Boo!

And that rhymes with "Yahoo!," an expression that might capture your emotions if you are a horror movie fan and you look forward to the smorgasbord of gore that heads your way each October.

This year, the organizers of local theaters and other venues have, as usual, curated a coffinload of creature features, ghost stories and other specimens of supernatural cinema, ranging from R-rated bloodfests to family-friendly cartoons; from new releases (an "Exorcist" sequel) to old masters (Alfred Hitchcock).

Here is a list of what's lurking on the calendar.

New nightmares

These are new movies, in theaters in October.

'Saw X'

The *tenth* yes tenth film in the now almost 20-year-old "Saw" splatter franchise is likely to continue splashing audiences with arterial spray deep into October. Derided as "torture porn" (a surprise success, the first "Saw" arrived in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal), the franchise has become increasingly byzantine, placing almost as much emphasis on back story and plot twists as on the back-breaking, bone-crushing literal twists of Jigsaw's torture devices; to that end, this entry is described by Wikipedia as "both a direct sequel to 'Saw' and a prequel to 'Saw II,'" with actor Tobin Bell returning as the Rube Goldberg-meets-Marquis de Sade mastermind. Opened Sept. 29.

'The Exorcist: Believer'

David Gordon Green, who directed the recent "Halloween" trilogy that enabled Jamie Lee Curtis to make literal mincemeat out of Michael Myers, helmed this direct sequel to "The Exorcist," which arrives a half-century after returning star Ellen Burstyn first grappled with the obscene demon Pazuzu. Will it be a hit? Does it matter? According to Warner Bros., yet another sequel, "The Exorcist: Deceiver," is scheduled to spew onto the screen on April 18, 2025. Opens Oct. 6.

'When Evil Lurks'

Buenos Aires-born horror specialist Demián Rugna wrote and directed this Spanish-language chiller about brothers in an Argentine village who encounter a demon-possessed man. Opens Oct. 6.

'Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls'

"Onyx is in for one hell of a weekend," puns the poster for this 2023 Sundance Film Festival premiere, which is receiving a single theatrical screening via Fathom Events. A comedy about a fledgling Satanist that casts "Re-Animator" veteran Jeffrey Combs as the demonic "Bartok the Great," the movie is "a handmade horror gem," according to RogerEbert.com. 7 p.m. Oct. 19, Paradiso.

'Malibu Horror Story'

A team of paranormal investigators search a sacred cave in this found-footage thriller, which Rue Morgue magazine describes as a "jumpscare-powered rollercoaster." Opens Oct. 20.

'Five Nights at Freddy's'

Not a "Nightmare on Elm Street" sequel, as the uninitiated might suspect, but a videogame adaptation set in a closed Chuck E. Cheese-esque pizza-and-game center inhabited by animatronic characters that spring to lethal, supernatural life. Opens Oct. 27.

More movie theater menace

These are new and classic Halloween-relevant movies with special, limited screenings at various Malco theaters and the Hollywood 20 Cinema, 6711 Stage Road.

'Hocus Pocus'

Elevated to "cult classic" status by the generation that discovered the movie (not a box-office success in 1993) on cable television, this now beloved Disney comedy — which casts Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Jessica Sarah Parker as revived Salem witches — returns for a theatrical run of a week or two at movie theaters nationwide, including in Memphis. Opens Oct. 6.

'House of 1000 Corpses'

Horror-obsessed rock star Rob Zombie launched his feature filmmaking career with this ghoulish "Texas Chain Saw"-inspired shocker, which introduced Sig Haig as "Captain Spaulding," homicidal head of the psycho "Firefly family," which Zombie resurrected in two sequels. This October screening marks the movie's 20th anniversary. 4 and 7 p.m. Oct. 8, Hollywood 20, and 7 p.m. Oct. 11, Collierville, Hollywood 20 and Paradiso.

'The Hunger Games'

In anticipation of the Nov. 17 theatrical arrival of a prequel film ("The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"), the original 2012 blockbuster that made a star of Jennifer Lawrence returns to an appropriately Panem-sized big screen. This adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-seller may not be a "horror" movie, per se; but surely a story set in a world of post-apocalyptic televised death matches is, at least, horrific? 4 p.m. Oct. 15, Collierville and Paradiso.

'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

Produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, the 30-year-old stop-motion-animated supernatural adventure that unites America's two most popular (and commercial) holidays returns for a weeklong theatrical run. Opens Oct. 20.

'The Birds'

Sixty years ago, director Alfred Hitchcock followed "Psycho" with another epochal horror masterpiece, as elaborate as its predecessor was spare: This time, the menace comes from the outside environment rather than the inner mind, as seagulls, crows, sparrows and our other feathered ex-friends embark on a kill-crazy pecking spree. 1 p.m. Oct. 22, 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and 25, Collierville and Paradiso.

'Spirited Away'

Perhaps director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's most popular film, this 2001 Best Animated Feature Oscar-winner about a little girl who enters a realm of spirits is populated with more playful witches, ghosts, dragons and monsters than costume day at an elementary school. 4 p.m. Oct. 29 and 7 p.m. Oct. 31, Collierville, Hollywood 20 and Paradiso.

Malco tickets are available at malco.com.

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Special screamings

Theaters outside of traditional cinemas also have scheduled special Halloween screamings, er, screenings.

'Batman'

Dracula may be Halloween's iconic bat-man, but the Caped Crusader has his own eerie aura, especially when he's in battle against the ghoulishly grinning Joker. Home to the accurately named "Giant Screen Theater" (the screen is 50 feet wide), the Museum of Science and History (i.,e., the Pink Palace) hosts a screening of Tim Burton's 1989 hit with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, a film so successful (as was its Prince soundtrack) that it more or less launched the era of superhero cinema that is still with us. A fullsize replica Batmobile will be on view outside the museum, and refreshments will be available. 6 p.m. Oct. 7, Museum of Science and History, 3050 Central. Tickets: $20. Visit moshmemphis.com.

'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' in Concert

The dare we say enchanting 2001 fantasy adventure that introduced moviegoers to a world of witches and wizards returns to Downtown's historic Main Street theater, with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams' score in live accompaniment to the onscreen action. 2 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8, the Orpheum, 203 S. Main. Tickets: $70-$140. Visit orpheum-memphis.com.

'Picnic at Hanging Rock'

Australian director Peter Weir's spooky fact-based 1975 drama chronicles the mysterious disappearance of a group of girls during a school outing near an ancient geologic formation. 7 p.m. Oct. 12, Crosstown Theater. Admission: $5. Visit crosstownarts.org.

'Suspiria'

The combination of director Dario Argento's over-the-top murder choreography and the equally bravura excess of a pulse-quickening music score by the Italian band Goblin makes for one of the most distinctive and acclaimed movies in horror history, a stylish 1977 shocker about a student (Jessica Harper) who discovers her ballet school is run by witches. 7 p.m. Oct. 19, Crosstown Theater. Admission: $5. Visit crosstownarts.org.

'Edward Scissorhands'

The plaza on the south side of Madison Avenue at Overton Square is known as "Chimes Square," and most Thursday evenings it hosts free outdoor movie screenings. This month, the movie is a 1990 modern fairy tale from director Tim Burton that casts Johnny Depp as the blade-fingered yet somehow lovable creation of an aged mad scientist (Vincent Price, in a cameo that represents the horror legend's final movie performance). 7 p.m. Oct. 26, Overton Square.

'Fright-tober'

In an annual festival it dubs 'Fright-tober,' the Crosstown Theater will show two *free* movies every Saturday in October: a kid-friendly matinee and an adult-oriented evening shocker. Visit crosstownarts.org.

'Frankenweenie'

Tim Burton's 2012 stop-motion-animated film about a little boy who resurrects his deceased bull terrier, Sparky, features the voice talents of Martin Short and Winona Ryder, to name a few. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 7.

'Carrie'

Sissy Spacek wreaks telekinetic vengeance on her bullies in Brian De Palma's shocking and exhilarating 1976 Stephen King adaptation. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7.

'Ghostbusters'

Who ya gonna call? Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, of course. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 14.

'The Wicker Man'

Dubbed "the 'Citizen Kane' of horror movies" by Cinefantastique magazine, this 1973 milestone of folklore-inspired fear stars genre icon Christopher Lee as the lord of a Scottish isle and Edward Woodward (the pre-Denzel Washington "Equalizer") as a police detective. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14.

'Monster House'

Digital animation brings the title supernatural structure to monsterrific life in this 2006 comedy-adventure about a 12-year-old seeking to unlock the mystery of his neighborhood's eeriest edifice. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21.

'Get Out'

Writer-director Jordan Peele delivered an instant classic in 2017 with this race-based twist on the "body snatchers" theme, with an ace ensemble cast led by Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams and Catherine Keener. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21.

'Bride of Frankenstein'

The apotheosis of the monster movies that were a Universal Pictures specialty, director James Whale's 1935 masterpiece (the inspiration for much of "Young Frankenstein") is a must-see for anyone who cares about movies, horror or otherwise. With Boris Karloff as a monster who sheds a tear, Elsa Lanchester as his bouffanted bride, and Ernest Thesiger as cinema's most memorable mad scientist. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

'The Thing'

The ultimate showcase for eye-popping creature effects, director John ("Halloween") Carpenter's 1982 remake of a 1951 movie about an arctic-based alien invasion is now esteemed even above its 1951 Howard Hawks-produced inspiration. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

Deviltry at the drive-in

The October "Time Warp Drive-In" event is always Halloween-themed.

'Shocktober! Pt. X - Legends of Horror'

A showcase for cult and classic cinema, the Time Warp Drive-In program marks its tenth anniversary with a "Shocktober" lineup devoted to the milestones of mayhem that introduced three icons of modern horror (Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Leatherface). The films are John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978); Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984); and Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974). Dusk, Oct. 28, Malco Summer Quartet Drive-In. Visit malco.com.

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Festival frights

The Indie Memphis Film Festival includes a few eerie offerings.

'The Reaper Man'

A woman turns to voodoo and witchcraft to remedy the tragedy of a home invasion in this made-in-Memphis movie from Bolivar-born writer-director-editor-cinematographer Jaron Lockridge. 9 p.m. Oct. 25, Studio on the Square; also available online in the "virtual festival."

'Scary Movie'

As a sort of Halloween treat (even if much of the action may evoke a gag reflex), Indie Memphis hosts the return of the Wayans Brothers' exuberantly vulgar slasher spoof from the year 2000. 9:30 p.m. Oct. 26, Studio on the Square.

'Hometowner After Dark Shorts'

This year's edition of the popular showcase for weird and scary Mid-South-made shorts includes six films, motivated by such subjects as blackmail, ballet and a magical fortune cookie. 9 p.m. Oct. 27, Circuit Playhouse, 51 Cooper.

'Messiah of Evil'

Produced by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, just before the husband-and-wife producers teamed with George Lucas on "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars," this nightmarish no-budgeter was ignored in 1974 but is now appreciated as a milestone of California indie horror and a "cult" (in more ways than one) classic. 8:45 p.m. Oct. 28, Studio on the Square.

'Opera'

Director Dario Argento's signature operatic style finds appropriate expression in this 1987 story about murder in an opera house. The scene in which the killer props open a victim's eyes with needles is a key to Argento's mission: He wants you to keep watching, no matter how horrible the action. 6:50 p.m. Oct. 29, Studio on the Square.

'Tenebre'

Another Dario Argento stunner, this 1982 thriller about a murder-mystery novelist (Anthony Franciosa) in Rome may be the maestro's boldest and bloodiest work. (See it back-to-back with "Opera" for an Argento double feature.) 9:15 p.m. Oct. 29, Studio on the Square.

Note: "Messiah of Evil," "Opera" and "Tenebre" will be introduced by critic Clyde Folley, who curated last year's "'80s Horror" series and this October's "'90s Horror" sequence for The Criterion Channel. For tickets and more information, visit indiememphis.org.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Halloween things to do in Memphis: Scary movies playing in October