Aw yeah, it's time to get spooky. From weekly family-friendly screenings to the 10-day marathon for true horror buffs, find slashers, monsters, ghosts and demons at these scary-movie throwdowns around town.
Shocktober at New Beverly Cinema
Screenings throughout the month
Cling to your date and cover your eyes through an entire month of the goriest, campiest and choicest horror films at this L.A. institution. Per custom at Quentin Tarantino's movie house, everything screened is in full 35mm glory, and you’d better believe the theater’s “All-Night Horror Show” will return for 12 straight hours of murderous fun. Also screening in October are The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, From Dusk Till Dawn, Pan's Labyrinth, 1976's The Omen, It Follows, The Silence of the Lambs and more, often running as double headers. Check out the month's full schedule here.
Screamfest at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Oct 10–19
This horror-film fest is old enough to star in its own high school slasher film. Now in its 17th year, Screamfest has added classic-horror screenings to its 10-day mix of new and genre-bending horror films from the U.S. and abroad. Find mainstream horror, indie horror, old-school horror and most genres and eras of horror, plus opportunities to rub elbows with genre stars, directors and producers. There's even a "Romero-thon" on October 19 featuring showings of Day of the Dead, Creepshow and a free screening of Night of the Living Dead. The schedule can be found right this way.
Horrorthon at Aero Theater
Oct 28; additional screenings throughout the month
You won’t need the stamina required of running from a killer, but you’ll need enough to last through Aero's seven-film, one-night movie marathon. But don’t worry, there’ll be free pizza and complimentary energy drinks to help you through it. The madness begins at 7:30pm on October 28 and continues until the next morning with between-film giveaways, costumed characters, horror shorts and a theater full of rowdy, fellow horror enthusiasts. Currently in its 12th year, Horrorthon's got a seasoned lineup in store: An American Werewolf in London, Popcorn, The Tingler, Hack-O-Lantern, Shocker, Brainscan, and Death Bed: The Bed That Eats.
Twelve straight hours of horror not your thing? The Aero is screening scary movies throughout the month including a showing of Italian horror classic Suspiria on Friday the 13th, and 1963's chilling The Haunting on October 29. Looking for more? Get at the Aero's calendar here.
Beyond Fest at the Egyptian Theater
Through October 10
As one of the nation's largest genre-driven film festivals, you'd better believe L.A.'s Beyond Fest will be screening some serious horror this October. Find showings of American classics such as Hellraiser and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre just as easily as you can catch international horror flicks like Les Affemes and Suspiria. Ticket prices vary; find the full schedule here.
Can't make it to Beyond? The Egyptian's screening additional horror flicks this month, whether you're looking for zombies (Flesh Eater, October 22) or demonic possession (Nails, October 25). Peep the Egyptian's calendar here.
Horror classics at Rooftop Cinema Club
Screenings throughout the month
It's no secret that we're huge fans of Rooftop Cinema Club, and it's even less of a secret that this outdoor film series offers some of the best lineups in town. For prime spooky season, Rooftop is screening horror classics at both its Montalbán Theatre rooftop location in Hollywood and the roof of LEVEL in DTLA throughout the last half of the month. Cozy up under a blanket—perfect for clinging to during suspenseful scenes—and put on those wireless headphones for crystal-clear sound, which will honestly make that nuanced score from The Shining all the more terrifying. Strap in for Poltergeist, The Fly, The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice, Carrie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even a screening of Friday the 13th on actual Friday the 13th (so meta). Check out the schedule for LEVEL here, and the Montalbán here, and get ready for weeks of terror, no matter your part of town.
Universal Monsters at LACMA
Screenings throughout the month
Each Tuesday at 1pm, the stellar art museum screens classic, recent, pivotal and poignant films in its Bing Theater, and this month, they're dedicating the matinee run to Universal's classic movie monsters (sorry not sorry, Tom Cruise). On October 10 find the Spanish-language Dracula, followed by the (original) Mummy on October 17. On October 24 see (/don't see) The Invisible Man, and to close out the series, stop by on October 31 for Creature from the Black Lagoon. What's more, each screening is just $4 for the general public and only $2 for LACMA members, seniors, and children (who amazingly can be aged up to 17 years old to fit this criteria). Spooky score.
Free scares for children and the timid at Horse Thief BBQ and Beer Garden
Screenings throughout the month
Throughout most of the year, the scariest thing about Grand Central Market is the parking. This month, however, Horse Thief BBQ takes the spooky reigns, offering screenings on its shaded patio for three Wednesdays in a row. No purchase required to enjoy these tame-but-still-classic flicks (but we're guessing you're going to want some snacks and suds while you watch). Stop by October 11 for The Nightmare Before Christmas, October 18 for Hocus Pocus, and October 25 for Beetlejuice. All films are open seating and start at 7:30pm, but why not get there a little early, grab a bite and secure your seats?
Free movies and trivia at Bareburger
Screenings throughout the month
Lovers of organic eats, and those simply on the Westside, take note: Bareburger in Santa Monica is hosting free screenings throughout the month and, with the exception of Scream on October 31, all films are family-friendly. Snack on healthy, organic and non-GMO burgers, salads and milkshakes while you take in Beetlejuice on October 10, Ghostbusters on October 17, The Nightmare Before Christmas on October 24, and of course Scream on Halloween night. Showings begin at 8pm on Bareburger's private patio, and include trivia and a few fun surprises along the way.
Night of the Living Dead in Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Oct 21
The brilliant team behind Cinespia has done it again, planning one of the season's most apropos screenings—after all, what better place to watch a zombie movie than in an actual cemetery? Of course, referring to Night of the Living Dead as simply a "zombie movie" doesn't do it justice. We've got the late, great Romero to thanks for popularizing the zombie genre and spiking it with controversial gore and other now-hallmarks of the genre, and Cinespia is honoring the film and Romero's legacy by screening the new, rarely seen restoration of the 1968 classic. Come dressed as the undead, pack a picnic and settle in amongst the graves at Hollywood Forever and hope the dead don't rise to the occasion.
Shaun of the Dead at the Greek Theatre
Oct 26
So, here's the plan: We take a car to our friends' houses, we grab them, we drive over to the Greek, we go in, we take care of finding seats, hole up, have a cup of tea, and we watch a one-night-only screening of Shaun of the Dead, and we wait for all the world's craziness to blow over. This special outdoor screening begins at 7:30pm, and you'll probably see some zombies milling about (but please, try not to paddle them); guests are encouraged to dress up as a zombie or favorite Shaun characters. You'll also receive a free commemorative T-shirt, while supplies last. The kicker: tickets are only $12 per head and are on sale now. How's that for a slice of fried gold. Yeah, boiiiiiiiii.
IT on Halloween night at Melrose Rooftop Cinema
Oct 31; additional screenings throughout the month
Before there was the wholly horrifying IT of 2017, there was the TV miniseries IT of 1990, which starred Tim Curry as the irascible and iconic clown Pennywise. If you're looking for Halloween-night plans, this is a great one. Head to E.P./L.P. and grab a halloween-themed cocktail at one of the finest rooftops in all of L.A., then settle in because the restaurant's Melrose Rooftop Cinema is screening the entire miniseries in one night, from 7 to 11pm. If you get too scared, just look beyond the screen and take in the view of the Hollywood Hills, or go downstairs for a snack—maybe something like E.P.'s special Halloween-inspired dish, jet-black Hainan chicken.
If you've already got night-of plans or are too terrified of clowns to sit through four hours of Pennywise, you're in luck: they're screening a few other spooky movies this month, including The Lost Boys, Hocus Pocus, Scream and The Silence of the Lambs, all with a variety of price options, from general admission to dinner-and-a-movie packages. Find the full schedule here.
The Phantom of the Opera at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Oct 31
Less into clowns, more into opera ghosts? Walt Disney Concert Hall brings back its annual halloween screening, this year with Lon Chaney's 1925 Phantom as the star. The silent film sent audiences into a terror tizzy upon The Phantom of the Opera's release, and though we've all become a bit more accustomed (OK, maybe desensitized is the word) since, the original Phantom is still a ghastly film that stands today. Don't expect Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical here; instead you'll be hearing live accompaniment by esteemed organist Clark Wilson.
Halloween screenings at the El Capitan Theatre
Screenings throughout the month
Celebrate Halloween with two beloved Disney flicks: Hocus Pocus and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (complete with 4-D sensory effects). Show up early to each screening to hear in-house organist Rob Richards accompany the 1929 classic Disney short “The Skeleton Dance” live on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. You can also call up the theater and arrange for a special “spooktactular” edition of its backstage tour.