What’s Westchester Watching? October Edition

“What’s Westchester Watching?” is ArtsNews’s guide to notable releases and special screenings for Westchester moviegoers.

October promises to be an exciting month for film in Westchester, filled with festive Halloween-related screenings and several new releases from well-known contemporary directors. Below is a guide to these film events, including global cinema screenings at art destinations across the county, a closer look at a screening of a Buster Keaton silent film with live piano accompaniment and more.

_{*All screenings are current as of the publishing of this article but are subject to change. Check with the individual venue before attending.}

New Releases

One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, tells the story of an off-the-grid ex-revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a rescue mission to save his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from his nemesis, a corrupt military agent (Sean Penn). The screwball action film also stars Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor. Screenings for One Battle After Another continue through October 2 at The Picture House and Jacob Burns Film Center.

The Baltimorons

Set in Baltimore, Maryland, The Baltimorons is a romantic comedy following Cliff (Michael Strassner), a comedian who chips his tooth and seeks emergency dental care on Christmas Eve. This turn of fate finds him in the company of dentist Didi (Liz Larsen). The night’s misadventures spark romance between the two and lead to unforeseen twists and antics. The Baltimorons opens at Bedford Playhouse on October 3.

After The Hunt

Director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name; Challengers) returns with a new drama starring Juila Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield. Roberts plays a respected professor at Yale University who finds herself at a crossroads – emotionally, personally and professionally – when her close friend and colleague is accused of assault by a student. After the Hunt opens at The Picture House and Bedford Playhouse on October 17. 35mm film screenings begin at Jacob Burns Film Center on October 17.

Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s gothic tale of unchecked ambition stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who creates a frightening creature (Jacob Elordi) as the result of an experiment, ultimately leading to both of their downfalls. Frankenstein opens at Jacob Burns Film Center on October 24.

Blue Moon

Blue Moon is one of two new October releases from Boyhood director Richard Linklater. Set mostly on the opening night of the Broadway musical Oklahoma!, Blue Moon sees Andrew Scott and longtime Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke as legendary Broadway songwriters Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers. The movie’s supporting cast includes Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale. Blue Moon opens at Jacob Burns Film Center on October 24 and The Picture House and Bedford Playhouse on November 21.

Nouvelle Vague

Like his other new release this October, Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague is set in behind-the-scenes moments of a landmark creative work — this time Jean Luc Godard’s seminal film Breathless, which pushed film conventions with its guerilla-style filmmaking. Linklater’s film stars Guillaume Marbeck as Godard and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, the French New Wave film’s leading actress. Nouvelle Vague opens at The Picture House and Jacob Burns Film Center on October 31.

Bugonia

Director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone’s creative collaborations continue with the satirical dark comedy Bugonia. The Poor Things director’s latest film follows two conspiracy theorists who capture a high-power CEO (Stone), believing she is an alien scheming to destroy the planet. Bugonia opens at The Picture House, Jacob Burns Film Center and Bedford Playhouse October 31.

Special Screenings

Rashomon
Jacob Burns Film Center
October 3, 5 & 9

Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) will screen the 2k restoration of Rashomon, the Akira Kurosawa classic that questions the objectivity of truth by exploring four different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife. JBFC notes the film has endured in part due to its “striking imagery and ingenious use of flashbacks.” Three showtimes: October 3 at 7:15pm; October 5 at 4:30pm; October 9 at 2pm. Audiences can catch other Kurosawa restorations, including Throne of Blood and The Hidden Fortress, at JBFC earlier in the month.

Dreams
Jacob Burns Film Center
October 16

In partnership with The LOFT, Jacob Burns Film Center presents Dreams, the third installment in Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud’s Oslo Stories Trilogy (following films Love and Sex). Dreams won the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival this year and tells a story of self-discovery about a 17-year-old who falls in love with her French teacher. At 7pm.

Caballerango
KinoSaito
October 24

As part of its Fall Films Series, KinoSaito will screen Caballerango, a Mexican documentary about a small community in Los Altos de Jalisco that is grieving the sudden suicide of a young horse wrangler. The documentary examines the co-disappearance of traditions and lives. At 6pm. RSVP required.

Back to the Future: 40th Anniversary
Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers: October 31-November 4
Look Cinemas Bedford: November 1-5

Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers and Look Cinemas Bedford will screen Back to the Future in honor of the film’s 40^th anniversary. The beloved sci-fi blockbuster follows Marty McFly, a teen from a small town who becomes entangled in an experiment by an oddball scientist, time traveling to the 1950s. Various times.

Closer Look: The General with Live Soundtracking by Ben Model

Silent films have been a part of Bedford Playhouse’s programming since its reopening in 2018 – but once a year, the movie theater hosts a special silent film screening that also includes live music soundtracking.

On October 5, the Playhouse will screen the 4k restoration of The General starring Buster Keaton, one of the silent era’s most iconic luminaries. Leading silent film accompanist (and one of about 20 full-time contemporary silent film accompanists in the U.S.), Ben Model will soundtrack the film live with piano.

Model, who is also a film historian, will provide an introduction and historical context at the start of the film.

The 1926 film stars Keaton as a Southern railroad engineer during the Civil War in a showdown with Union Soldiers and features the actor’s trademark physical comedy and nail-biting stunts (Keaton famously did all his own).

Bedford Playhouse’s artistic director, Dan Friedman notes Model’s knack for creating music on the spot in response to the action on screen. He adds: “We’ve found that silent comedies work especially well with live soundtracking since they naturally complement the spirit of improvisation.”

The film was a natural choice for Friedman to program: “The General [is] often regarded as one of the greatest films by one of cinema’s greatest comedians, Buster Keaton. Since he’s sometimes overshadowed by [Charlie] Chaplin, we felt it was the perfect opportunity for audiences—especially those who’ve never seen it on the big screen—to experience his genius.”

Friedman acknowledges some elements of the almost 100-year-old film that would be considered by most to be outdated and hopes that the audience will take away both an appreciation for how films were originally screened and the opportunity to have “meaningful conversations about how much society and cinema have evolved.”

Selected Halloween-Themed Screenings

Here are some spooky and supernatural screenings to get audiences in the Halloween spirit!

Click here for more Halloween events, from sightings of the famed Headless Horseman to trick-or-treating at a historic estate.

Hellraiser
Jacob Burns Film Center
October 3 & 30

Jacob Burns Film Center will screen a new 4k restoration of Clive Baker’s 1987 horror film Hellraiser. Exploring ideas about sadomasochism and the repression of desire, Hellraiser follows a hedonist named Frank who accidentally opens a portal to hell when he messes with a mysterious box he bought abroad. Restoration Fun Fact: the new 4k restoration was scanned from the original 35mm camera negative (the original film that passed through the camera during production). Missing sections from the original negative were replaced using a sourced 35mm interpositive, or edited camera negative used to make a positive image. Showtimes: October 3 at 9:30pm; October 30 at 7pm.

Double Feature: Mad Love & I Walked With a Zombie
New Rochelle Public Library
October 11

New Rochelle librarian and film historian Chris Poggiali hosts a double feature of cult horror films at New Rochelle Public Library as part of its Film Series programming. In the 1935 film Mad Love, a surgeon’s patient is the man who is married to the woman he loves – so he replaces the man’s hands of those of a dead murderer. Jumping to 1943, I Walked With a Zombie follows a nurse in the Caribbean who “finds herself plunged into a mysterious world where the ghosts of slavery haunt the present and Vodou priests have the power to summon the living dead.” Poggiali will introduce the films and lead a post-screening discussion. At 2pm.

The Mummy Movie Party
Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers
October 15

A The Mummy (1999) movie party, taking place at the Alamo Drafthouse’s Yonkers location, is a fan-oriented screening that features themed props for guests. Starring Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser, the film reimagines the 1932 monster film of the same name and follows explorers who are looking for treasure in the Sahara Desert. The crew unknowingly unleashes the 3,000-year-old reincarnation of a hostile Egyptian priest. At 7pm.

Corpse Bride
Bedford Playhouse
October 19

In Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated film Corpse Bride, a young man is drawn away from his fiancé when he is brought to the underworld to wed a corpse bride. He must figure out how to return to the land of the living. Voice talent includes Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. After the movie, a featurette about the artistry of Corpse Bride’s puppetry will also be screened. At 4pm.

12-Hour Halloween Movie Marathon
Jacob Burns Film Center
October 25-26  

The line-up for Jacob Burns Film Center’s annual overnight Halloween tradition this year includes Donnie Darko, Vampyros Lesbos, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (on 35mm) and Altered States, with more to be announced. From 8pm on October 25 to 8am on October 26.

House on Haunted Hill
Bedford Playhouse
October 28

In cult horror B-movie House on Haunted Hill, Vincent Price stars as a rich man who offers $10,000 dollars to any of his guests who survive the night at his haunted house party. At 7pm.

You may also enjoy: 20+ Halloween Events in Westchester

Upcoming Film Festivals

ArtsFest Film Fest
October 18 & 19

The ArtsFest Film Fest, part of the annual New Rochelle ArtsFest, returns for its second year. The Film Fest boasts two days of independent cinema by local and international filmmakers being screened at The Picture House Pelham, as well as panel discussions with industry professionals, including directors, writers, actors and more. This year’s festival judges include Monique Gabriela Curnen, star of the series Power Book II: Ghost. Various times.

YoFi Fest (Yonkers Film Festival)
November 7-16

Every November, filmmakers and moviegoers flood downtown Yonkers for YoFi Fest. Now in its 13th year, the festival screens films in nearly 15 categories, most in short formats, including animated, dramatic, dance, locally sourced shorts and more – as well as narrative and documentary features. The ten-day festival includes workshops, panels and networking opportunities couched between an opening night red carpet reception and closing night party. Though known for its in-person parties, YoFiFest will also resume its virtual offerings, which were developed during the pandemic and continue in popularity, including virtual “Meet the Filmmaker” nights, networking events and mixers.

You May Also Enjoy

• It’s Officially Fall Festival Season in Westchester!
• Armonk Has Heart (and New Public Art)
• Dance Performances Take Center Stage in Westchester
• Performing Arts Center at Purchase Announces 2025-26 Lineup

_{Photos (top to bottom): Corpse Bride illustration by artist Julia Herceg; Frankenstein (photo courtesy of Netflix); Rashomon (photo courtesy of RKO Pictures and Daiei Film); The General (photo courtesy of United Artists); Hellraiser (photo courtesy of New Word Pictures and Entertainment Film Distributors)}