Welcome to Friday.

• 🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 84.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Bobby Flo!

Today’s newsletter is 594 words — a 2-minute read.

Broadway Centre Cinemas' annual Tower of Terror horror film series is pulling bigger crowds as horror goes mainstream.

Why it matters: The genre is drawing more moviegoers and earning new respect from critics after decades of being dismissed as lowbrow.

By the numbers: Attendance for the Salt Lake Film Society's annual event grew 35% between 2022 and 2025.

• Organizers attribute the increased popularity to a venue change that helped provide additional screenings and a rising interest in horror.

What they're saying: "People want to jump out of their seat," the film society's president and CEO, Tori A. Baker, tells Axios. "They don't want to have a cerebral horror experience."

• Plus, horror has always been a genre that allows people to confront their fears from the safety of a packed theater, she says. "That's very cathartic."

Zoom in: Nostalgic '80s slashers and cult horror favorites are the bread and butter for Tower of Terror, which runs every weekend from mid-September to October.

• It's capped by screenings of "The Rocky Horror Show," on Halloween weekend, which tend to sell out.

What's new: This year, the series featured the band The Invincible Czars performing a live score to the 1926 silent horror film "Faust" for the movie's 100th anniversary.

• Plus, upcoming showings include classics like "The Craft," "Evil Dead II," and "The Shining."

Context: Tower of Terror began in 2004 at the historic Tower Theatre, which closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. (It's set to reopen in 2028 after extensive renovations.)

• The event moved to the larger Broadway Centre Cinemas in 2021.

The big picture: The rise of "prestige horror," from Jordan Peele's "Get Out" to Zach Cregger's "Weapons," has shifted how the genre is perceived by critics and audiences.

• Case in point: Focus Features, distributor of the hit horror film "Obsession," is campaigning for the movie's lead actress, Inde Navarrette, to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Yes, but: Horror isn't for everyone. A person's tolerance for scary movies may have something to do with their early childhood experiences.

💭 My thought bubble: Tower of Terror has become one of my favorite Halloween traditions in Salt Lake City since I started going in 2022.

• Catch me at tonight's "Nightmare on Elm Street" screening.

If you go: Tickets are available online for $17. Admission for "The Rocky Horror Show" is $30.

Share this story

🐻 A bear seen walking through the Avenues was tranquilized and removed from the area on Wednesday. The incident follows a string of bear sightings in urban areas across the Wasatch Front. (FOX 13)

🏘️ The city's planning commission unanimously approved a zoning proposal Wednesday that would allow homeowners in most residential neighborhoods to add housing, like duplexes and townhomes, to their properties. (KSL)

🛋️ World Market is coming to Jordan Landing in West Jordan Oct. 2, per a news release.

Skiers have a new place to stay in Park City just in time for winter fun.

Driving the news: Utah's first Canopy by Hilton recently opened at the base of Deer Valley, bringing a new boutique hotel to the posh resort town.

⛷️ It includes 180 rooms, four food and drink options and direct access to the Jordanelle Express Gondola.

• Rooms start at $200 per night.

Here's a look inside:

Tell a traveler

🎃 Kim is watching "Halloween" tonight.

😎 Erin returns today.

This newsletter was edited by Hadley Malcolm.