A Frankenstein film celebration is coming to Vancouver for Halloween
Get ready, scream fans, because Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is gearing up for Halloween with a huge celebration of one of horror’s greatest icons.
The spooky celebration at the VIFF Centre – Vancity Theatre is all about Frankenstein. It includes iconic films from the 1930s, as well as the highly anticipated movie by three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro.
Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth, opens on Friday, Oct. 17 and runs until Wednesday, Nov. 5.
According to VIFF, Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro are a perfect match.
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“Who better to bring this seminal Victorian monster back to life than the maestro of the creature feature, the man who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy and The Shape of Water?” wrote VIFF online.
“This is first and foremost a ripping yarn, full of grand adventure, spectacle, hubris, passion and XXL body parts — but it’s a poetic and philosophical treatment, a movie of fine feeling and poignancy. It’s as much a fairy tale as a horror movie (though grisly in pieces, to be sure).”
Frankenstein will be screening on 35mm film and is rated 18A, so youth must be accompanied by an adult.
Frankenstein/VIFF
Other films about Mary Shelley’s monstrous creation being screened at VIFF include James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) on Sunday, Oct. 26, and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26.
There will also be a presentation by classic film scholar Michael van den Bos about Whale’s influential first sound version of Frankenstein on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m.
Bride of Frankenstein/VIFF
Those ready to dive into even more horror this month are invited to check out Samhain: Roots of Halloween from Oct. 24 to 30.
The partnership between VIFF and the Consulate General of Ireland pays tribute to the rise in Irish horror films, featuring acclaimed recent releases and Canadian premieres.
Movies in the series include Fréwaka, You Are Not My Mother, Oddity, An Taibhse, and The Outcasts.
More information about all VIFF screenings can be found online.
VIFF – Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro
When: Friday, Oct. 17 to Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025
Time: Various times. See the full schedule online.
Where: VIFF Centre – 1181 Seymour St., Vancouver
Tickets: Various prices, purchase online
James Whale’s Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein
When: Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025
Time: Various times
Where: VIFF Centre – 1181 Seymour St., Vancouver
Tickets: Various prices, purchase online
Samhain: Roots of Halloween
When: Friday, Oct. 24 to Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025
Time: Various times. See the full schedule online.
Where: VIFF Centre – 1181 Seymour St., Vancouver
Tickets: Various prices, purchase online
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