Halloween's over, but Singapore isn't done with the spooky stuff just yet. Something Strange Festival, the city-state's first event dedicated to horror, folklore and the unexplained, runs from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th November 2026 at Cineleisure on Orchard Road — deliberately timed so the scares land on the year's last Friday the 13th.
The best part for casual visitors: the Festival Village is completely free. That gets you into Main Stage talks on Basement 1, the Curiosity Market for oddball shopping, and selected Fringe installations scattered around the mall. The talks are genuinely varied — one session features Phoebe of RosesAreDark, a practising Luciferian witch, discussing her beliefs and the ethics of paid spells, while historian Shane Koh traces Thai horror cinema from the 1970s onward using rare original film posters. There are also pop-punk and acoustic sets, plus a Sunday Soul Flow session for anyone needing a spiritual reset after a weekend of ghost talk.
Saturday 14th November brings a free Social Night at Ceni Bar & Kitchen on Level 1, with drinks, live music and a room full of fellow horror enthusiasts. You pay for your own food and drinks; tables can be reserved.
The paid experiences are where things get intense. Haunted Backrooms by Movie Mania offers two versions — the full scare-actor Haunted House Experience at S$20.70, or a no-jump-scare Walkthrough at S$11.50 for those who'd rather photograph the creepy sets than scream through them. Horror fans can go all in on the SSF Horror-thon at Golden Village Cineleisure: 10 films over 3 days, screening overnight into sunrise. The lineup spans The Omen (1976), Australian hit Talk to Me, Vietnamese title Phi Phong: The Blood Demon, Japan's Never After Dark, homegrown Blood Ties and a Sunday Mystery Movie whose title stays secret until showtime. Single screenings cost S$22, or S$188 for the full 10-film package.
There's also a more thoughtful option. The Shadows of Somerset heritage walking tour is a 2-hour evening trail through the neighbourhood's darker past — former cemeteries, vanished buildings and local urban legends — starting outside Cineleisure on Friday and Saturday nights for S$55.20 per person.
If you want everything bundled, a Festival Pass at S$128 includes a movie screening, haunted house entry, reserved seating and discounts, while the All-Access Pass at S$488 covers all 10 Horror-thon films, headline experiences and backstage perks like meet-and-greets. Other extras include live podcast recordings and a 48-hour Horror Short Film Challenge with a top prize package worth over S$2,600.
Why care? For visitors, this doubles as an unusual way to explore Somerset beyond the malls — the heritage tour in particular layers local history onto a district most people only know for shopping. It's a rare English-language festival covering Asian horror and Southeast Asian folklore, and with free entry to the village, it's easy to dip in without committing to a full haunted weekend. Hardcore horror fans get an overnight movie marathon that few festivals anywhere can match.
