See how the word cliffhanger entered the vocabulary. Take the kids or grandkids to see shows produced to engage the audience long before it was necessary to rate movies because of violence, nudity and language.

This Saturday, July 30, kicks off Calcasieu Serial Fest, a free retro film festival celebrating the cliffhanger serials of yesteryear. Popcorn and soda are free too.

These serials from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s were the inspiration for films like Star Wars and paved the way for the modern superhero films of today, according to Patrick Bennett, Lake Charles Film Festival Director and Serial Fest.

At 10:20 a.m., the doors open at the Henning Cultural Center located at 923 Ruth St. in Sulphur.

During “Block 1,” watch as the actress Janet Reed who plays Ann Shaw, a character who travels to a mysterious land to find her father battles greed and savagery in Jungle Raiders. Chapter 3, “Prisoners of Fate” and Chapter 4, “Valley of Destruction.”

Next up is Chapter 15 from the 1943 serial The Phantom, “Peace in the Jungle.”

“Test of Terror and High Peril from the 1955 serial Panther Girl of the Congo serve up gripping storylines that feature giant crustaceans.

Block 2 begins at 12:10 p.m. It includes The Adventures of Captain Africa, The Green Hornet Strikes Again and The Perils of Nyoka Nyoka and Darkest Africa where the Bat-men of Joba. Darkest Africa contained the first use of the flying special effects that would later be used for Adventures of Captain Marvel.

Block 3 begins at 2:20 p.m. It will feature two chapters from Perils of the Darkest Jungle, The New Adventures of Tarzan from 1935, Jungle Jim and the 1941 Adventures of Captain Marvel, Valley of Death.