Screenland Armour to Screen Classic Films at Elmwood Cemetery
On Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, Kansas City’s Screenland Armour will present a 5:30 p.m. screening of “Double Indemnity” at Elmwood Cemetery located at 4900 E. Truman Road, as reported by KCUR.
Outdoor movie events at historic grounds
Suzanne Owens came up with the idea to show films at Elmwood Cemetery last year. “I love cemeteries in general, so it just kind of made sense to me,” Owens told KCUR with a laugh.
“It’s a very niche thing, but I know that there are enough like-minded people in Kansas City that would think that a movie in a cemetery is — if they think it’s creepy, it’s a good creepy.” She thought the site off Truman Road and Van Brunt Boulevard would be ideal due to its old trees and Victorian-era monuments.
Universal wanted $500 and 50% of the profits for a screening of “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” which Owens wanted as her first pick. That price made the choice unworkable, KCUR reported. Owens then enlisted Adam Roberts, who has owned and operated the Screenland Armour independent movie theatre in North Kansas City since 2013.
“I think a lot of what we’re all chasing these days is an experience,” Roberts told KCUR. Roberts installed 70mm film projectors at his theatre to show recent releases like “The Odyssey.”
At the cemetery, he noted the educational aspect: “Being able to have a history lesson in a way by going to a cemetery and then watching an older film is quite the experience and is quite the adventure.” Weather remains a constant factor for outdoor setups, with Roberts identifying windstorms as the biggest threat to the inflatable screen.
Screening classic monster movies
Last fall, Roberts screened the 1941 classic monster movie “The Wolf Man” to a sold-out crowd of 180 people, alongside a previous screening of the 1958 film “House on Haunted Hill,” starring Vincent Price.
Elmwood Cemetery serves as the final resting place for more than 30,000 people, including Jacob Loose, founder of the Sunshine Biscuit Company; William F. Davis, Kansas City’s first Black police officer; and 12 Kansas City mayors. Brad Finch, vice president and trustee of the nonprofit Elmwood Cemetery Society, explained that the grounds contain history both big and small.
“We’ve got Kirkland B. Armour from Armour Hot Dogs,” Finch told KCUR. “And then we have the small names with the wild stories, like the guy that cremated himself in his own grave — yeah! There’s just wacky stuff.”
Designed by architect George Kessler in the 1890s, the landscaped grounds have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. Finch said that events help introduce the public to the grounds, which rely on donations and volunteers.
Cody Gaines attended a screening with his wife, Mariah Fields, and their 8-year-old daughter, Devlin, traveling from Olathe. “Seeing movies outside is great, especially during the fall,” Gaines told KCUR. “It’s a little hot today, but it’s nice and pastoral to be sitting amongst the graves.”