Field guide for Lubbock video production
Lubbock video production crews have a two-week sweet spot: silver-screen frights, interactive haunts, and a streamlined permit office align from Oct 18 to Oct 31.
Classic & Cult Screenings
The historic Cactus Theater revives James Whale’s 1935 masterpiece Bride of Frankenstein on Oct 30 at 7:20 p.m.—35 mm print, pre-show organ set, and a Q&A with Texas Tech film scholars. Two days earlier, Premiere Cinemas rolls out locally produced zombie romp “Queens of the Dead” nightly Oct 23-26, backed by cast signings that double as press-kit gold for social clips. If you need family footage, the city-wide Fall-O-Ween lineup lists free outdoor movies at Shepherd King Lutheran on Oct 25, complete with pumpkin décor and trunk-or-treat lights for b-roll
Screen Events to Capture
- Oct 22: Horror Movie Trivia, GolfSuites West Loop 289
- Oct 23-26: Queens of the Dead run, Premiere Cinemas South Plains Mall
- Oct 30: Bride of Frankenstein 35 mm, Cactus Theater
- Oct 30: Poltergeist $2.50 Fright Night, Premiere Cinemas (late-show special)
- Through Nov 1: Nightmare on 19th Street haunt park, Lonestar Event Center
Haunts Double as Backlots
Nightmare on 19th Street opens four walkthrough houses from 7:30 p.m. nightly, offering fog, lighting, and midway vendors for atmospheric inserts; $25 wristbands cover all zones, and management welcomes location scouts on weeknights. Cactus Theater’s October series also screens silent-era clips with live music, adding vintage cues for filmmakers needing public-domain cutaways.
Permits & Policy
- Recreational Street-Use: $60 (<100 ppl) or $100 (>100), apply 10 days ahead
- Film-Friendly Application: covers commercial shoots city-wide; attach COI & street-map pdf
- Guidelines PDF: spells out drone, pyrotechnic, and police-officer rates
Logistics & Incentives
The City Secretary’s portal processes special-event street requests within ten business days and levies a $25 late fee if crews file inside that window. For productions needing full closures, Texas’ state road-filming rules require TxDOT approval but allow Sunday dawn setups with no extra municipal cost. While Texas’ 10-22.5 % grant remains frozen for new entries, Visit Lubbock can still arrange hotel rebates for Lubbock camera crews booking ten or more rooms.
Networking & Crew Pipeline
Visit Lubbock’s haunted-season social push lists Nightmare on 19th Street among the city’s top attractions, steering influencer traffic—and potential PA volunteers—to the park nightly. Local rock station KFZX is even raffling combo tickets for the haunt and an arena show, pushing cross-promo content into demo feeds. Meanwhile, Texas Tech’s Late-Night Movies series offers free 8 p.m. screenings for students—an easy extras pool with guaranteed seat fills
Final Take
Between classic monsters on 35 mm, brand-new zombie laughs, and West Texas’ largest haunt, the next fortnight gives directors all the atmospherics they could ask for—without a single barricade in place. File the Film-Friendly form, grab that $60 street pass if needed, and let Lubbock’s autumn glow carry your lens.
