Where a murder-for-hire silenced the owner mid-screening in 1997 — and the jingling keys never stopped
611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Ticket prices vary by screening; check website for current pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor cinema on a flat urban street
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1942 · Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument · Only continuous silent-film cinema in the United States for decades · Site of 1997 murder-for-hire
John Hampton, an Oklahoma native with a lifelong obsession with silent cinema, opened the theater at 611 N Fairfax in 1942. He and his wife Dorothy lived in the apartment above and screened silent films exclusively for nearly four decades, running what became the only continuously operating silent-film theater in the country. Hampton died in 1990 after the theater had already gone dark; attendance had slipped badly through the 1980s.
Lawrence Austin, a friend of the Hamptons, acquired the theater and reopened it in 1991. He brought in a live organist, restored the programming, and ran it as something closer to the original vision — a genuine revival house devoted to the pre-sound era.
On the evening of January 17, 1997, the theater was screening Sunrise when an audience member left his seat during one of the short films preceding the feature. In the lobby, Austin was standing behind the candy counter with concessions worker Mary Giles. The man drew a .357 revolver, demanded the register money, then shot Austin in the face. Austin died immediately. He shot Giles twice in the chest; she survived. The gunman shot Austin two more times and left.
Investigators quickly determined the robbery was staged. James Van Sickle — the theater's projectionist, Austin's lover, and the sole beneficiary of his estate — had contracted a man named Christian Rodriguez to carry out the killing for approximately $30,000. Both Van Sickle and Rodriguez were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Charlie Lustman purchased the theater in 1999 and operated it before it became the Cinefamily from 2007 until 2017, when that organization collapsed following misconduct allegations. The building sat dormant until 2020, when streetwear company Brain Dead leased the space and relaunched it as Brain Dead Studios — a repertory cinema, cafe, and retail venue that programs cult films, frequently in 35mm.
Sources
When Charlie Lustman reopened the theater in 1999, he and his employees began noticing something in the apartment above the cinema — the Hamptons' former residence. They described feeling a persistent presence there and, more specifically, hearing the sound of keys jingling in the hallway. Those who knew Lawrence Austin identified it immediately: the sound matched his well-known nervous habit of rattling his key ring.
Visitors over the years have reported seeing shadowy figures near the candy counter — the specific spot in the lobby where Austin was standing when he was shot in January 1997. The lobby's compact dimensions make the geography of the event unusually concrete: the same stretch of counter, the same distance from the entrance.
John Hampton, who screened silent films in this building for nearly forty years and lived directly above the theater, is also said to have remained. Some accounts describe the spirit of an older man moving through the projection area or the apartment upstairs. Whether these reports represent distinct presences or the building's accumulated history being read into ordinary sounds is a matter of interpretation — but the accounts have been consistent across multiple ownership eras.
Notable Entities
The historic theater facade at 611 N Fairfax Ave is publicly visible from the street. The building has operated continuously since 1942 under several names — Silent Movie Theatre, Cinefamily, Fairfax Cinema, and now Brain Dead Studios — and the exterior retains its mid-century character. The lobby where Lawrence Austin was shot in January 1997 is accessible during screening events.
Brain Dead Studios operates the historic cinema as a repertory screening venue programming cult films, silent-era movies, and contemporary fare, often in 35mm. The building's history — including the 1997 murder-for-hire in the lobby — is part of its public identity. An outdoor cafe and showroom occupy the space.
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