Milwaukee Film October Programming Includes Scareville Series, Patton Oswalt In-Person, Tribute to Rachel Talalay, and More!

MILWAUKEE – Tuesday, September 30th – This October, Milwaukee Film has programming for everybody, regardless of how into Halloween you are. This month features Scareville, a series of repertory films ranging from a little spooky to absolutely terrifying, as well as the second installment of Retro Reels, a collaborative series with Awkward Nerd Events. Other October events to look out for include: a visit from comedian Patton Oswalt alongside a screening of Dude Bro Party Massacre III, the new 4K restoration of one of the best Japanese films of the 21st century Linda Linda Linda, and a documentary that explores the crucial roles that bats play in our shared environment—plus October’s Cinematic Sisterhood tribute weekend to Cult Queen filmmaker Rachel Talalay—not to mention the previously announced 10th Annual Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival returning to the historic Oriental Theatre.

[inarticled]Milwaukee Film’s programming team knows that horror films aren’t for everyone, so Black Lens programmer Ty Williams and Executive Director Susan Kerns took it upon themselves to build a lineup of spooky films inspired by the Scoville Scale, a tool for measuring the spiciness or pungency of hot peppers. Thus, the series known as Scareville was born! This series includes ten films—ranging from silly, spooky fun like Monster House and Tetsuo: The Iron Man, to universally horrifying films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Exorcist.

“These films are ranked on a scale from one to ten, with one being the least scary, and ten being the most scary,” programmer Ty Williams explained. “We wanted to give our audiences the opportunity to choose their desired scare level, as well as challenge the truly hardcore horror fans to attempt to make it through all ten levels. This season, we’re posing the question: Are you brave enough to try them all?” he concluded.

For those who want to track their journey across the Scareville lineup, physical “passport” cards will be available at the Oriental Theatre box office. Present your passport to the box office staff upon arrival at each screening, and they will punch the corresponding number. Post a picture of your filled-out punch-card at the end of the month and tag @mkefilm for a chance to win a spooky prize!

See the full lineup for Milwaukee Film’s Scareville, in order of scare-level, here:

• MONSTER HOUSE – 10/11 and 10/12
• TETSUO: THE IRON MAN – 10/9 and 10/11
• DEF BY TEMPTATION – 10/9 and 10/10
• FREAKS – 10/18 and 10/19
• CURE – 10/17 and 10/18
• RAW – 10/23 and 10/28
• THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT – 10/24 and 10/25
• NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD – 10/26 and 10/27
• THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE – 10/30 and 10/31
• THE EXORCIST (THEATRICAL CUT) – 10/30 and 10/31

On October 8th, head over to the Oriental Theatre for a 10th anniversary screening of Dude Bro Party Massacre III, featuring an in-person introduction from comedian Patton Oswalt.

A satirical twist on the gory and sexually-charged 1980s slasher genre, Dude Bro Party Massacre III is presented as the only surviving VHS copy of a reviled horror franchise’s third—and final—installment. In the wake of mass murders on Chico’s frat row, loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate the ranks of a popular fraternity to investigate his twin brother’s murder at the hands of the serial killer known as Motherface. As they are picked off one by one, Brent and his fellow Dude Bros must face the terrifying reality that their deadly foe has returned from the grave, and is hell-bent on the destruction of the Delta Bis. Featuring cameos from Larry King, Patton Oswalt, Greg Sestero, and Andrew W.K., Dude Bro Party Massacre III is a subversive and hilarious tribute to ’80s slashers.

Milwaukee Film and Awkward Nerd Events present Retro Reels, a series celebrating the films of 1985! Last month’s selection was The Goonies, and this month, Tim Burton’s beloved feature directorial debut Pee-wee’s Big Adventure will screen at the Oriental Theatre on Saturday, October 11th at 7 PM.

Starting October 17th, see the new 4k restoration of Linda Linda Linda, in honor of the film’s 20th anniversary. When their lead singer drops out days before their debut at the annual school concert, a high school band enlists a Korean exchange student with shaky Japanese skills to save the show. Hailed as one of the best Japanese films of the 21st century, Linda Linda Linda is a joyful celebration of perseverance, female friendship, and rock and roll.

On October 24th and 25th, Milwaukee Film and the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee’s Cinematic Sisterhood series returns with a tribute to luminary director Rachel Talalay. The full lineup of films in this program, titled Cult Queen: A Rachel Talalay Retrospective, will be announced in early October.

Just because the 2025 Dialogues Documentary Festival is over, doesn’t mean Milwaukee Film will be finished showing documentaries anytime soon. Winner of the Audience Award at MFF25, The Librarians, returns to the Oriental Theatre on October 6th at 7 PM, coinciding with Banned Books Week. On October 26th at 12 PM, see the new film The Invisible Mammal, followed by a talkback. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and the sixth mass extinction, filmmaker Kristin Tièche explores the crucial roles that bats play in our shared environment, and how a team of women bat scientists set out to save a North American bat species from a deadly fungal disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) to create a better future for both bats and humans.

Fresh off the tails of our exclusive 70mm film presentation of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, Milwaukee Film’s team of projectionists will be screening exclusive 35mm film presentations of Yorgos Lanthimos’s new sci-fi/thriller Bugonia starting at the end of October.

“Having the projection equipment—and trained staff—to show films as intended is an important part of what it means to us to be a modern film exhibitor. Keeping the practice of celluloid projection alive at the Oriental Theatre connects us to the history of film and allows us to activate our cinema the way movies have been shown here for the majority of the theatre’s lifetime,” expressed Kelsey Parks, Milwaukee Film’s Technical Manager.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.