Seven movies, twelve hours, a costume contest at midnight and a free cereal breakfast at 5:00 am. That’s the plan when the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) takes over Saturday, October 24, and we’re already arguing with ourselves about what to wear.
The 12-Hour Halloween Horror Movie Marathon runs at Globe Cinema (617 8 Ave SW), starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $25, or $23 for members, students and seniors, and all ages are welcome. Come for one film or stay until sunrise, because one ticket covers the whole night and you can come and go as you like.
A lineup with real range
It opens with The Invisible Man (1933), then swings into The Burbs (1989), a comedy about suburban neighbours who are sure the new family next door is up to something terrible. Twins of Evil (1971) gets you to the costume contest.
After midnight things get strange in the best way. Tetsuo (1989) comes first, then From Beyond (1986), then Sleepwalkers (1992). The finale at 5:20 am is Troll 2 (1990), a goblin movie with a following of its own. Watching the sky go pale with goblins on screen sounds about right.
The extras make it feel like a party. Vendors Otherworldly Comics, Nocturne Books and Tia’s Treasures set up until 2:30 am. The concession has hot dogs, baking and noodles, burgers arrive at the midnight break, and the bar stays open until 2:00 am. Both the upstairs and downstairs screens are in use. Plan on arriving about 15 minutes early for any film you can’t bear to miss the start of, since intermissions run 15 to 20 minutes and the schedule is approximate.
Warm up with spiders
Two weeks earlier, on Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 pm, CUFF’s Off the CUFF series screens CRAWLERS at the same cinema. It’s an 86 minute thriller from director Ángel Gómez Hernández about an apartment building quarantined while venomous spiders multiply inside. Building manager Serena knows every corner of the place, and she’s going to need all of it.
If you’ve never been to Globe Cinema, our look at Cinematheque Calgary and its Globe home tells you why film fans love the room.
Blood on the stage too
CUFF’s Halloween picks include Evil Dead The Musical, which Alberta Theatre Projects stages at the Martha Cohen Theatre from October 14 to November 14. CUFF describes it as pure comedy with blood, jokes, cheesy effects and big musical numbers.
Want a homegrown scare while you wait? Our post on Never Seen, a Calgary horror short that premiered at CUFF, is a good place to start.
Documentary fans, mark November 18 to 22 for CUFF.Docs at Globe Cinema. Passes go on sale October 21, and single tickets and the full lineup follow on October 28.
Pick up marathon tickets on the CUFF event page, then start building the costume.
Sources: CUFF Halloween Horror Movie Marathon 2026, CUFF, Off the CUFF CRAWLERS, CUFF upcoming events.
Keep going with Hell on Wheels Set Up Its Railroad Camp in Calgary and Never Seen Calgary horror short and the team behind its glowing monitor.
Quick answers
The 12 Hour Halloween Horror Movie Marathon runs on Saturday, October 24 at Globe Cinema, 617 8 Ave SW, starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $25, or $23 for members, students and seniors, and all ages are welcome.
The seven films are The Invisible Man (1933), The Burbs (1989), Twins of Evil (1971), Tetsuo (1989), From Beyond (1986), Sleepwalkers (1992) and, at 5:20 am, Troll 2 (1990). A costume contest follows Twins of Evil.
Yes. One ticket covers the whole night and you can come and go as you like. Intermissions run 15 to 20 minutes and the schedule is approximate, so arrive about 15 minutes early for any film you cannot bear to miss.
CUFF’s Off the CUFF series screens CRAWLERS at Globe Cinema on Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 pm. CUFF.Docs runs November 18 to 22 at Globe Cinema, with passes on sale October 21 and single tickets October 28.
