The Plague of the Zombies (dir: John Gilling, 1966, cert 15)
A classic from the heyday of Hammer Horror and conclusive proof that underground Cornish tin mining voodoo zombie armies are no match for a stiff upper lip. Understated and genuinely creepy, with a cute political subtext that predates the shuffling arrival of Romero’s hordes by a couple of years.
Tue 16 Oct 7.30pm at Birmingham LGBT, 38-40 Holloway Circus B1 1EQ Free www.journeyfilmclub.co.uk

Shadow World (dir: Johan Grimonprez, 2016, cert n/a)
Johan Grimonprez turns the x-ray glare he used to dissect the phenomenon of hijackings onto the international arms trade. Polemical and angry, which is how you we feel after viewing it. The whole miserable journey of weapon to battlefield and the ensuing misery of its deployment is analysed in detail. The collusion of states, manufacturers, intelligence services and the endemic corruption at their core will make your blood boil.
Wed 17 Oct 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Row, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8HW Free www.facebook.com

The Apple (dir: Menahem Golan, 1980, cert PG)
Selected for screening by artist Polly Apfelbaum, whose current Waiting for UFO’s exhibition at the Ikon is well worth checking out, read our preview here, The Apple is a kitsch musical overload of trippy visuals, appalling songs and unintended campness, in short it’s great. Enry fee includes a kitsch apple cocktail.
Wed 17 Oct 6.30pm at Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HS £5 www.ikon-gallery.org

The Omen (dir: Richard Donner, 1976, cert 15)
One of the most effective supernatural horrors in cinematic history, so potent it continues to infect popular culture, how many times have you heard difficult children being referred to as Damien? A stunning cast, incredible score and some of the most imaginatively gruesome kills ever filmed, ‘Look at me, Damien! It’s all for you.’
Thu 18 Oct 6pm & 8.20pm at Lighthouse, Chubb Bldg, Fryer St, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT £8.40 light-house.co.uk

Mandy (dir: Panos Cosmatos, 2018, cert 18)
Cosmatos cranks the Nick into overdrive and lets him go wild in this gory blood soaked revenge thriller, a throwback to the eighties nasties but with glossier gore, it’s Slayer’s Reign in Blood writ large, a raging heavy metal cacophony of blistering violence and dizzying visuals and we haven’t even mentioned the chainsaw fight yet.
Fri 19 Oct to Thu 25 Oct  at Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £10.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Keep Punching (dir: John Clein, 1939, cert U)
Screening as part of Black History Month and to celebrate the music introduced at dance halls such as Stirchley Ballroom by Black GI’s during World War II. A series of shorts around the theme of swing dancing will be followed by John Clein’s Keep Punching, a satisfying boxing film that notably has a large cast of black actors, unusual for its time, and contains a wonderful Lindy Hopping sequence.
Fri 19 Oct 7pm at Stirchley Baths, Bournville Ln, Birmingham B30 2JT £4 www.eventbrite.co.uk

Journey’s End (dir: Saul Dibb, 2017, cert 12)
The fifth film adaptation of R. C. Sheriff’s 1928 play reflecting on the abject futility of the first world war is a superlatively realised production featuring incredible performances from a raft of English actors such as Toby Jones, Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham. The tragedy is found in the pathetic minutiae of life, such as meal times, as the hulking presence of an inevitable and violently pointless death looms ever closer. It’s a quiet horror that is unsettling and poignant.
Sun 20 Oct 7.15pm at Moorpool Hall, The Circle, Birmingham B17 9EE £5 www.circlecinema.co.uk

Screening Rights Festival
Birmingham’s international festival of social justice films returns with several screenings at the mac and also at The Old Grammar School in Coventry with directors, producers and special guests taking part. There’s a nice link with the BFI’s Uprising: Legacies of 1968 strand too which has seen several interesting screenings and exhibitions throughout the city this year. An incredibly strong line up this year and we really want to see it all, for those that can’t here are our recommendations. There’s a rare big screen outing for Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering piece of black cinema Burning an Illusion, Under the Wire is an edge of the seat and ultimately tragic examination of frontline war reporting, whilst The Island is a starkly unblinking stare into the moment of death, some people may not be ready for such brutal honesty but it’s a conversation that needs to be had, this joint presentation with Brum Yodo and the subsequent panel discussion is our absolute festival highlight.
Wed 17th Oct to Sun 21 Oct at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH screeningrights.com