Nobody buying a ticket to Coral Gables Art Cinema’s first Art House of Horror marathon will know what they are paying to see. The cinema is keeping all five films secret and has offered just one clue: every title is rated R.
The marathon begins at the stroke of midnight Saturday, Oct. 31, turning Halloween into an overnight test of moviegoers’ nerves and endurance. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and tickets cost $50 for nonmembers and $45 for Cinema and After Hours members. Costumes are encouraged.
The cinema promises trivia, prizes and “all sorts of surprises” between screenings. It has disclosed neither the films’ titles nor their directors, leaving audiences to trust the programmers’ taste.
Five films and no spoilers
Most film screenings sell a familiar title, a celebrated director or a promising review. Art House of Horror offers none of those assurances. Ticket buyers are wagering on the cinema’s judgment, with the possibility of discovering a forgotten favorite, an obscure cult film or something they have never heard of.
The arrangement fits a genre built around suspense. Horror thrives on uncertainty, and this marathon extends that uncertainty beyond the screen.
Five features also make for a demanding night. The cinema’s online schedule lists the event from 11:59 p.m. Friday to 8:59 a.m. Saturday, although its promotional artwork advertises eight hours of terror.
Those who last until morning will receive free coffee and a light breakfast courtesy of Books & Books and Café Demetrio, provided, as the cinema puts it, they survive.
Both establishments are familiar Coral Gables institutions. Books & Books is across Aragon Avenue from the cinema, while Café Demetrio, at 300 Alhambra Circle, has been serving coffee since 1997.
A long tradition of late-night scares
The marathon is part of After Hours, the cinema’s late-night programming series devoted to cult classics, international films and popular movies that reward another look on the big screen.
The nonprofit theater, which opened in October 2010, has long embraced the midnight-movie tradition. As the Gazette reported during its 15th-anniversary celebration, the cinema has established itself as a gathering place for independent film and less conventional programming.
Its appetite for horror is hardly new.
In October 2015, the cinema staged an overnight event called Up All Nite, featuring The Thing, Night of the Demons, David Lynch’s Eraserhead and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. That marathon also concluded with breakfast after sunrise.
Other late-night screenings over the years have included Satoshi Kon’s animated psychological thriller Perfect Blue, Dario Argento’s visually extravagant Suspiria and Danny Boyle’s zombie film 28 Days Later.
Together, those selections illustrate the range of horror that an art-house cinema can embrace, from surreal psychological unease to the bloodier traditions of the genre.
None, however, should be taken as a clue to this year’s lineup. The cinema has offered no indication that any previous favorite will return.
An artist drawn to the macabre
The cinema has commissioned an exclusive commemorative shirt from Brian Reedy, a Miami printmaker whose intricate woodcuts and linocuts frequently draw on pop culture, mythology and gothic imagery.
Reedy’s work has appeared on apparel sold through Hot Topic and Uniqlo, and he has created licensed artwork associated with Marvel, DC, Warner Bros., Disney and Fortnite.
A longtime Miami-Dade public school art teacher, Reedy was named Best Illustrator in Miami New Times’ 2026 Best of Miami awards.
His interest in horror is more than a seasonal sideline. In 2025, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood presented Gothic Pop Prints, an exhibition featuring more than 10 of his prints, including imagery inspired by hauntings, the afterlife and the notorious Lizzie Borden murders.
Reedy grew up in Alton, Illinois, a city with a reputation for ghost stories. In an artist statement accompanying his print Ghost in Space, he acknowledged that he had never seen a ghost but remained fascinated by the mysteries of the afterlife.
That blend of pop culture and the macabre makes him a fitting collaborator for a marathon whose central attraction is the unknown.
The limited-edition shirts can be pre-ordered when purchasing tickets to reserve a preferred size, while supplies last. The cinema’s event announcement does not specify the shirt’s price or reveal its design.
What to know before buying
The cinema has kept the five titles under wraps, but the practical arrangements are straightforward: arrive before midnight Friday, dress for Halloween if inclined, and prepare to spend most of the night in a darkened theater.
For moviegoers who prefer knowing exactly what they are getting, the secrecy may be a deterrent. For those who enjoy the unexpected, it is the point of the exercise.
Coral Gables has plenty of other Halloween activities on the calendar, but few ask participants to surrender an entire night to five films they cannot identify.
And if the programming delivers, the first glimpse of daylight may arrive before audiences are ready to leave.
If you go…
Art House of Horror Halloween Movie Marathon takes place at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, with screenings beginning at midnight Saturday, Oct. 31. Tickets are $50 for nonmembers and $45 for Cinema and After Hours members. All five films are rated R. Costumes are encouraged, and coffee and a light breakfast are included at the conclusion. Tickets and shirt pre-orders are available through the cinema’s official event page.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
