Looking for a scare? Gadsden's local theater offers up new, vintage chills
Do you like scary movies? Halloween season brings lots of options — on TV, streaming, and in movie theaters.
This Halloween weekend, Gadsden's Premiere Cinemas is showing the latest modern horror films and a couple of classics rarely seen on the big screen in this area.
Consult any list of scariest movies ever, and you'll find one particular 1973 title — "The Exorcist," the William Friedkin shocker that had people fainting, throwing up and running for the lobbies when it opened in theaters.
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You can see the director's cut of "The Exorcist" Friday through Monday at Premiere Cinemas at the Gadsden Mall, for a special $5 discount (there also will be concession stand discounts).
The director's cut, according to Google research, includes about 10 minutes of additional footage, most notably the inclusion of the "spider walk" scene.
"The Exorcist" is rated R. The story of demonic possession includes disturbing scenes even on the small screen. Click here for showtimes.
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The other special showing at Premiere Cinemas is a fundraising event for the Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center. Enjoy cult favorite "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at 8 p.m. Saturday. The $20 tickets include the 1975 musical comedy horror movie and a box of popcorn, and attendees are invited to come dressed as their favorite character for a costume contest. Follow this link to purchase tickets.
If you want to pass on the classics, here's new horror to bring the chills this Halloween:
"Barbarian" defies expectations. Just when you see the cautionary tale about Airbnb-ing developing, it takes off in a completely different direction. It's rated R, for hard-core creepiness, graphic violence, nudity, and language. Its run in Gadsden will end this week, but it will be available on HBO Max soon.
"Smile" finds a therapist who goes through a traumatic incident with a patient, then starts having the same experiences her patient described. It's got the same vibe that "The Ring," and "It Follows" projected, and it's earned more than $147 million since its Sept. 30 release. It's rated R for graphic violence.
"Halloween Ends:" What promises to be the last chapter in this movie franchise hasn't gotten the same praise 1978 original "Halloween" enjoyed. Stephen King said it was "character-driven"; other reviewers have not been as kind. True fans are likely to want to see the wrap-up. The movie is rated R mostly for violence and gore.
"Prey for the Devil:" It's opening weekend, so reviews are scarce, but the movie is one of many chapters in "The Exorcist" legacy. The film finds a nun answering what she believes to be a calling to be the first female exorcist. Events during her training, however, raise questions about exactly where her calling comes from. The movie is rated PG-13.
"Terrifier 2": This R-rated sequel has been discribed as the most vile and shocking film of the year; The Guardian called it "vomit-inducing" and another reviewer said it could be "genuinely damaging" to children. The plot — if that matters to you — involves creepy clown Art menacing a girl and her brother on Halloween night.
"The Invitation": A DNA test leds a young woman to relative in an aristocratic English family. She's invited to a lavish wedding, and finds herself fighting for survival. The movie is rated PG-13.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Showing in Gadsden: Classic scares and modern horror for Halloween
