Friday Night Frights film series started at the end of last year, and will continue throughout this year. Winsor personally chose this year’s film lineup. Why screen only horror movies?

“Not only is it a personal favorite genre of mine, horror has more of a cult following,” he says. “And when you’re limited to public domain films, people would rather watch older scary movies and campy sci-fi stuff, rather than whatever else is available.”

The movies that Winsor has selected certainly aren’t your traditional horror flicks. He wanted to stay away from the classics that are over shown, like “Night of the Living Dead” and “Carnival of Souls.” Instead, his events will be showcasing several European horror films with a healthy mix of zombies, vampires and serial killers from “classic” films from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Some of the movies that will be screened are “Frankenstein’s Daughter” (1958), “Don’t Look in the Basement” ( 1973) and “She Beast” ( 1966). The movies will play at a venue called The Labyrinth on South Spring Street. I’ve never been to this specific venue before, but Winsor assured me that it has a spooky, candelabraesque atmosphere that’s perfect for a night of scares.

As we were leaving The Root Cafe and parting ways, a woman approached us. By her dingy, downtrodden appearance and the fact that she had a pretty thick blanket wrapped around her — it was a fairly cold morning — she was obviously a person in need. Having no hard cash on me at the moment, I did what I normally do in these types of situations and shamefully avoided eye contact. But Winsor promptly fished around his pocket and pulled out his wallet, with a smile on his face and a gleeful, reassuring, “I got you.” I’m not sure how much money he gave that poor, cold lady, but it was enough to brighten her eyes and give Winsor an appreciative fist bump.

I was left in awe of this genuine act of kindness, and if all the volunteers at the ACA are as legitimate and good-natured as Winsor is, then it is indeed a very special organization that is accepting of all the outcasts, weirdos and misfits that might find themselves on the outskirts of society.

The ACA will be screening Dario Argento’s classic giallo horror flick “Deep Red” at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at The Labyrinth. Entry is $5, and donations are appreciated. You can find its full lineup and more information about the ACA on its Facebook page.