All the horror movies hitting the big screen around the Twin Cities in October

Getting classic horror films back on the screen is a real gift in October. A ton of them will be available to see around the Twin Cities, including some of the most revered horror classics — The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, and The Exorcist — screening multiple times and at multiple theaters. There are also more family-friendly options like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Below, you'll find a huge pile of horror movies screening around the Twin Cities and surrounding areas in October. But before that, we're highlighting 10 worthwhile horror fliks that might not quite reach the ubiquity and familiarity of films like The Shining or Nightmare on Elm Street but are nonetheless a great addition to any Halloween watch list. (We're leaving out new releases like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Terrifier 3, and Speak No Evil, trusting you're able to find just-released movies that are in loads of theaters.)

Tremors (1990)

While not quite "family-friendly," Tremors hits a few sweet spots. It's fun and a schlocky (despite the presence of Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire), and it has that rare PG-13 rating. There's a lot to love, including the introduction of Michael Gross' series staple Burt Gummer who would go on to star in six more movies in the franchise.

The Wicker Man (1973)

Have you even gone on an October horror movie run if you haven't seen something with Christopher Lee? (Probably ditto for Vincent Price.) The original The Wicker Man follows a pious police sergeant who heads to a pagan island to investigate a missing child and gets caught up in some truly weird stuff. It's cheesy at times, but it's also haunting, weird, and has an iconic finale.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The story has been told many times and a few of the installments are quite good. However, the Philip Kaufman-directed version starring Donald Sutherland, along with Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy, is a giant among them. The intensity mounts even past the point where it seems possible, right up until that final shot.

Deep Red (1975)

Just before Suspiria, Dario Argento made what might have been his best film up to that point. (With apologies to The Bird With the Crystal Plummage.) After witnessing the murder of a psychic, a journalist and a pianist get dragged into a deeply strange mystery full of grotesque, beautiful images.

Ringu (1998)

A towering film in J-horror that inspired dozens of films — including many sequels and an American franchise — Ringu still produces chills and even outshines The Ring. Fans of the American version starring Naomi Watts will still find a lot of joy (is that the right word? Terror is probably more apt.) in the original.

The Host (2006)

Amid the deluge of slashers, thrillers, vampires, and zombies, don't forget to throw a monster movie in the mix. While Bong Joon Ho went on to make history with his Oscar-winning Parasite, 13 years earlier he made a monster movie with environmental themes that still stands as one of his best. (A tough feat in the company of Memories of Murder, Snowpiercer, and Mother.)

Nosferatu (1922) with Radiohead - A Silents Synched Film

With Robert Eggers' Nosferatu coming out in December, it's clear that F.W. Murnau's silent film still haunts viewers more than a century after it was originally released. MSP Film Society is getting weird with it, presenting the film with Silents Synced, which pairs classic silent movies with rock music. You'll get the classic vampire saga "scored" by music from Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac.

The Brood (1979)

The Brood may be among the most haunting horror movies (at least partially) about birth. A woman is committed to the care of a possibly depraved psychologist by her husband. As he attempts to keep their daughter away from her, strange deformed children — a brood, you might say — that start to appear, possibly connected to the psychologist.

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

The Curse of Frankenstein comes from that period when Hammer Films was pumping out great horror films at an impressive rate. It stars Hammer regulars Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee (he's back) as the Creature. It's somewhat faithful to the original story, even retaining the framing of Victor Frankenstein telling the story of what happpened. Great performances from Cushing, Lee, and Robert Urquhart, as well as incredible sets, make it an underappreciated Frankenstein adaptation.

Train to Busan (2016)

Zombies! You gotta have some zombies. While you can't go wrong reverting a George Romero movie for your zombie fix, Yeon Sang-ho's zombies-on-a-train thriller is fun, a little creepy, and, more than anything, pulse-pounding as the passengers on a train from Seoul to Busan discover a zombie outbreak is taking place around them — in the country and on the train — leaving them fighting for their lives on the train, but also unable to get off.

Related: Horror movie series are coming from MSP Film Society and the Trylon in October

Sept. 26–Oct. 3: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) at various Emagine theaters, part of Studio Ghibli Fest

Oct. 2: The Shining (1980) at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 2–3 and 6: Little Shop of Horrors (1986) at Grandview Theater

Oct. 3: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) with pre-movie poetry contest at The Parkway Theater

Oct. 4–5: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema

Oct. 4: It Follows (2014) at the Trylon Cinema

Oct. 4 and 30: The Visitor (1979) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 5: Midnight Mayhem: Nosferatu With Radiohead – A Silents Synced Film at The Main Cinema

Oct. 5: Tremors (1990) at The Parkway Theater, part of the Family Horror series

Oct. 5: The Thing (1982) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 6: The Host (2006) at The Trylon Cinema

Oct. 6 and 9: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I (2011) at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 6: Nosferatu (1922) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 7: Phantasm (1979) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 7 and 15: Eyes Without a Face (1960) at The Main Cinema

Oct. 9–10 and 13: Death Becomes Her (1992) at Grandview Theater

Oct. 9: Deep Blue Sea (1999) at Landmark Lagoon Cinema

Oct. 9: Insidious Chapter 2 (2013) at AMC Southdale

Oct. 10: Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024) double feature at Emagine Willow Creek, Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, Rosemount Cinema, Southbridge Crossing Cinema, West End Cinema , and AMC Coon Rapids

Oct. 11–12: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema

Oct. 12: Hocus Pocus (1993) at The Parkway Theater, part of the Family Horror series

Oct. 12: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 12–14: Coco (2017) at AMC Southdale and AMC Coon Rapids

Oct. 13: The Wailing (2016) at The Trylon Cinema

Oct. 13 and 16: The Lost Boys (1987) at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 14: The Lost Boys (1987) at The Parkway Theater

Oct. 14: The Wicker Man (1974) at The Heights Theater

Oct. 14 and 28: National Theatre Live presents "Frankenstein" at The Main Cinema

Oct. 14: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 15: Scream (1996) at AudreyRose Vintage

Oct. 15: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 16: Beetlejuice (1988) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 16: Blade (1998) at Landmark Lagoon Cinema

Oct. 18: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) at Litt Pinball Bar, Trash Film Debauchery's 21st anniversary celebration

Oct. 18: Barbarian (2022) at the Trylon Cinema

Oct. 18: The Shining (1980) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 18–19: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) with live shadow cast performance by Transvestite Soup at The Parkway Theater

Oct. 18 and 22: Paranormal Activity (2007) at AMC Southdale

Oct. 18–19: Friday the 13th (1980) at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema

Oct. 19 and 21: Deep Red (1975) at The Main Cinema

Oct. 19: The 2024 Super Spookshow Spectacular! at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 19: Cat People (1942) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 20: Casper (1995) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 20: A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) at The Trylon Cinema

Oct. 20 and 23: Saw (2004) at St. Michael Cinema, AMC Southdale, and AMC Coon Rapids

Oct. 20 and 23: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II (2012) at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 21: The Brood (1979) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 22: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 23: Gremlins (1984) at Landmark Lagoon Cinema

Oct. 23: The Exorcist (1973) at The Parkway Theater

Oct. 23: Black Phone (2021) at AMC Southdale

Oct. 23: The Witch (2015) at CMX Odyssey IMAX

Oct. 24: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) at the Heights Theater

Oct. 25: The Evil Dead (1981) at the Trylon Cinema

Oct. 25: Hocus Pocus (1993) at Insight Brewing

Oct. 25: Paranormal Activity (2007) at AMC Coon Rapids

Oct. 25–26: Scream (1996) at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema

Oct. 25: Tie Your Monsters Down (program of short horror films) at West End Cinema, part of the Twin Cities Film Fest

Oct. 25: Hauntology (2024) at West End Cinema, part of the Twin Cities Film Fest

Oct. 25 and 30: Let the Right One In (2008) at The Main Cinema

Oct. 25 and 26: Hocus Pocus in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

Oct. 26 and 31: Ringu (1998) at The Main Cinema

Oct. 26: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) at The Parkway Theater, part of the Family Horror series

Oct. 27 and 30–31: The Exorcist (1973), original theatrical cut at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 28: Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 28: Train to Busan (2016) at The Trylon Cinema

Oct. 28: The Uninvited (1944) in 35mm at The Heights Theater

Oct. 29: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with live soundtrack by Chris Strouth & Paris 1919 at the Parkway Thater

Oct. 29: Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 30: The Shining (1980) at The Heights Theater

Oct. 30: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) at AMC Southdale

Oct. 30: The Guest (2014) at Emagine Willow Creek

Oct. 30: Trick 'R Treat (2007) at Landmark Lagoon Cinema

Oct. 30–31: Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) at the Grandview Theater and Edina Theatre

Oct. 31: Halloween (1978) at The Parkway Theater

Oct. 31: Halloween (1978) at Alamo Drafthouse

Oct. 31: Halloween (1978) at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema