As August comes to a close it’s time to get the winter coat out and embrace the upcoming autumnal changes. From Halloween to Bonfire Night, autumn is full of its own seasonal celebrations, providing plenty of opportunities to engage new audiences through the medium of cinema. Roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, chewing on bonfire toffees, fashioning faces into carved out pumpkins and the mischievous atmosphere of trick or treating, autumn is a season of homemade fun; a last humble celebration within the current year before the chill of winter and the commercial Christmas chaos sets in.  Autumn is an opportunity to make your programming as unique and bespoke as a family firework display so why not take this opportunity to embrace films that celebrate and centre-around this crunchy-leafed season? Here are four suggestions for films and programmes that capture everything we love about autumn, from the romantic aesthetic of a crisp autumn walk in the park to the bumps in the night one endures on 31st October.

Autumn Teens

Autumn marks the start of a new school year and the excitement of such changes are reflected in some wonderful American teen movies. Autumn is something of an ‘in limbo’ season – with summer long gone but the wait for Christmas feeling frustratingly vast. The torture of being stuck in between is also seen in many teen movies where the irritation of being trapped between childhood and adulthood plagues central characters. The long and joyous summer of youth is fading and the freedom of adulthood lies just beyond reach for many protagonists in the likes of John Hughes’ iconic The Breakfast Club or Wes Anderson’s charismatic Rushmore. This is a wonderful time of year to encourage new and younger audiences to enter your venue with screenings that really explore the turmoil of teen-hood. Perhaps a Matthew Broderick double bill, with his youthful escapades of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off followed by his misery as a high school teacher in Election, could be a smart and subtle programming choice to really get stuck into the representation of teenagers on screen. Fun could also be had with the dark and sinister undertones of Heathers; a film that takes place largely in the autumn whilst also being a horrifying meditation on the woes of adolescence.

Autumn Horror

Programming horror movies around Halloween is a little too predictable so why not select movies that will not only spook your audiences but also immerse them in an autumnal aesthetic. Although recommending John Carpenter’s Halloween is somewhat obvious, it’s important not to overlook just how engrained in the season this film is. Leaves are scattered along every path and the deep tone of the dead leaves give the film a truly iconic look. Halloween is a predictable screening choice but timeless within the genre that it helped to define. Yet another pioneering genre film rich with the symbolism of dead leaves is George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead which not only resurrected this type of horror and defined the modern zombie film, but which is also crucially set in the autumn, as the dead threaten the living. Opposing spring, autumn is a season of death and endings, as the cold of winter approaches, nature reminds us that change is inevitable – this echoes true with the cinema of George A. Romero, particularly with his first and most famous feature. Finally, to go hand in hand with Carpenter and Romero one should consider Tobe Hooper’s triumphant three-hour television movie, Salem’s Lot. Another underrated horror classic, set across autumn and rich with the textures and visuals we’ve discussed.

FALLing in Love

When we think about the greatest romantic comedies of all time it’s impossible to not think of Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally – the DVD box of which is coated in a thick sheet of crunchy autumn leaves. With autumn bringing nature’s most romantic surroundings, it could be worth dedicating a programme of cinema to the romance of this season.  Famously, When Harry Met Sally launched a new type of romantic comedy – bringing a cynical truth and modern approach with it when released in 1989. The same can be said for Marc Webb’s 500 Days of Summer when it appeared in cinemas in 2009. Both films focus on the modern world of dating as told through two contrasting but charismatic leads. Both also use their fair share of autumn weather and aesthetic to capture the magic of the seasonal changes with autumn sticking most prominently in the mind.

Autumn in New York

The idea of such a time (autumn) in such a place (Manhattan) has always been present in the cinema of Woody Allen. The director’s love and devotion to New York City, particularly during the colder months, is echoed through some of his greatest work. Allen enjoys the city in many seasons in two of his greatest works – Annie Hall and Manhattan. Meanwhile, in Hannah & Her Sisters, Allen expertly guides us through a gorgeous autumn in Manhattan whilst also navigating the complex relationships and feelings of the characters around us. Finally another fan favourite but lesser known mainstream movie is Broadway Danny Rose – yet another captivating venture around New York with Allen. Often accompanied by the whimsy of a George Gershwin score, it’s really hard to not fall in love with the locations and the surroundings of Allen’s cinema of the seventies and eighties.

Conclusion

There are many other directions that you could take your cinema curation from next month but hopefully the ideas above demonstrate the versatility and variety that can be considered when programming for autumn audiences. Competing with the beginning of award season and with people beginning to save up for Christmas, it’s vital to ensure that your audiences are catered for, ideally through smart and suitable programming. If you bring warmth into your programming with intelligent film choices and a multitude of options for all demographics you’ll be well on your way to convincing audiences to take refuge inside your doors and in front of your screen.