May special movie screenings 

• Blumhouse
• Annabelle

Blumhouse "Halfway to Halloween": Lovers of horror films get to immerse themselves in those fright features every October, but as box-office receipts show, scary movies are popular in theaters year-round. Many recent hits have emerged from the Blumhouse production banner, and after a successful launch in 2024, "Halfway to Halloween" returns to bring some Blumhouse favorites back to big screens this spring. The three-week event launches with the creepy-A.I. toy thriller Megan on April 30 ahead of the sequel's release later this year, then continues on subsequent Wednesdays with the haunted doll tale Annabelle (May 7), and Octavia Spencer as a creepy woman befriending neighborhood teens in Ma (May 14). For showtimes and participating Cinemark and AMC theater locations, visit the event website at halfwaytohalloweentickets.com

• Warner Bros
• Before Sunrise

"Right Person, Wrong Time" Films @ Salt Lake Film Society: Shakespeare may have coined the phrase "star-cross'd lovers" for Romeo and Juliet, but the concept of love stories about people separated by history, bad timing or other unpredictable factors has fueled many wonderful movies. This month at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. 300 South), you can experience many of these ill-fated romances every weekend. Scheduled titles include: La La Land (2016) and Moonlight (2016), 5/2 & 5/3; Blue Valentine (2010) and (500) Days of Summer (2009), 5/9 & 5/10; Before Sunrise (1995) and Titanic (1997), 5/16 & 5/17; Juno (2007) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 5/23 & 5/24: Lost in Translation (2003) and Little Women (2019), 5/30 & 5/31. Check website for showtimes, still TBD at press time. slfs.org

• Handmade Films
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 50th anniversary @ Megaplex Theatres: While the six-man British comedy troupe known as Monty Python has become legendary over time, studios weren't exactly fighting each other to finance a period-accurate telling of the King Arthur legend made by first-time directors who had only previously created short absurdist sketches. Thanks to the support of rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, however, the Pythons scraped together the necessary funds—and thus we have the now-classic anarchic comedy that gave us the Knights Who Say "Ni," taunting French soldiers, a persistent but increasingly limbless Black Knight and, eventually, the hit musical Spamalot. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at Megaplex Theatres locations on Sunday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 7; check the website for participating theaters and showtimes. megaplextheatres.com

• Zipporah Films
• National Gallery

Frederick Wiseman mini-festival @ Salt Lake Film Society: For nearly 60 years, Frederick Wiseman has set a standard for epic fly-on-the-wall documentaries, digging deeply into the people who make institutions work. This month at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. 300 South), you can get a rare local opportunity to see some of Wiseman's major works on the big screen in restored versions. Currently scheduled titles, beginning May 18: High School (1968), set at Philadelphia's Northeast High School; Ballet (1995), a profile of New York's American Ballet Theatre; National Gallery (2014), examining the inner workings of the famed London museum; and Ex Libris (2017), set in the world of the New York Public Library. Check website for showtimes, still TBD at press time. slfs.org

• Courtesy photo
• The General

Buster Keaton's The General @ Peery's Egyptian Theater: There are plenty of competitors for the title of "Greatest American Silent Film"—and if you chose Buster Keaton's 1926 masterpiece The General, you wouldn't get a lot of argument. Sure, it's not ideal in this moment that Keaton plays a would-be Confederate soldier, but it's a magnificent example of his clockwork action choreography. And to think that it was considered lost for many years, until a print was discovered in Keaton's one-time residence by its new owner, actor James Mason. Enjoy this masterpiece with live Wurlitzer organ accompaniment at Peery's Egyptian Theater in Ogden (2415 Washington Blvd.) on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission, with the house doors opening at 6:30 p.m. ogdenpet.com