Where to watch scary movies in Vancouver this October

It’s time again for our annual Halloween guide to scary movies. So sit back with some popcorn and a pumpkin craft ale (where allowed, of course) and take in some thrills, chills, and spills at the cinema.

Continue reading:
Where to watch scary movies in Vancouver this October

Spooky! Where (and when) to see scary movies in Vancouver in October

The ladies of The Craft, a Snapchat away from going full Carrie.

Who doesn’t love a good scare, especially this time of year, and one that’s in the safe remove of a movie theatre?

This Halloween, Vancouver’s independent theatres have some treats in store. Our picks include Carnival of Lost Souls and Lost Highway (well, the first half, anyway), both screening at Cinematheque; and An American Werewolf in London at the Rio. Although, that could just be because we haven’t seen the 1981 movie in, oh, 37 years or so.

Continue reading:
Spooky! Where (and when) to see scary movies in Vancouver in October

UFO death cult thriller, Mexican wrestlers, restaurant mayhem in VIFF’s Altered States series

Friendly Beast is the debut feature from Brazilian filmmaker Gabriela Amaral Almeida.

Amidst all the kitchen-sink foreign dramas, big-name Hollywood blockbusters and poignant, thought-provoking documentaries, the Vancouver International Film Festival also makes room for mind-bending, compelling and sometimes just weird genre (and genre-bending) movies.

This year, the VIFF (Sept. 28-Oct. 13) is once again presenting its Altered States film series. The series features 10 movies that don’t fit in with the regular, more mainstream (read: less gory/perverse/violent) fare. This year’s 10 Altered States run the gamut from UFO death cult thriller (The Endless) to surreal relationship drama (Animals) to weird domestic nightmares (Housewife, Bitch).

Here are five Altered States films that look particularly intriguing. (Note: click on film titles to watch trailers.)

Continue reading:
UFO death cult thriller, Mexican wrestlers, restaurant mayhem in VIFF’s Altered States series

Five reasons to not miss The Descent this Sunday at the Rio

Cast of the 2006 British horror film The Descent. A special screening this Sunday at the Rio features director Neil Marshall introducing the film and answering questions after the screening.

Horror movie fans, or fans of nail-biting suspense thrillers featuring strong female leads, won’t want to miss a special screening this Sunday May 7 at the Rio Theatre (1661 E. Broadway).

The Vancouver independent will show The Descent, a classic of British horror, with director Neil Marshall in attendance. Here are four more reasons to catch the 1996 film in this special screening.

Continue reading:
Five reasons to not miss The Descent this Sunday at the Rio

Never mind La La Land, Frankenstein Created Bikers is coming to Vancouver!

Vancouver actor Tristan Risk in Frankenstein Created Bikers.

Film fans are getting excited about February 26.

Sure, that’s the date we’ll find out by how much the musical La La Land cleans up at the 89th Academy Awards. But it’s also the day that Vancouver gets to see Frankenstein Created Bikers.

Described by screenanarchy.com as a “love letter to exploitation films carved into a bullet -and sent skyrocketing into the air after several beers on the Fourth of July at a biker rally,” the 2016 film is screening as part of the Third Annual Badass Film Festival at the Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway, near Commercial). In all, the one-day festival is screening three full-length movies as well as over 20 short films, and includes an awards ceremony, trailers and live performances.

Continue reading:
Never mind La La Land, Frankenstein Created Bikers is coming to Vancouver!

Pregnancy revenge flick Prevenge, and four more reasons to check out the Rio Grind Film Festival

prevenge-3

Good news, fans of horror, sci-fi and other-types-of-genre movies. The Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) is bringing back its Rio Grind Film Festival, which features some of the most buzzed-about indie (and occasionally big-studio) flicks from festivals around the world, some of which are screening in Vancouver for the first – and possibly last! – time.

So get some friends together, check the schedule (at riotheatretickets.ca), and block off some time Nov. 4-6 to see these wild, often deranged and definitely not-ready-for-the-multiplex movies, including our picks.

Continue reading:
Pregnancy revenge flick Prevenge, and four more reasons to check out the Rio Grind Film Festival