Of Unknown Origin with Willard

Novelist Evan Hunter (Blackboard Jungle) adapted the story by Daphne Du Maurier (Rebecca) for one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s most daring films, with Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren as a pair of San Franciscans whose burgeoning romance faces a unique threat: an inexplicable assault on the human race by the local bird population. The film features some of the most intense sequences from the Master of Suspense, and its bleakly apocalyptic tone makes it a rarity among Hollywood films of the era. Ub Iwerks was nominated for the film’s ambitious special effects, and the film’s iconic imagery includes remarkable matte paintings by two-time Oscar-recipient Albert Whitlock.

In person: director Lewis Teague

Prophecy

A doctor investigating mysterious illnesses among Native Americans living in Maine discovers a monster created by pollution from a local lumber mill in this environmental sci-fi horror film directed by John Frankheimer (The Manchurian Candidate). The screenplay by David Seltzer (The Omen) provides both social commentary and old-fashioned thrills, and Oscar nominee Thomas Burman (Scrooged) created the film’s massive mutated menace.

At the end of the 19th century, workers constructing a railroad in East Africa found themselves the prey of man-eating lions in a true animal-attack story known as “the man-eaters of Tsavo.” The incident inspired this original screenplay by two-time Oscar winner William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), with Val Kilmer as the engineer and Michael Douglas the hunter who team up against the feline menace. Director Stephen Hopkins supported his cast with a top filmmaking team including cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, composer Jerry Goldsmith, and the special effects artists at Stan Winston Studios, with Bruce Stambler winning the Oscar for his sound effects editing.

Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

The Edge

While staying at an Alaskan resort with his wife, intellectual billionaire Charles (Anthony Hopkins) boards a prop plane with charismatic photographer Bob (Alec Baldwin) and his assistant. After the ill-fated flight leaves the men stranded in the wilderness, infighting becomes the least of their problems when a massive Kodiak bear stalks and repeatedly attacks them. The Edge is one of the last films to feature a performance by Bart the Bear, an animal actor who appeared in more than 10 films, including The Bear (1988) and Legends of the Fall (1994), and even helped present an award at the 70th Academy Awards.

Crawl

As a Category 5 hurricane batters Florida, competitive swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario) defies evacuation orders to check on her estranged father (Barry Pepper), fearing he may be at their former family home, which lies in the path of the destructive storm. She quickly discovers the hurricane isn’t the only threat to their safety, as rising floodwater has brought large alligators to the area. Compelled to save her father, Haley faces off against the deadly predators, putting her athletic ability and will to survive to the ultimate test. Directed by Alexandre Aja and co-produced by genre film icon Sam Raimi, Crawl is a tight thriller that pits woman against nature in every sense.

Deep Blue Sea in 35mm

Scientists hoping to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease use mako sharks as test subjects in a high-tech underwater facility out in the open ocean. As the sharks begin to display heightened intelligence, they attempt to escape, attacking the crew and their laboratory. Shark wrangler Carter Blake (Thomas Jane) attempts to save the remaining crew while the labyrinthine facility floods at an exponential rate. With supporting roles by LL Cool J (who also contributed songs to the soundtrack) and Samuel L. Jackson, Renny Harlin’s entry in the killer-animal genre was a spiritual update on Jaws.

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s gorgeously crafted survival epic was inspired by the true story of a 19th-century frontiersman who was abandoned by his companions after a near-fatal bear attack and had to make his way back to civilization alone. Iñárritu won his second consecutive Oscar for directing this primal story. Additional Oscars were won by Leonardo DiCaprio for his intense lead performance and Emmanuel Lubezki for his stunning natural-light cinematography. Filmed on spectacular, remote locations in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina, The Revenant received 12 nominations including Best Picture.