Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2019: What You Need To Know

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — New Yorkers looking to get a jump-start on their Halloween scares are in luck.

The week-long movie marathon that was named one of the best "bloody" festivals in the world — yes, there are awards for that — is coming back to Brooklyn this weekend.

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will bring about 40 movies and accompanying scare-worth events to theaters in Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Dumbo and Fort Greene from Oct. 17 to Oct. 24.

The scare-fest, named one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 30 Bloody Best Genre Fest’s in the World, will feature everything from new independent films, to classic creepy thrillers, to a round-up of the best LGBTQ horror shorts.

And, for the first time this year, one of the two main hosts of the festival will be Park Slope's newest dine-in theater, Nitehawk Prospect Park, which lets moviegoers order entire meals and cocktails from their seats.

Here's everything you need to know to join in:

Where: Cobble Hill Cinema on Court Street and Nitehawk Prospect Park on Prospect Park West will be the two main theaters partnering with the horror festival. Showings will also be held at LIU Kimble Theater in Fort Greene and the IFP Made in New York Media Center in Dumbo.

When: Screenings kick off Thursday, Oct. 17 and will run through Thursday, Oct. 24. Most movies will be shown on the weekend, with a lighter screening schedule set up for weekdays.

What: A sneak peek of the lineup for the first few days. Full lineup found here.

The Beach House: 7:45 p.m., Oct. 17 at Nitehawk Prospect Park

Hoping to reignite their relationship, Emily and Randall arrive at their weekend getaway only to discover a peculiar older couple already staying there. They all agree to share the home and after an indulgent night of partying, wake up to a living nightmare of apocalyptic proportions. Something is infecting the water and a fog is making its way ashore. THE BEACH HOUSE calls to mind the best of ‘50s science fiction with an updated twist. —Joseph Hernandez

Home Invasion: 6:30 p.m., Oct. 18 at LIU Kimble Theater

New York City’s genre filmmaking talent is put on full display in our annual showcase built to equally impress and scare, this time featuring twisted meet-cutes, sadistic bakers and insatiable demons. Features 12 films.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Live Score: 6:30 p.m., Oct. 18 at Cobble Hill Cinema

Not only one of the greatest horror films ever made, Robert Weine’s THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI is also one of the most important, a masterwork of German Expressionism that essentially gave birth to the genre as a whole back in 1920. On the eve of the film’s 100th anniversary, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will present a special screening of Weine’s game-changer accompanied by a live score from the NYC-based duo The Flushing Remonstrance. —Matt Barone

Daniel Isn't Real: 9 p.m., Oct. 18 at LIU Kimble Theater

Dealing with social anxieties and the stress of caring for his mentally disturbed mother, Luke (Miles Robbins) pulls a desperation move and turns to an odd source of help: the confident and manipulative Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Luke’s imaginary friend from childhood. The more Daniel asserts his control, though, the deeper Luke falls into a waking nightmare. Perfectly balancing emotional depth and sensitivity with horror imagery that brings to mind a young Clive Barker, Adam Egypt Mortimer’s sophomore feature equal parts mesmerizing and devastating. —Matt Barone

Swallow: 11 a.m., Oct. 19 at Nitehawk Prospect Park

Pregnant housewife Hunter (Haley Bennett) suddenly develops a case of pica—a psychological disorder involving the desire to consume inedible objects. The more her husband and his family try to stop her compulsions, the gruesomely deeper she falls into this harmful obsession until her perfect home becomes a patriarchal prison. Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ metaphorically rich feature debut is a body horror film that feels utterly essential from its timely commentary down to Bennett’s jaw-dropping lead performance. —Joseph Hernandez