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'Hocus Pocus'

Halloween movie options in NYC, including free "Shocktober Fest" outdoor movie series in city parks

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Halloween’s just a couple weeks away which makes October the ultimate month for horror movies. The Brooklyn Horror Film Fest just wrapped up it’s second editon but there are still shortage of places to see classic and new horror flicks on the big screen in NYC. Here’s a round-up of what’s going on.

The NYC Parks Department’s free “Movies Under the Stars” series brings us “SHOCKTOBER FEST” at various parks around the five boroughs all this month. most of which (but not all) are family friendly. It includes: Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride at Poe Park in the Bronx on 10/18; The Bride of Frankenstein in Brooklyn’s Carrol Park on 10/20; Jennifer’s Body at McCarren Park Pool on 10/20; a drive-in screening of Hocus Pocus at Queens’ John Golden Parking Lot on 10/20; The Addams Family in Fort Greene Park on 10/21; Carrie in McCarren Park on 10/22; Ghostbusters at Bensonhurst Park on 10/28; The Rocky Horror Picture Show at McCarren Park Pool on 10/28; and lots more. Full “Shocktober Fest” schedule is listed below.

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Alamo Drafthouse, which revels in specialty programming, has tons of Halloween-themed things to go see in October, including The Lost Boys (10/17), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (10/20), ’80s Nicolas Cage cult classic Vampire’s Kiss (10/25), Shaun of the Dead (10/26), George Romero‘s Season of the Witch and The Crazies (10/27), and Tobe Hooper‘s space vampire movie Lifeforce (10/29), and on Halloween they’re showing 1953’s House of Wax in 3D (the old red and blue glasses kind), and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. Tickets are on sale.

Nitehawk in Williamsburg has all sorts of Halloween-themed programming which we detail here, while the not-yet-open Nitehawk Park Slope is throwing a Halloween party.

'Alucarda'
‘Alucarda’

Over at BAM Rose Cinemas, they’re having a series called “Holy Blood: Mexican Horror Cinema” which runs October 27 – November 1 and includes screenings of Jodorowsky’s Santa Sagre, Guillermo Del Toro’s Cronos, Arturo Ripstein’s La tía Alejandra, Juan López Moctezuma’s occult classic Alucarda, and more.

At Metrograph on the Lower East Side, they’re got the “Written by Stephen King” series which picks some of the better big-screen adaptations of his books, including The Shining, Firestarter, Stand by Me and Creepshow. Metrograph is also showing the original Frankenstein in 35mm on 10/27, George Romero’s The Crazies on 10/30, and a 35mm Horror Trailer-a-Thon on 10/30.

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Over at Videology in Williamsburg, they’ve also got Halloween themed events almost every night, including the “Suspiria Dance Installation Spectacular” on October 27:

We’re bringing the bewitching Tanz Dance Academy to life one night only for a special Suspiria dance installation. Featuring the talents of local NYC dancers, this interactive event will immerse audience members into the richly saturated fever dreams of Argento’s nightmarish world.

More at Videology this month: David Cronenberg’s awesome The Brood and Swedish coming-of-age vampire flick Let the Right One In on 10/19; a drinking game version of Shaun of the Dead  on !0/20 and 10/21; Disney Channel classic Halloweentown with pumpkin carving on 10/22, a Suspira “Dance Installation Spectacular” on 10/27; a drinking game screening of Scream on 10/27 (midnight); a “The Shining Halloween party” on 10/28; The Blair Witch Project with live score on 10/29; 1922’s Nosferatu with a live score on 10/30; and a spooky special edition of movie Videology Movie Trivia on Halloween night. Full list of events and ticket info are here.

Greenpoint’s Film Noir, another Brooklyn video store that is now a small theater, has loads of cult horror on their calendar, including Mario Bava‘s Baron Blood (10/18), giallo What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (10/19), claustrophobic thriller Crawlspace (10/20), The New York Ripper (10/26), Dario Argento‘s Profondo Rosso (10/27) and The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, which has one of Ennio Morricone’s best scores (10/29) and on Halloween they’ll show Nosferatu with a live score by Reel Orchestre. Check out the full calendar for lots more.

'Hocus Pocus'
‘Hocus Pocus’

Bushwick theater Syndicated is going full-blast with themed movies with an emphasis on fun, including three nights of Hocus Pocus on 10/20, 10/21 and 10/23, a bad kids double feature of The Omen and The Exorcist on 10/23, Poltergeist and Rosemary’s Baby on 10/24, a Halloween party on 10/28, Alien and Aliens on 10/29, A Nightmare on Elm Street on 10/30, and John Carpenter’s original Halloween on Halloween. There’s lots more, too, visit Syndicated’s calendar page for all the spooky action and tickets.

Film Forum, which will close for remodeling and expansion in 2018, will be showing a newly restored print of George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead (supervised and approved by Romero who died this summer), now through October 26 (tickets).

What else?

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MOVIES UNDER THE STARS: SHOCKTOBER FEST LINEUP/SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Movies Under the Stars: Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
at Poe Park , Bronx
7:30 p.m. –9:30 p.m.
Victor and Victoria’s families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony…
Free!

Thursday, October 19, 2017
Movies Under the Stars: Casper (1995)
at Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center (in Alfred E. Smith Playground), Manhattan
6:00 p.m. –9:00 p.m.
The friendly ghost, Casper, attempts to befriend the 12-year-old daughter of a paranormal expert, but his nasty ghost uncles wreak havoc.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Monsters Inc
at Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center (in Williamsbridge Oval), Bronx
6:30 p.m. –8:30 p.m.
Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is a huge…
Free!

Friday, October 20, 2017

Movies Under the Stars: ParaNorman (2012)
at Jackie Robinson Recreation Center (in Jackie Robinson Park), Manhattan
6:00 p.m. –9:00 p.m.
A boy with the power to speak to the dead gathers an army of friends to fight zombies brought to life by a curse. Meanwhile, terrified townspeople prepare to fight the supernatural.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – The Bride of Frankenstein
at Carroll Park , Brooklyn
6:15 p.m. –7:30 p.m.
Based on the gothic novel by Mary Shelley, this 1935 classic picks up right after the events in the film, “Frankenstein”.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – Jennifer’s Body (Rated R)
at McCarren Park Pool Deck (in McCarren Park), Brooklyn
6:15 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
This horror comedy features Megan Fox as Jennifer, a small town cheerleader who becomes a pale and sickly creature hungry for a meaty snack.
Free!

Drive-In Movie: Hocus Pocus
at John Golden Parking Lot (in John Golden Park), Queens
6:30 p.m. –8:30 p.m.
Enjoy this vintage outdoor film screening in your car on a first-come, first-served basis; or bring your own lawn chair or blanket!
Free!

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Movies Under the Stars: The Haunted Mansion (2003)
at Pelham Fritz Recreation Center (in Marcus Garvey Park), Manhattan
6:00 p.m. –9:00 p.m.
A real-estate agent mistakenly has his family stay in a haunted house.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – Frankenweenie
at Maria Hernandez Park, Brooklyn
6:15 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
Young Victor Frankenstein uses an experiment to resurrect his dog, but Victor’s fellow students steal his secret to use it to resurrect other dead animals.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – The Addams Family
at Fort Greene Park , Brooklyn
6:15 p.m. –8:15 p.m.
Join NYC Parks for a free drive-in movie! Pack-up the kids in the car and join us in the parking lot at the NY Aquarium as we screen this freaky family favorite.
Free!

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – Carrie (1976) (Rated R)
at McCarren Park , Brooklyn
6:15 p.m. –8:30 p.m.
This horror classic follows, withdrawn and sensitive Carrie (Sissy Spacek) as she is bullied by her classmates at school and abused by mother (Piper Laurie) at home.
Free!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Movies Under the Stars: The Addams Family (1991)
at Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center (in Thomas Jefferson Park) Manhattan
6:00 p.m. –9:00 p.m.
A stranger shows up on the ghoulish Addams Family’s doorstep, claiming to be a long-lost uncle. However, he is really a con trying to dupe the ghoulish family out of their fortune.
Free!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – Casper
at Leif Ericson Park , Brooklyn
6:00 p.m. –7:45 p.m.
In this live-action feature of the animated classic, Casper (Malachi Pearson), a kind young ghost, falls in love with Kat (Christina Ricci), the teen daughter of a paranormal expert.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shoctoberfest – Poltergeist (1982)
at Sunset Park , Brooklyn
6:00 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment for this free film! This classic supernatural horror focuses on a family whose home is invaded by…
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Ghostbusters (1984)
at Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center , Queens
6:00 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
Unemployed parapsychologists devise a system for neutralizing ghosts when New York City comes under attack from supernatural demons.
Free!

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Halloween Party and Hocus Pocus Movie Screening
at Athens Square , Queens
1:00 p.m. –3:00 p.m.
Activities include crafts, games, music, giveaways, Transformation Face Painting with Agostino Arts, and a free screening of Hocus Pocus at dusk.
Free!

Arts, Culture & Fun: Conversation Series
at H.H. Biddle House (in Conference House Park) Staten Island
2:00 p.m. –4:00 p.m.
Join Associate Photo Editor for TIME and Kids Magazine, Nataki Alexander-Hewling for an afternoon of visual and spoken conversation…
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
at McCarren Park Pool Deck (in McCarren Park) Brooklyn
6:00 p.m. –7:45 p.m.
Let’s do the Time Warp, again! The movie screening also features a costume contest and trivia!
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Monsters, Inc. (2001)
at Hansborough Pool and Recreation Center (in Hansborough Recreation Center) Manhattan
6:00 p.m. –9:00 p.m.
A little, unsuspecting girl befriends two monsters.
Free!

Movies Under the Stars: Shocktober Fest – Ghostbusters (2016)
at Bensonhurst Park , Brooklyn
6:00 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
Based on the wildly successful 1982 film, this hilarious remake is recast with some of the funniest women in television as the paranormal investigating team. T
Free!
Must See
Event

Movies Under the Stars: Hocus Pocus
at Athens Square , Queens
6:00 p.m. –8:00 p.m.
Three witches, hanged for their murderous crimes, are resurrected on Halloween in modern-day Salem by an unsuspecting boy, who must now figure out how to get them back in the ground.
Free!