For horror movie aficionados, the spooky season is a year-round obsession. This March and April, Blumhouse Productions and AMC Theatres are giving fans an early treat with the first-ever “Halfway to Halloween” Film Festival. This unprecedented five-day event celebrates the midpoint to Halloween with a wicked lineup of modern horror classics.
From March 29th through April 2nd, over 100 AMC locations across more than 40 U.S. cities will transform into haunted houses of horror delights. Discounted $8 tickets grant access to five bone-chilling Blumhouse films shown on the big screen – the way these terrifying tales were meant to be experienced.
The Devilish Double-Feature Lineup
The “Halfway to Halloween” fest kicks off on Friday the 29th with M. Night Shyamalan’s mind-bending psychological thriller Split. James McAvoy’s tour-de-force performance as a man with 24 distinct personalities, some far more sinister than others, still has the power to get under viewers’ skin.
Saturday offers a cathartic chance to release pa year’s worth of rage with The Purge. This brutal 2013 home invasion flick depicts a dystopian America where all crime is legal for one night each year. May the odds be ever in your favor…if you can survive.
On Sunday, prepare to use a Ouija board at your own risk. Ouija: Origin of Evil serves as a prequel to the 2014 original, exploring the malevolent spirit haunting a widowed mother and her two daughters. Directed by Mike Flanagan, it’s a masterclass in dread-soaked supernatural horror.
Then on April 1st, the festival honors the 13th anniversary of a modern horror masterpiece – Insidious. James Wan’s 2010 film about a family plagued by demonic spirits from the Further still packs an almighty scare factor. Catch Wan’s game-changing directorial debut that helped spark a new golden age of horror.
Finally, on April 2nd, the festival closes out by making you question every shadow with The Invisible Man. Leigh Whannell’s 2020 reinvention of the classic monster takes domestic abuse to harrowing new heights of tension and terror.
An Immersive Experience for Die-Hard Horror Hounds
But the “Halfway to Halloween” event promises more than just great films at a great price. Before each screening, fans will be treated to exclusive bonus content to get them in a spooky spirit.
Expect giveaways, special recorded messages from the casts and filmmakers behind the movies, and even some surprise sneak peeks at upcoming Blumhouse frights. Every night is guaranteed to deliver a fully immersive theater experience.
“We wanted to celebrate local communities of horror fans throughout the country with a fun, affordable and slightly evil night at the movies,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions. “We’re grateful to our partners at AMC for helping us bring this idea to life.”
“Blumhouse films terrify and delight horror fans,” added Elizabeth Frank, EVP of Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer at AMC Theatres. “We are excited to bring these favorites back to the big screen.”
A Nationwide Celebration of Cinematic Chills
With participating locations spanning from Los Angeles to New York, Seattle to Miami, the “Halfway to Halloween” fest is a true nationwide event. A few of the major markets hosting the festival include:
- Los Angeles
- New York City
- Chicago
- Boston
- Atlanta
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Houston
- Las Vegas
- Miami
- Minneapolis
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Washington D.C.
But smaller cities and towns are getting in on the action too, with theaters in places like Chattanooga, Harlingen, Mobile, New Haven, Norfolk, Rockford, Spokane, Tallahassee, Tucson, Tulsa, and Wichita.
No matter where you live, the “Halfway to Halloween” festival is making it easy for movie lovers to enjoy a hauntingly good time.
Advance Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets for all five festival films go on sale this Friday, March 15th via AMCTheatres.com and the AMC Mobile App. At just $8 per movie, the “Halfway to Halloween” celebration offers an exceptional value for audiences looking to binge on big-screen thrills and chills.
For die-hard fans, the obvious move is to purchase a $40 festival pass to guarantee admission to the full wicked quintuplet of movies. But even catching just one or two of these modern horror classics is well worth the price of admission.
With spring break and the Easter holiday overlapping the festival’s run, it’s the perfect opportunity for families and friend groups to bond over some good old-fashioned cinematic scares. Just be sure to leave the little ones at home – these are not movies for the faint of heart or young ages.
A Celebration 6 Months in the Making
While the name “Halfway to Halloween” is a clever bit of marketing, it’s also a nod to just how far in advance true horror fans start eagerly anticipating and preparing for the Halloween season.
For the most devoted fright fanatics, the obsession with spooky entertainment and autumnal atmosphere kicks into high gear every March and April. This festival caters directly to that annual build-up of excitement.
“There’s a huge community of horror fans who live for this time of year when the countdown to Halloween really begins,” said Jason Blum. “We wanted to give those die-hards a big reason to come out to theaters and celebrate their favorite season a little early.”
By giving modern horror classics the big-screen repertory treatment, Blumhouse and AMC are replicating the same kind of event programming and fandom usually reserved for beloved classics from the 1970s and 80s. It’s a perfectly spooky way to get hyped for October’s Halloween festivities.
Expect More “Halfway” Celebrations to Come
If this inaugural “Halfway to Halloween” festival proves to be a hit at the box office, you can expect Blumhouse and AMC to make it an annual tradition moving forward. With the two powerhouse companies continuing to collaborate on exciting new horror projects each year, the potential lineup possibilities are endless.
Imagine a future fest that brings back recent Blumhouse hits like The Black Phone, Nope, Halloween Ends, or M3GAN for return engagements. Or maybe they’ll finally #ReleaseTheSnyder666 and unleash the fabled “Snyder Cut” of the cult classic Blumhouse remake of The Omen.
For now, horror fans have five big-screen chances to get their spooky fix this March and April. The first-ever “Halfway to Halloween” festival is a can’t-miss celebration of modern horror’s biggest thrills and chills. Stock up on snacks, settle in with your screaming buddies, and let the ominous 3-month countdown to Halloween officially begin!
