The Thing Plays a Cemetery Lawn This Halloween

John Carpenter's 1982 chiller screens after dark on the Fairbanks Lawn, with Kurt Russell's Antarctic crew hunting a shapeshifter in its own ranks. The setting carries the night: a screen in the middle of the cemetery, blankets across the lawn, palms overhead. Gates open at 5:30 PM, the film starts at 7:15 PM. The venue lists the evening as 5:30 to 11:30 PM; the film itself runs 109 minutes, putting the credits near 9 PM. General admission comes to $31.02 with TicketWeb fees, checked October 24, and DJ J.ROCC with a special guest plays as the sun drops.

The Halloween party runs all night. Themed cocktails, special guests and spooky surprises sit on the official program, with a dance party, a costume contest with prizes, a free photobooth and a candy crawl. Costumes are encouraged, never required: jeans and a jacket work as well as a full creature, and costumed guests collect giveaways plus popcorn and baked treats from Fat + Flour and See's. The film is rated R, anyone under 17 needs an adult, all sales are final, and the screening runs rain or shine.

The gate is at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, where stopping is not permitted; carpool or rideshare handles the last stretch. Chairs must sit 6 inches off the ground with a 21 inch back, and the center of the field is a no chair zone. Picnics may bring food, beer and wine, hard liquor stays out, and there is no re-entry after the gate. On-site parking is sold out; off-site passes run $24.11 on N Gower and $31.02 on N Van Ness. After the credits, Lolo Wine Bar sits 1.1 miles away and stays quiet until midnight; Jungle Hollywood is 21+ with physical ID checks, open late Saturdays, and worth checking for its October 31 lineup; V Wine Room is in West Hollywood.