Los Angeles has no shortage of movie theaters with great repertory programming, and when the calendar flips to October they all turn to cinema's rich history of horror films. There's plenty of the usual titles you'd find around Halloween time, but this October will be a great opportunity to discover some gory gems that might not even be available on DVD. Here's a guide to what frights will be on the big screen this October in Los Angeles.
SHOCKTOBER AT THE NEW BEVERLY
Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema always delivers when it comes to bloody genre fare (as always it's all on 35mm), and next month's programming is even more eclectic than the year before. On October 5 and 6, there'll be a triple-feature of horror obscurities Tourist Trap (which Stephen King calls one of his favorites) and the L.A. set Slithis and The Dark. Also on the calendar are classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Rosemary's Baby, and the 1925 silent The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney in his iconic role. Midnights at the New Bev this month will feature the three From Dusk 'Til Dawn films and the director's cut of Alien. October 28 and 29 will have a horror-comedy double feature with Young Frankenstein (R.I.P. Gene Wilder) and The Man With Two Brains.
Tuesdays, the theater's grindhouse nights, will feature a whole slate of disreputable fare like the Vincent Price witch hunt film The Conqueror Worm, an Umberto Lenzi giallo double-feature, and an Alice Cooper concert film.
As expected, their annual All-Night Horror Show—a 12-hour marathon of six rare and unannounced films—has already sold out, as has Quentin's Horror Comedy All-Nighter. However, you can try your luck in the standby line.
The New Beverly Cinema is located at 7165 West Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District. (323) 938-4038
BEYOND FEST AT THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE
L.A.'s biggest genre festival takes hold at the Egyptian Theatre once again, spanning 12 days starting September 30 and featuring both the past and present. It kicks off with a bang, with the latest film from Paul Schrader, Dog Eat Dog, as well as a 35mm screening of Taxi Driver (Schrader's second screenplay). Both Schrader and Dog Eat Dog star Nicolas Cage will be in attendance.
Other big events include the West Coast premiere of Ana Lily Amirpour's The Bad Batch, the U.S. premiere of the 3-D version of George S. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, and a live-score of the Shaw Brothers' The 36th Chamber of Shaolin by the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA.
Beyond Fest takes place at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater from September 30 to October 11. The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood.
CARNIVAL OF HORRORS AT CINEFAMILY
Cinefamily has been roving around town lately, with outdoor screenings at Barnsdall Art Park and even holding screenings at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. For October their Carnival of Horrors series will be at the Bob Baker, and it will feature sideshow exploitation titles like Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre and the progenitor of the genre, the 1932 film Freaks.
Back at their home base, the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax, the Haunted Hangovers series has horror classics like the sleazy Cat People and The Bride of Frankenstein. And if you're a fan of Japanese horror flicks, Cinefamily has you covered with a trio of screenings. There's Takashi Miike's Audition on October 8 and Pulse on October 15. On October 22 there'll be a screening of both classics Ringu and Ju-On, proceeded by Sadako Vs. Kayako, a recently released mash-up of the aforementioned movies.
Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 N Fairfax Ave. in the Fairfax District, (323) 655-2510. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is located at 1345 W 1st St. in Westlake. Check Cinefamily's site for more information.
ALL-NIGHT HORRORTHON AT THE AERO THEATRE
If you can't get into the New Bev's all-nighter, Santa Monica's Aero Theatre has their own horror marathon on October 29. Titles include the bloody remake of The Blob and the Category III (Hong Kong's equivalent of NC-17) film Devil Fetus. Other spooky programming from the Aero in October includes a double-feature of the Dr. Phibes horror-comedies (starring Vincent Price) on October 14 at the Aero, and Bela Lugosi's Dracula (as well as the lesser-known sequel Dracula's Daughter) on October 30, and the original Ghostbusters on 70mm on October 28. Ghostbusters also screens again at the Egyptian Theatre on October 30.
The American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre is located at 1328 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO AT LACMA
In conjunction with their exhibit Guillermo del Toro: At Home With the Monsters, LACMA will screen several of the director's own films (all on 35mm). These include his very first feature, the creepy Cronos, his critically-acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth, and both Hellboy films. For their Tuesday afternoon matinees, LACMA has been screening a series of films curated by del Toro himself—Fuel for Nightmares are films that inspired the director. Forthcoming titles include the French cult favorite Eyes Without a Face and the moody masterpiece Night of the Hunter. On Halloween they'll be screening The Bride of Frankenstein, a favorite of del Toro's and considered the best of Universal Studios' horror films.
The Leo S. Bing Theatre is located at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (323) 857-6010
HALLOWEEN SUPER 8 SPOOKTACULAR
Every month the micro-cinema/classroom Echo Park Film Center hosts Vinegar Syndrome, their grab bag showcase from the depths of their eclectic collection of found footage and Super 8 ephemera. Naturally the October 20 edition of Vinegar Syndrome will feature plenty of schlock and rubber-masked monsters from no-budget horror films. To cap it all off, there will be live musical accompaniment from an organ and theremin.
Echo Park Film Center is located at 122 N. Alvardo St. in Echo Park. (213) 484-8846.
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS AT THE OLD TOWN MUSIC HALL
Universal Studios practically set the standard for horror films back in the 1920s with their monsters, often starring Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, or Boris Karloff. The Old Town Music Hall, a hidden gem in El Segundo, highlights these films all month, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Don't miss Edgar G. Ulmer's The Black Cat on September 30, too.
The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond St. in El Segundo. (310) 322-2592.
THE THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL
Always one to turn a movie screening into an event, the Theatre at Ace Hotel is literally throwing a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Brian De Palma's Carrie. There will be a reunion of the cast and crew, and a "prom"-themed party after the screening, with proceeds benefitting the weSPARK Cancer Support Center. Other events happening next month at the Theatre at Ace Hotel include a live-score screening of The Evil Dead hosted by Bruce Campbell on October 25, and screenings of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu accompanied by the L.A. Opera's chamber orchestra on October 29 and 31.
The Theatre at Ace Hotel is located at 929 S Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. (213) 623-3233.
CINESPIA AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
A cemetery is a weird place to see a movie outdoors, but it's obviously appropriate when October rolls around. Cinespia screens the Meryl Streep/Bruce Willis comedy Death Becomes Her on October 15, and the original A Nightmare on Elm Street on October 22.
October 19 will be the free premiere of IFC's Stan Against Evil, a new show about a New England town haunted by its witch-burning past. There will be complimentary (!) Kogi and In-N-Out.
Hollywood Forever is located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. For screening information, check Cinespia's website.
Also: Rooftop Film Club at Hollywood's The Montalban has a few screenings around the weekend of Halloween (Scream, Hocus Pocus, to name a few)... Electric Dusk Drive-In has films like Edward Scissorhands and The Silence of the Lambs on their October slate... and if you want to be frightened in theater luxury, the Arclight Theatres throughout the Los Angeles area will be screening horror favorites all month.
See also: Over 30 Creepy Mazes, Haunts, Tours, Escape Rooms And More For Halloween
Photos: Inside Universal Studios' Creepy Halloween Horror Nights
