Scary, eh kids? by MATTHEW HAYS Let's face it: the very best thing about all this Halloween nonsense isn't those stupid costumes, all that gastric-acid-inspiring candy, nor those dreary parties where everyone pretends to be having a good time. Nope, the best part of this occasion is, without a doubt, the scary movies that go with it. Never one to miss out on a prime cinematic opportunity, Montreal's cultural types have come up with a bunch of different fucked-up film experiences to enjoy on the 31st. Here are my choice picks: The Fantasia Film Fest people are having a Halloween-night-only event at Club Soda, which will include some of the very scariest films they've presented in previous years. Santo vs. The Vampire Women features one of the strangest vampire hybrids since Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. Mexico's famed wrestling hero is sent in to save the day as vampires run amuck. Also on the bill is The Convent, a hit at Fantasia 2000, in which a group of witless teens find themselves caught up in a Satanist gang's game of sacrifice. Before they know it, a bunch of zombie nuns are rising from the dead, ready to devour any- and everyone. Well, I'm not entirely certain if I've got that description correct, but I've seen this film and that's about as close as I can get. Truly though, this is a pretty funny film, and none other than Coolio and Adrienne Barbeau (Maude, Escape From New York) make cameos! Tickets for this event are a miraculously cheap $8. Info: 859-9110. The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be screened at a 25th anniversary party at Le Medley, hosted by drag empress Jaclyn Jet. Tickets are $9.95 in advance, $11.95 at the door. Info: 859-9111. Also to be taken under serious consideration is the final weekend of Macabre, the second annual edition of the city's horror film fest. Among the campfests, programmed lovingly by Don Lobel and Mitch Davis, are The Wicker Man, Cat People and Two Thousand Maniacs. At Cinéma du Parc--see repertory listings for showtimes. Congrats go out to Cynthia Knight, a Montreal film type who has won the National Screen Institute's Drama Prize 2000 for her script, Virtual Insanity. The award forwards Knight and her film crew a big chunk of the resources needed to make her short film, which will eventually make the 2001 fest circuit. Toronto-based director Ron Mann (Grass, Comic Book Confidential) has revealed his latest doc project. He is now embarking on Hitchhiking, a film about, well, hitchhiking. And guess what? If you have weird, wacky or simply fun stories about your adventures hitchhiking, then he wants you to appear in his documentary (toll-free line: 1-888-565-0636; e-mail: hitchhiking@go.com). So contact him with your story and all that nasty begging you had to do on the highway just to get a lift could actually make you a star. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com