Calling all witches, ghosts, and creatures of the night: As All Hallow’s Eve approaches, MFAH Films hosts a duo of terrifying films! Halloween weekend features the directorial debuts of two now-prominent filmmakers: Kathryn Bigelow’s horror-Western Near Dark and George Romero’s ghoulish cult classic Night of the Living Dead.

Near Dark

A powerful, nontraditional vampire tale, Near Dark follows a young man in a small Midwestern town who joins a family of nomadic vampires. The complex characters are brought to life with Adrian Pasdar as the formerly human hero and Bill Paxton as a frightening yet cheeky vampire thug. With music by the German electronic music band Tangerine Dream, the 1987 horror film spotlights the internal imbalance between humankind and the shadowy world of immortal vampires. As you explore the American heartland with the undead, you sink into Near Dark’s world of darkness, blood, and horrifying fervor. Near Dark screens October 27 & 28.

Night of the Living Dead

From The Walking Dead to World War Z, Zombieland, and more, zombies have been all the rage in popular media for the past few years—but it’s likely that those TV shows and movies wouldn’t exist without George Romero’s 1968 film that inspired them all! In Night of the Living Dead, strangers trapped in an abandoned house fend off ravenous flesh-eating monsters. With a simple idea and a low budget, Romero effectively terrifies us with a feeling of impending doom and hopelessness as death awaits just outside the door. Night of the Living Dead screens October 27, 28 & 29.