She Likes to Watch

Silly, scary movies close out the month of October

The fun starts tonight with Mel Brooks’ whacky “Star Wars” spoof, “Spaceballs.”

A parody of George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy, “Star Trek” and scores of other blockbusters, the plot of “Spaceballs” should sound familiar to most.

A princess on the run from Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and his evil forces teams up with Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog, half-man sidekick, Barf (John Candy).

Along the way, our heroes encounter wizened Yogurt (Mel Brooks), who teaches Lone Starr about “The Schwartz,” and disgusting mobster Pizza the Hutt (Dom DeLouise) .

References to 1980s pop culture abound — from video rentals and computers to Mr. Coffee, fast-food chains and movie merchandising.

I personally can’t wait for “Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.”

“Spaceballs” shows tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Fremont theatre, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. Show up a half-hour early for trivia and prizes.

Tickets are $7.50.

***

The Palm Theatre’s reign of terror comes to an end this week with two frightening flicks: “Scream” and “The Crow.”

On Wednesday, “Scream” delivers a dose of good old-fashioned ’90s irony.

When a psychopath starts killing high schoolers in a quiet California town, it’s up to a hot teen (Neve Campbell), an ambitious TV reporter (Courtney Cox Arquette) and a dopey deputy (David Arquette) to unmask the killer.

Director Wes Craven pays tribute to the popular slasher genre of the 1970s and 1980s while mining every horror movie cliche in the book.

Unlike the half-baked sequels, horror revival flicks (“I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Urban Legend”) and corny spoofs (“Scary Movie,” et al) that followed it, however, “Scream” tempers its gore with smarts, social commentary and self-referential humor. It’s clever without being glib, and just as fun as the day it was released in 1996.

Thursday takes a darker turn with “The Crow” –a lushly gothic cult classic.

On Oct. 30, police officers discover the bodies of a young couple attacked by a gang of vicious street thugs on the night before their Halloween wedding. Rock musican Eric Draven is found dead in the street after being shot and thrown out a window. His fiancee, Shelly, has been beaten and raped.

A year later, Eric returns from the grave to seek revenge for the brutal crimes — guided by a mystical crow.

Based on James O’Barr’s comic book, “The Crow” quickly gained cult status for its stylish storytelling and the tragic fate of its star, Brandon Lee. He died during filming after being accidentally shot in the abdomen with a dummy round. (The son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee was just 28.)

Showtimes for both movies are 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.