DO YOU like scary movies?
Cinemas across Merseyside and Cheshire are bringing iconic horror, fantasy and psychological thriller films back to life this Halloween – and we’ve compiled a bumper list so you don’t miss your fright night faves.
With horror satire Scream celebrating its 30th anniversary and golden age gems like Bride of Frankenstein returning to screens, you can catch almost a century of spooktastic cinema across the northwest over the next four weeks.
Scream (1996) (Image: Screenshot/Miramax)
Arthouse venues, community cinemas and independent film clubs have plenty on offer alongside the big-name chains like Odeon and Vue.
And with the choice of 3D screenings of Pan’s Labyrinth, outdoor screenings of Ghostbusters or a special VHS projection of 28 Days Later, there are so many ways to catch the classics that had you hiding under the bed at sleepovers.
So without further ado, here’s our bumper list of classic, cult and re-released films showing across Liverpool, Wirral and Cheshire this Halloween:
They’re ordered by release date, so for more recent ones keep scrolling!
Metropolis (1927)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date: October 20
Time: 18:15
Fritz Lang’s silent science-fiction epic – which turns 100 next year – presents a futuristic city divided between wealthy rulers living above ground and workers operating its machinery below. The screening of this ahead-of-its-time classic includes a short introduction from the Liverpool Architectural Society and forms part of its Architecture of Monumentality series.
Metropolis (1927) (Image: Fritz Lang)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date: October 21 / 22
Time: 14:30 / 18:00
Boris Karloff returned as Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s acclaimed sequel to the 1931 original.
Dracula (1958)
Location: The Light, New Brighton / Storyhouse Chester
Date: October 16 / October 31
Time: 20:00 / 15:30
Christopher Lee’s version of Count Dracula returns in a 4K restoration as part of Cineworld’s 2026 Horror Film Season.
Psycho (1960)
Location: Woolton Picture House, Liverpool
Date: October 30
Time: 14:00
Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark horror follows Marion Crane, who goes on the run and stops at the isolated Bates Motel, where she encounters its mysterious proprietor Norman Bates.
Psycho (1960) (Image: NBCUniversal)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Location: Woolton Picture House, Liverpool
Date: October 31
Time: 19:30
The psychological horror follows Rosemary Woodhouse, a young woman who becomes increasingly suspicious of her neighbours and those around her after she and her husband move into a New York apartment building.
The Devils (1971)
Location: Picturehouse at FACT Liverpool
Date: October 30 / 31 / November 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Time: 17:50 / 20:20 / 19:40 / 20:00 / 20:00 / 17:20 / 17:15
Ken Russell’s controversial historical horror stars Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave in a story of religious and political turmoil in 17th-century France. The film is returning in a new 4K restoration, assembled from the original camera negative and based on Russell’s privately constructed 2004 edit.
The Devils (1971) (Image: Screenshot/Warner Bros.)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Location: Everyman Liverpool
Date: October 18
Time: 18:00
The cult musical horror follows newly engaged couple Brad and Janet after a breakdown leads them to the bizarre home of Dr Frank-N-Furter. The film stars Tim Curry in one of his most iconic roles. Everyman Cinema is bringing the film back as part of its 2026 Halloween programme.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Image: 20th Century Fox)
The Omen (1976)
Location: Cineworld Broughton
Date: October 11
Time: 19:45
Richard Donner’s supernatural horror follows American diplomat Robert Thorn, who gradually discovers the horrifying truth about his adopted son Damien.
Beauty and the Beast / Panna a Netvor (1978)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date: October 14
Time: 19:00
The macabre Czech reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast is being shown as part of FACT’s STASHED Halloween programme.
The Shining (1980)
Location: The Light, New Brighton
Date: October 18 / 21
Time: 17:00 / 19:30
Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel follows writer Jack Torrance as he takes a job as winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel with his wife and young son, where sinister forces begin to take hold.
The Shining (1980) (Image: Screenshot/Warner Bros)
Possession (1981)
Location: 81 Renshaw, Liverpool
Date: October 30
Time: 18:30
Andrzej Żuławski’s cult psychological horror is being shown as part of Scalarama Liverpool’s Halloween weekend.
Possession (1981) (Image: Screenshot/Andrzej Żuławski)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date: October 11 / 12
Time: 15:00 / 20:00
John Landis’s horror-comedy follows two American backpackers whose trip across the English countryside takes a terrifying turn after they are attacked by a werewolf.
The Thing (1982)
Location: The Light, New Brighton
Date: October 31
Time: 20:30
John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror follows an Antarctic research team which encounters a shape-shifting alien capable of imitating its victims, leaving the isolated crew unable to know who they can trust.
The Keep (1983)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date: November 2
Time: 19:30
Michael Mann’s cult supernatural horror receives a rare 35mm presentation just after Halloween.
The Keep (1983) (Image: Screenshot/Paramount)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 8
Time: 19:30
The supernatural comedy follows a team of scientists who set up a ghost-catching business in New York City.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Location: The Light, New Brighton
Date: October 24 / 27
Time: 20:30
Wes Craven’s horror classic follows a group of teenagers who are stalked in their dreams by the murderous Freddy Krueger, with deadly consequences if they fall asleep.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Location: The Reader, Calderstones Mansion, Liverpool
Date: October 29
Time: 20:00
The cult horror-comedy musical follows florist Seymour, who discovers a strange plant with an insatiable appetite. The screening is part of The Reader’s Spooky Cinema programme beneath a covered canopy at Calderstones.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (Image: Music Theatre International)
Labyrinth (1986)
Location: The Reader, Calderstones Mansion, Liverpool
Date: October 25
Time: 16:30
Jim Henson’s fantasy follows teenager Sarah as she enters a strange labyrinth to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King, played by David Bowie.
Labyrinth (1986) (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Location: Tatton Park, Knutsford
Date: October 27
Time: Check event booking
The cult vampire film is getting the outdoor cinema treatment at Tatton Park as part of a touring Halloween programme.
Evil Dead II (1987)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date: October 17 / 20
Time: 21:00 / 20:30
Sam Raimi’s horror-comedy will screen at The Light New Brighton, with a second showing planned later in the month.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Location: Woolton Picture House, Liverpool
Date: October 30
Time: 19:30
Tim Burton’s supernatural comedy follows a recently deceased couple who find themselves haunting their former home and turn to the chaotic Beetlejuice for help when a new family moves in.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Location: ODEON Bromborough, ODEON Switch Island, Vue Cheshire Oaks, Tatton Park and Woodside Drive-In
Date: October 2 (Vue), October 8 (ODEON), October 9 / 10 / 16 / 17 (Woodside), October 27 (Tatton Park)
Times: Check on relevant sites
The Sanderson sisters getting several outings this Halloween, with a standard screenings in ODEON and Vue cinemas as and well as outdoor screenings in Birkenhead and Knutsford.
Hocus Pocus (1993) (Image: Disney)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 28
Time: 19:00
The sequel sees the Addams family welcome baby Pubert while Wednesday and Pugsley face the horrors of summer camp.
The Craft (1996)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date: October 9 / 12
Time: 19:30
The supernatural horror follows a newcomer at a Catholic high school who falls in with three outcast girls who practise witchcraft, with increasingly dangerous consequences. The screenings mark the film’s 30th anniversary.
Scream (1996)
Location: The Light, New Brighton
Date: October 23
Time: 20:30
Wes Craven’s influential slasher follows teenager Sidney Prescott and her friends as they are targeted by a masked killer who uses horror films as part of a deadly game.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Location: Cineworld Broughton
Date: October 31
Time: 19:45
Robert Rodriguez’s cult horror follows two criminal brothers who take a family hostage while fleeing towards Mexico, before their night takes a bloody supernatural turn. Cineworld includes the film in its 2026 Horror Film Season.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) (Image: Miramax)
Event Horizon (1997)
Location: Artefact, 71 Roscoe Street, Liverpool
Date: October 14
Time: 19:00
Paul W. S. Anderson’s science-fiction horror is getting an independent screening at Artefact.
Battle Royale (2000)
Location: Plaza Community Cinema, Waterloo
Date: November 6
Time: 19:40
The Japanese dystopian thriller follows a class of school pupils forced by a totalitarian government to fight to the death on a remote island until only one survivor remains.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Location: Storyhouse Chester / The Light, New Brighton / Everyman Cinema Liverpool
Date: October 30 / November 1
Time: 20:15 / 19:30 / 20:30
Richard Kelly’s cult science-fiction thriller returns to mark its 25th anniversary.
Donnie Darko (Image: Richard Kelly)
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date: October 31 / November 1
Time: 11:00
The live-action family comedy sees the estranged Mystery Inc gang brought back together at an island resort to investigate a series of strange occurrences.
28 Days Later (2002)
Location: Artefact, 71 Roscoe Street, Liverpool
Date: October 28
Time: 19:00-22:00
Tape Trove Film Club is screening Danny Boyle’s apocalyptic horror on VHS, with an introduction by Paraphysis Cinema.
The screening forms part of Scalarama Liverpool.
28 Days Later (2002) (Image: Sony Pictures)
Corpse Bride (2005)
Location: Woolton Picture House, Liverpool
Date: November 1
Time: 16:00
Tim Burton’s stop-motion fantasy follows Victor, a nervous groom who accidentally places his wedding ring on the finger of a dead woman while practising his vows and finds himself transported to the Land of the Dead.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date/Time: October 24 / 18:00
Location: Cineworld Broughton
Date/Time: October 30 and 31 / 17:30 (2D), 20:15 (3D) and 17:00
Location: FACT Liverpool
Date/Time: October 31 / 15:00 (FACT)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date/Time: November 2 / 20:00
Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy follows young Ofelia in post-Civil War Spain as she discovers a mysterious labyrinth and is set a series of dangerous tasks by a strange faun. The film is returning to cinemas for its 20th anniversary in a new 4K restoration.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) (Image: Studiocanal)
Monster House (2006)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 15
Time: 19:30
The animated Halloween favourite follows three youngsters who discover that the sinister house across the street may actually be alive.
Twilight (2008)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date: October 10 / 14
Time: 14:00
The fantasy romance follows Bella Swan after she moves to a small town and falls for mysterious classmate Edward Cullen, who she discovers is a vampire.
Twilight (2008) (Image: Summit Entertainment)
Shutter Island (2010)
Location: Chester Picturehouse / FACT Liverpool
Date: October 17 / 19
Time: 16:30 / 19:30
Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as US Marshal Teddy Daniels, who travels to an isolated psychiatric hospital to investigate the disappearance of a patient, only to uncover an even more disturbing mystery.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Location: The Reader, Calderstones Mansion, Liverpool
Date: October 27
Time: 20:00
The adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story follows a young lawyer who travels to an isolated house to settle the affairs of its late owner, only to encounter a terrifying supernatural presence.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Location: Storyhouse Cinema, Chester
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 10.30am
Additional screening: Sunday, November 1 at 10.30am
These are family screenings for children aged 15 and under. Adults can attend when accompanying a child. Tickets are £3.60 for members and £4 for non-members.
It (2017)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 22
Time: 19:00
The Stephen King adaptation follows a group of children who encounter the shape-shifting Pennywise in the town of Derry. The event is listed from 19:00 to 21:00, with tickets at £25.
Nosferatu (2024)
Location: Woolton Picture House, Liverpool
Date: November 1
Time: 19:30
Robert Eggers’ remake of the Gothic vampire classic follows a young woman who becomes the object of a terrifying vampire’s obsession.
Nosferatu (2024) (Image: Focus Features)
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 14
Time: 19:30
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren face another demonic case in the latest instalment of The Conjuring series.
Weapons (2025)
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Date: October 11
Time: 19:30
The mystery horror follows a community searching for answers after almost an entire classroom of children mysteriously disappears on the same night.
Weapons (2025) (Image: Warner Bros)
Special formats and unusual screenings
For film fans after something different, several screenings are offering more than a standard trip to the cinema, from VHS and 35mm presentations to outdoor films, a drive-in cinema and a rare 3D showing.
Mystery Screening (?)
Location: The Light New Brighton
Date: October 19
Time: 20:10
This special screening at the Light is a total mystery. The site description says: “We’re keeping this one a secret, but trust us – it’s not for the faint of heart. No title, no runtime, just a horror film waiting in the dark. Are you brave enough to take the risk?”
Watch 28 Days Later on VHS
Location: Artefact, Liverpool
Date: October 28
Time: 19:00
28 Days Later is going properly old-school for Halloween, with Tape Trove screening Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic horror from VHS as part of Scalarama Liverpool.
See The Keep projected on 35mm
One of the rarest formats in the guide sees Michael Mann’s The Keep screened from a 35mm film print at FACT Liverpool.
Watch Pan’s Labyrinth in 3D
Location: Cineworld Broughton
Date: October 30
Time: 20:15
The 20th anniversary return of Pan’s Labyrinth includes a 3D screening, giving audiences an unusual way to revisit Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy. A 2D showing is also taking place at 17:30.
Watch The Woman in Black outside a historic mansion
Perhaps the most atmospheric setting in the guide, The Woman in Black is being shown outside at Calderstones Mansion, beneath the cover of a giant canopy as part of The Reader’s Spooky Cinema season.
Spooky Cinema under the canopy at Calderstones
The Reader’s unusual outdoor cinema at Calderstones Mansion also includes:
- Labyrinth – October 25 at 16:30
- Little Shop of Horrors – October 29 at 20:00
Rather than a conventional auditorium, the films are shown as part of the outdoor Spooky Cinema programme beneath a covered canopy at the historic mansion.
See The Lost Boys under the stars
Location: Tatton Park, Knutsford
Date: October 27
Time: 20:15
The Lost Boys moves out of the cinema altogether for an outdoor Halloween screening at Tatton Park. The event opens at 19:15 before the film begins at 20:15.
Halloween films from your car at Woodside Drive-In
Location: Woodside Drive-In, Birkenhead
Wirral audiences can also swap cinema seats for their cars at Woodside Drive-In, with its Halloween programme including films such as Beetlejuice, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Hocus Pocus, The Exorcist, Ghostbusters and Addams Family Values, alongside newer horrors Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites.
