Film at Lincoln Center’s Scary Movies Series Returns with ‘Midsommar’ Director’s Cut, Ghost Rom-Com ‘Extra Ordinary’ & More

Film at Lincoln Center’s Scary Movies Series Returns with ‘Midsommar’ Director’s Cut, Ghost Rom-Com ‘Extra Ordinary’ & More


It’s been a banner summer for the horror film genre. From Ari Aster’s Midsommar, and German-language zombie thriller Endzeit, to Alexandre Aja’s hurricane horror flick Crawl, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and demonic possession chiller Luz, it’s been a fright-full few months at the cinema. But the scares don’t stop there. Stepping up to the bat in the cleanup hitter position is Film at Lincoln Center with Scary Stories XII. The week-long series, which runs through August 21, parades an international pot-pourri of terrifyingly good premieres and rediscoveries. We missed out on last year, but Scary Movies X was a scream.

This year’s festivities kicked off last night with a sold out screening of home invasion thriller Villains. The darkly funny feature, which had its World Premiere at SXSW, stars Maika Monroe (It Follows) and Bill Skarsgård (It) as outlaw lovers who seek refuge in an isolated house thought to be deserted. If you missed out, no worries. Villains opens theatrically on September 20, 2019 via Gunpowder & Sky.

Scary Movies XII Midsommar

Courtesy of A24

As for what else will emerge from the darkness at the 12th edition of the venerated series, highlights include the World Premiere of Ari Aster’s nearly three-hour Director’s Cut of Midsommar followed by a Q&A with the director; a special 40th anniversary screening of John Frankenheimer’s ecological horror classic Prophecy; and a closing night event showcasing Ready or Not, the latest film from Radio Silence directing team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Ready or Not, which also opens theatrically on Wednesday, August 21, stars Samara Weaving as a blushing bride whose wedding night turns into a horrific all-night game of hide-and-seek. A Q&A with Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, Weaving and additional cast members Mark O’Brien, and Andie MacDowell follows the Scary Stories XII screening. Tickets holders also have exclusive access to a post-screening party.

The 2019 lineup also features films paired by theme. On Sunday, August 18, Scary Movies XII serves up double-bills of “Agora-Horror” and “Exorcisms Abroad.” The “Agora-Horror” duo includes Jon Amiel’s 1995 psychological whodunit Copycat, and the New York Premiere of Alistar Banks Griffin’s The Wolf Hour, a Hitchcockian thriller that stars Naomi Watts as a writer suffering from agoraphobia. As for “Exorcisms Abroad,” Emilio Portes’s 2017 Belzebuth screens alongside the New York Premiere of Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman’s supernatural SXSW entry Extra Ordinary. Funny people Maeve Higgins, Will Forte and Barry Ward star in the ghostly comedy, which you can get a preview of below.

Other films of note include Henry Jacobson’s Bloodline, which finds Seann William Scott going on a killing spree, and Andrew Desmond’s debut feature The Sonata. The latter is about a musical prodigy who inherits a mansion from her recently deceased father, played by Rutger Hauer. Sadly, Hauer passed away in July.

Many of the films in the series are followed by Q&As with cast and crew. Tickets for all are currently on sale, with discounts available for those interested in three or more films. For the fest’s complete lineup and tickets visit Film at Lincoln Center’s website.

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