Where to Catch a Scary Movie This Halloween Season

From new releases to classic films, here are six theaters offering flicks for the spooky season.

By Kate Oczypok • Posted October 19, 2023 at 12:14 p.m.

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What better way to spook yourself or just get in the Halloween spirit than in a theater with a bucket of popcorn and other Northern Virginians on the same mission. Here are six scary movies perfect for Halloween, including 30^th anniversary celebrations of Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and new releases like A Haunting in Venice and Saw X.

Alamo Drafthouse and Cinema, The Nightmare Before Christmas

Through October 26, check website for availability

The Nightmare Before Christmas is back in theaters to celebrate its 30^th anniversary. Get a group of friends together to see the classic Tim Burton film about Jack Skellington, a resident of Halloween Town who discovers Christmas Town and wants to take it over with his Halloween Town friends. The dark comedy/musical is a fun dose of nostalgia for spooky season while you sip a seasonal brew. It has a PG rating. 20575 Easthampton Plz., Ashburn and 15200 Potomac Town Place, Ste. 100, Woodbridge 

AMC Hoffman Center 22, A Haunting in Venice

Through October 25, check website availability

The dark delight A Haunting in Venice is set in post-World War II Venice on Halloween night. The mystery is centered on the return of Hercule Poirot and stars Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Kenneth Branagh, and Jamie Dornan. It has a PG-13 rating. 206 Hoffman St., Alexandria

AMC Potomac Mills 18, Saw X

Through October 25, check website availability

Make a date night out of a screening of Saw X. The alleged last film in the franchise tells the tale of a man who hopes for a miracle cure and heads to Mexico for an experimental procedure. He discovers it was all a scam and the infamous serial killer Jigsaw uses unhinged and disturbing traps to turn the tables on the con artists. Make sure you eat before you see this slasher movie. It has an R rating. 2700 Potomac Mills Cir., Unit 886, Woodbridge

Arlington Drafthouse, Witches & Wine with Hocus Pocus

October 25, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)

Arlington Drafthouse hosts Witches & Wine with PG-rated Hocus Pocus to celebrate the movie’s 30^th anniversary (1993 turned out to be a great year for spooky movies!). Discounted wine will be available for this 21+ event. Actress and comedian Elena Torres will make an appearance, too. 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington

Angelika at Mosaic in Fairfax, Psycho

October 31, 7 p.m.

Classic film lovers should enjoy Hitchcocktober at the Angelika Film Center. Halloween night’s movie of choice is Psycho, the 1960 horror movie starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins as the infamous Norman Bates. Don’t forget to shower beforehand. This film has an R rating. 2911 District Ave., Fairfax

Lincoln Theatre, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 48^th Anniversary Special

October 31, Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m.

It wouldn’t be Halloween without a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. See the original, unedited R-rated movie with a live shadow cast and audience participation. There will be appearances by Barry Bostwick, who played Brad Majors, and Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta. 1215 U St. NW, Washington, DC

Featured image, bernardbodo/stock.adobe.com

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Kate Oczypok

Contributing Writer

Kate Oczypok has been a freelance writer since 2011, and is proud to be a regular contributor to Northern Virginia Magazine in digital and print since 2020. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, People.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and locally The Georgetowner and Washingtonian Magazine, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from American University and a M.Ed. in Education from Penn State. She also teaches virtual piano lessons in the after school hours and does portrait photography on weekends.