The Festival of Monsters screens the 1955 classic sci-fi horror film The Quatermass Xperiment at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, at The 418 in Downtown Santa Cruz. This screening includes a live introduction by monster maven Dr. H. Marshall Leicester (UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of Literature).

A trio of British astronauts are launched into space by obsessed rocket scientist Professor Quatermass (Brian Donley) – but only one returns to Earth and he’s not the same, to put it mildly.

The Festival is sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Center for Monster Studies.

Tickets are $12.51 in advance, $15 at the door. The screening occurs at The 418 Project’s Small Theater, 155 River St S, Santa Cruz.