Our weekly list of special event movies to see this week:

Friday, Oct. 12

Dying to take that long-overdue visit to the Getty Villa? The museum's outdoor film series, presented in conjunction with its exhibition “The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection,” might just be the great excuse you're looking for. Tonight, the Malibu museum is showcasing the masterful Italian classic Gli ultimi giorni di Pompeii (1912), accompanied by a live musical performance by Michael Mortilla. 

For the next couple Fridays, enjoy music, food, drinks and film on the other side of PCH with Santa Monica Pier's Front Porch Cinema series. Tonight's movie is Exit Through the Gift Shop, the Oscar-nominated street-art documentary by the artist Banksy, which revolves around a quixotic exhibit by Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash (L.A. Weekly makes a cameo).

Get a head start on this year's Halloween festivities with the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. The cult film series opens tonight with Saw series writer Marcus Dunstan's The Collection, which centers on one man's attempt to rescue a woman from a deranged killer. A Q&A with the director and cast follows the screening.

Saturday, Oct. 13

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Creepshow at the Chinese Theatres with special guests and prize giveaways. The 1982 Stephen King horror anthology film featuring an ensemble cast, including Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson and Ed Harris, is an homage to horror comics of the 1950s.

The first China Onscreen Biennial brings us the best of Chinese cinema, with films ranging from classic animation to Communist propaganda to newer releases. Tonight at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater, the series presents the North American premiere of up-and-coming directors Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan's Lacuna, part of a genre that's now gaining popularity in China: the 20-something rom-com. REDCAT and the UCLA Confucius Institute, which are co-presenting the biennial, will present other events throughout October.

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