Time Out's guide to a weekend of Halloween screenings

Fancy scaring the living daylights out of yourself? Be our guest. Here’s our guide to the goriest, bloodiest, spookiest films screening across London this Halloween weekend. Better schedule in time for a trip to the dry cleaners on Monday morning…

Japanese Bad Taste Double Bill
Where: Barbican
When: Friday Oct 29 2010, 7.30pm.
Why: Because the Japanese do spectacularly tasteless overkill better than anyone else: ‘Robogeisha’ features a full-scale female-only war with power tools while ‘Big Tits Zombie’ features, well, you can  guess.


‘The Thing’ & ‘The Shining’
Where: BFI Southbank
When: Sat Oct 30 2010, from 5.30pm
Why: Every Halloween, there are a couple of films that are playing all over the place: this year it’s the snowbound pairing of John Carpenter’s Antarctic shapeshifting masterpiece ‘The Thing’ and Stanley Kubrick’s hysterical hotel horrorshow ‘The Shining’.



’80s Horror All-nighter
Where: Electric Cinema
When: Sat October 30 2010 from midnight
Why: If there’s one event that hits the Halloween heights this weekend, it’s this: kicking off with ubiquitous snowy slime-o-rama ‘The Thing’, there’ll also be a rare screening of awesome scuzzy bodysnatching comedy ‘Re-Animator’, stupendous slapstick splatfest ‘Evil Dead 2’ and Spielberg’s rollercoaster lightshow ‘Poltergeist’. It truly doesn’t get any better.


‘The Thing' and ‘The Shining’. Again.
Where: Jetlag Bar & Restaurant
When: Sun October 31 2010 from 6pm
Why: Because both the films are, let’s face it, pure classics: you can’t go wrong with Kurt Russell in aviators or Jack Nicholson at the typewriter. Even if they are on everywhere. (see also One Aldwych)



‘Halloween’
Where: Portobello Pop-up
When: Sun October 31 2010, 7.30pm
Why: Just because it’s an obvious choice doesn’t make it a bad one: Carpenter’s genre-defining slasher, ‘Halloween’, still puts the frighteners on the hardiest of cinemagoers. Plus this’ll be one of the final opportunities to enjoy the unique environs of the Pop-up, whose eclectic screening choices and scruffy charms have so enlivened our moviegoing these past few months.


‘The Haunting’
Where: Zabludowicz Collection
When: Sun October 31 2010 at 8pm
Why: Because Robert Wise’s pitch-perfect adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s modern gothic classic, ‘The Haunting’, is arguably the best, and definitely the creepiest ghost story ever committed to celluloid. And because once you’ve been, you can call in and tell us how to pronounce ‘Zabludowicz’.


‘Edward Scissorhands’
Where: Zippo’s Circus, Old Deer Park in Richmond
When: Sunday October 31 2010, 7.45pm
Why: Because ‘Edward Scissorhands’ was Tim Burton’s last half decent movie, and it would be amazing to see it out of doors, especially if it starts snowing. And who says you need go all ‘Human Centipede’ just because it’s Halloween?


‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘Evil Dead II’ and ‘The Exorcist’.
Where: Screen on the Green
When: ‘Dawn...’ Fri October 29 2010 11pm, ‘Evil Dead II’ Sat October 30 2010 11pm, ‘The Exorcist’ Sun October 31 2010 11pm.
Why: Well what better in these budget-cut blighted times than ‘Dawn of the Dead’, a consumerist allegory about zombies invading a shopping mall? If that sounds too heavy, why not chuckle and scream at the same time with Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead II’? Still too soft? Then try ‘The Exorcist’ the still utterly disturbing tale of a young girl possessed by the devil.


‘Let the Right One In’, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Dracula’
Where: Hampstead Everyman
When: ‘Let the Right One In’ Fri October 29 2010 9pm, ‘The Shining’ Sat October 30 2010 9pm and ‘Dracula’ Sun October 31 2010 9pm.
Why: Those who haven’t already will want to catch the Swedish teen vampire classic ‘Let The Right On In’ before the American remake comes out a week late so notes can be compared. Then Kubrick’s slasher/ghost yarn ‘The Shining’ can scare the bejesus out of you allowing for a small window until last orders. Then Terence Fisher’s classic 1958 Hammer Horror version of ‘Dracula’ sees Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on brilliantly spooky form. 



Halloween 3D all-nighter
Where: BFI IMAX
When: Sat October 30 2010, 11pm kick-off
Why: Well, it’s a chance to catch up on the last year-or-so’s worth of 3D horror movies, including breast-acular bloodbath ‘Piranha 3D’, zombie computer game adap sequel, ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D’, clockwork gorefest ‘The Final Destination 3D’ and Joe Dante’s fine return to filmmaking, ‘The Hole 3D’.
 

Halloween triple-bill
Where: Roxy Bar & Screen
When: Sun October 31 2010, 3pm start
Why: A classic threesome mixing two chilling stalwarts and one modern classic. First up is Friedkin’s pea-souper, ‘The Exorcist’, followed by the first (and best) of the J-horror movies, ‘Ring’ and then rounded off with John Carpenter’s seminal suburban carve-up, ‘Halloween’.



Halloween triple-bill
Where: Hither Green Cinema:
When: Sun October 31 2010, 3.30pm start
Why: An excellent choice if hardcore gore and disturbing themes are not your cup of tea. Tim Burton’s claymation horror-comedy ‘Corpse Bride’ kicks off the day, followed by Tim Curry in a basque, care of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, and then finally the spectral Spanish ghost story ‘The Orphanage’ to round things off.

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