Los Angeles’ AFI Film Festival has announced its Halloween programming for 2009, and it’s filled with movies that need to be seen, including Joe Dante’s 3D film The Hole and the almost lost Australian gem Wake in Fright. And the films this year are FREE. That sounds pretty damn good to me.

And by the way, AFI is playing a bunch of other films I’m psyched about, including Bong Joon-Ho’s (The Host) new movie Mother, the documentary about Troll 2, Best Worst Movie and the English Red Riding Trilogy.

Here’s the release:

Los
Angeles, CA, September 29, 2009—AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi today
announced films scheduled for Halloween, all of which celebrate horror
genre. Joe Dante’s THE HOLE, Sean Byrne’s THE LOVED ONES, Ted
Kotcheff’s WAKE IN FRIGHT and Michael Stephenson’s BEST WORST MOVIE
will screen on Saturday, October 31 at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatres in
Hollywood.

Presented
in 3-D, Joe Dante’s family friendly thriller THE HOLE marks an
auspicious return to the big screen by the celebrated genre director
after 11 years. In the film, two young brothers stumble upon a
mysterious hole in their basement that houses an evil force that can
create a physical manifestation of their deep-seated fears. After
unwittingly unleashing the force, the brothers must team with the
teenage girl next door to find a way to defend themselves against the
darkness. The film stars Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble,
Bruce Dern and Teri Polo.

THE
HOLE will mark the first time a feature film has been presented in 3-D
at AFI FEST or it’s precursor, Filmex since Paul Morrissey’s FLESH FOR
FRANKENSTEIN in screened in 1977. Michael Medaglia’s short film THE
RATSNITCH ANGEL was presented in 3-D in 2006.

The Midnight Madness Audience Award winner of this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Sean Byrne’s THE LOVED ONES is an Australian thriller
about a troubled high school senior who finds himself trapped in a
bizarre “prom” and fighting for his life after he is abducted by a
psychotic father-and-daughter pair. The film stars Xavier Samuel (who
will star in ECLIPSE, the third installment of the TWILIGHT film saga),
Robin McLeavy, John Brumpton and Victoria Thaine. THE LOVED ONES
screening will be sponsored by Fangoria Entertainment.

Also
hailing from Australia is Ted Kotcheff’s underground classic WAKE IN
FRIGHT. Originally released in 1971, the film was nominated for the
Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and has developed a reputation
as one of Australia’s great, lost films. Recently recovered and
restored, the film is a brutal
and uncompromising thriller about a young teacher who arrives in a
rough outback mining town planning to stay overnight before catching a
plane to Sydney. However, his dealings with the hard-drinking, violent
locals and a harrowing kangaroo hunt plunge the man headlong toward his
own destruction. The film stars Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond.

Michael
Stephenson’s documentary BEST WORST MOVIE looks at both the
behind-the-scenes origins of TROLL 2 and the film’s journey to become a
cult classic years after its initial release. Two
decades later, Stephenson, the legendarily inept film’s child star,
unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist turned
cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker as they try to come to terms
with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure.

Also
screening on Halloween will be the previously announced South Korean
Academy Award pick, Bong Joon-ho’s MOTHER and the acclaimed RED RIDING
TRILOGY of films.

“These
are films that are targeted specifically to AFI FEST audiences looking
for excitement on Halloween,” said AFI FEST Director of Programming
Robert Koehler. “They run the gamut from the family friendly scares of
THE HOLE, to the incredible Australian duo of THE LOVED ONES and WAKE
IN FRIGHT, to the intense crime dramas of the RED RIDING TRILOGY.”

“Rollicking
cult movie worship and Ozploitation lead the way in our celebration of
Halloween at AFI FEST this year,” added AFI FEST Senior Programmer Lane
Kneedler.  “We
are thrilled to be embracing fringe filmmaking and alternative cinema
once again as core components of our festival. When audiences come to
Hollywood and Highland on Saturday night, we will deliver an
unforgettable Halloween experience.”

Complimentary
tickets are available beginning on October 16 to all Festival
screenings in advance at AFI.com/AFI FEST at the Mann Chinese 6
Theatres (6925 Hollywood Blvd.) beginning October 26, or on the day of
scheduled screenings via Rush Lines. Priority
seating to all screenings can be secured by becoming a patron of the
Festival and purchasing an AFI FEST Patron Pass. For more details,
visit AFI.com.