There are more scary movies in cinemas this month than you can say ‘boo’ at. Here’s a comprehensive guide to what’s new to cinemas this Halloween, and the coolest retro screenings are taking place in each Australian city.
New releases
The Moogai
Release date: 31 October
A young Aboriginal couple brings home their second baby. What should be a joyous time takes a sinister turn, as the baby’s mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to take her baby. Directed by Jon Bell.
Smile 2
Release date: 17 October
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control. Directed by Parker Finn.
Terrifier 3
Release date: 10 October
Five years after surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna and Jonathan are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. Directed by Damien Leone.
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Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Release date: 10 October
Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent get stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. There, they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man. Directed by Brian Taylor.
The Substance
Release date: 19 September
A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. Directed by Coralie Fargeat.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Release date: 5 September
After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife. Directed by Tim Burton.
Retrospectives
The Thing (1982) and Videodrome (1983); double feature
Screening at : Cinema Nova, Melbourne
15 October
The Thing: In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing creature wreaks havoc, creates terror… and becomes one of them. Directed by John Carpenter.
Videodrome: As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon Videodrome, a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought. Directed by David Cronenberg.
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Mandy (2018)
Screening at: Rewind Cinema, Hobart
20 October
The Shadow Mountains, 1983. Red and Mandy lead a loving and peaceful existence; but when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire. Directed by Panos Cosmatos.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Screening at: The Mercury, Adelaide
21 October
The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth. Directed by Philip Kaufman.
Frankenstein (1931) and Dracula (1931); double feature
Screening at: Palace Nova, Adelaide
21 October
Frankenstein: Tampering with life and death, Henry Frankenstein pieces together salvaged body parts to bring a human monster to life; the mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his creation’s violent rage as the monster awakens to a world in which he is unwelcome. Directed by James Whale.
Dracula: British estate agent Renfield travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a castle in London. After Dracula enslaves Renfield and drives him to insanity, the pair sail to London together and Dracula, a secret vampire, begins preying on London socialites. Directed by Tod Browning.
The Babadook (2014) and Lake Mungo (2008); double feature
Screening at: The Astor, Melbourne
23 October
The Babadook: A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her. Directed by Jennifer Kent.
Lake Mungo: After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns in a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice’s secret past emerges. Directed by Joel Anderson.
Possession (1981)
Screening at: Ritz, Lido, and Cameo Cinemas (Sydney and Melbourne)
26 October
A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair. Directed by Andrzej Żuławski.
House (1977)
Screening at: Ritz, Lido, and Cameo Cinemas (Sydney and Melbourne)
31 October
Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip to the countryside to visit her aunt at their ancestral house. She invites her six friends, Prof, Melody, Mac, Fantasy, Kung Fu, and Sweet, to join her. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Screening at: Golden Age Cinema, Sydney
31 October
Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader takes evil to a whole new level after she’s possessed by a sinister demon. Now it’s up to her best friend to stop Jennifer’s reign of terror before it’s too late. Directed by Karyn Kusama.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Screening at: Luna Palace, Perth
31 October
A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family. Directed by Roman Polanski.
Nosferatu (1922)
Screening: Palace Cinemas, Brisbane
31 October
The mysterious Count Orlok summons Thomas Hutter to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen. After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile Orlok’s servant, Knock, prepares for his master to arrive at his new home. Directed by FW Murnau.
The Host (2006)
Screening at: The Nightcliff Library, Darwin
31 October
A teenage girl is captured by a giant mutated squid-like creature that appears from Seoul’s Han River after toxic waste was dumped in it, prompting her family into a frantic search for her. Directed by Bong Joon-ho.
Screening dates and times are subject to change. Make sure to check your local cinema’s website before heading out.
