10 Best Horror Movies Set In A Cinema

Demons, Anguish, The Final Girls, Porno and those other brilliant cinema-set horror movies!

By Andrew Pollard /

What constantly makes the horror genre one of the most popular corners of cinema, is the sheer variety and possibilities forever offered up by this particular realm of film.

Advertisement

Spooky houses, ominous camp sites and woods are just some of the staples when it comes to the setting of many a horror picture. One location that maybe doesn't instantly come to mind when thinking 'horror', though, is that of the humble cinema or movie theater.

Most of you reading this will have spent many an hour sat in a cinema screen, watching a horror movie play out in front of you. What tends to get a tad overlooked in the horror genre, mind, are those pictures that actually take place within a theater or multiplex setting.

Over the decades, there have been numerous impressive horrors where the bulk of the action takes place in a cosy one-screen cinema or a major multiplex, and it's those movies that are getting spotlighted in this particular article.

With that in mind, then, here are the ten best horror movies that spend the majority of their run time in a movie theater.

10. Fade To Black

As the tagline for 1980's Fade to Black says, "Eric Binford lives for the movies... Sometimes he kills for them, too."

Advertisement

It's Dennis Christopher who stars here as the aforementioned Eric, an awkward ass of a man who is obsessed with the medium of film. Rather than the socially-struggling nerd who is relatable, who you root for and who is a well-meaning, if not possibly a misunderstood figure, Fade to Black's main attraction is just simply a bit of a prick.

The theme of 'movies' is constantly present throughout Vernon Zimmerman's picture, with Eric either in a movie theater, embarking on a marathon viewing session at home, or shown at his day job working at a film distribution warehouse.

Managing to get himself a date with a Marilyn Monroe lookalike Australian model, Binford's descent into true madness commences when his date accidentally stands him up. From there, Eric begins on a path of bloody murder that is inspired by a slew of famed films, such as Psycho, Kiss of Death, White Heat, The Prince and the Showgirl, Dracula and The Mummy.

Not only do several of Eric's kills take place in a cinema setting, Fade to Black's conclusion takes place at the iconic Mann's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

Advertisement