The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week

Exhibitions from Tim Burton and Superflat supremo Mr., Venom returns to cinemas and new album releases from the Pixies and Laura Marling – here’s what to consume in Europe this (extra spooky) week.

Happy Halloween, guys and ghouls [insert maniacal laugh].
Ok, so it’s technically not Halloween yet, but seeing as this is the last digest before the year’s spookiest evening, we’re bringing you a special edition tinged with terror and terrible puns.
Fans of Tim Burton have a lot to scream about, with the final stop of his world-touring exhibition arriving in London. Also in London – a fantastic new show by the artist Fin DAC that celebrates his creative influences (although it ends 26 October, so be quick!)
Elsewhere, Dutch Design Week continues, while a groundbreaking new retrospective in Venice focuses on Op Art pioneer Marina Apollonio.
If you’d prefer to hide away in the cinema, we’d recommend Smile 2 for some seasonal scare-themed viewing – or there’s the newly released Venom: The Last Dance for pure escapism.
Whether you’re heading to a costume party, carving pumpkins or just turning off all the lights and tucking into toffee apples, have a lovely weekend – filled with treats only.
‘The World of Tim Burton’ at the Design Museum (London, UK)
Nothing says “it’s showtime” on spooky season like a Tim Burton exhibition. From Beetlejuice to Edward Scissorhands to Corpse Bride to so many more, the filmmaker has crafted some of modern cinema’s most iconic and idiosyncratic movies, defined by their unique kooky goth aesthetic. Fresh off his most recent release, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Burton has leant his personal archive of drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, set and costume designs, and more to London’s Design Museum. This vast and varied exhibition explores the evolution of a creator’s aesthetic, tracing Burton’s personal life through to his modern day career. It’s an absolute must-see for fans – and also the final showing of what has been a decade-long world touring exhibit, ending 21 April 2025. 
Marina Apollonio: ‘Beyond the Circle’ at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice, Italy) 
The Italian artist Marina Apollonio has always understood the shape of things to come, a pivotal figure in the Op Art and kinetic art movements of the 60s. Her spiralling geometric designs that swallow your sight with optical illusion have become defining pieces of 20th century art, given major recognition after American art collector Peggy Guggenheim commissioned a piece in 1968. Coming full circle, it’s appropriate then that this retrospective of Apollonio’s works now be on show at the Peggy Guggenheim Collective. Hundreds of paintings, sculptures, drawings, chromatic experimentations and more contextualise Apollonio’s career from 1963 to the present day. For those in the know and newbies alike, it’s a fantastic way to experience such influential art while learning about the artist behind it all. On until 3 March 2025. 
Mr.: ‘Those that Bring Color to Life and Living’ at Lehmann Maupin’s Cork street pop-up (London, UK) 
Best known for his Superflat style involving shaped-canvas paintings infused with anime and manga, Japanese artist Mr. is a former protégé of Takashi Murakami, concerned with exploring Japanese culture and its undercurrents of obsessiveness, commercialisations, consumerism and fetishisation. In this debut solo UK show, both print and motion works collaborate and contrast to create a contemporary contemplation of the circulation of pop culture imagery, its role in escapism and how it helped define postwar Japanese youth culture in particular. On until 16 November 2024. 
Venom: The Last Dance 
The sticky black liquid antihero is back for this third instalment in the Venom series, following 2018’s Venom and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Tom Hardy plays the pivotal role as Eddie Brock, the unfortunate host to our alien symbiote after it tried (and failed) to bond with Spiderman prior (remember Toby Maguire’s ‘dark spidey’ rizz in Spider-Man 3?) Picking up from the events of the last movie, in which the pair took on a red symbiote named Carnage, wrecked everything in the process (these poor city councils in superhero land, honestly) and went on the run from authorities. As with all Marvel films, expect sardonic quips, high-octane action and slimy special effects that bring this particular franchise to a fitting finale – for now. 
Three Kilometres to the End of the World
Here’s a film festival gem you might not have heard of – and one that should definitely be on your watchlist. Directed by Emanuel Pârvu and set in a remote Romanian village, it’s an astute observation of a family caught in the throes of various struggles. Dragoi (Bogdan Dumitrache) is saddled with debt and then discovers his 17-year-old son Adi (Ciprian Chiujdea) is gay – something he responds to badly. What unfolds is a tense exploration of community-formed bubbles, and the ways in which their deeply embedded strictures and stigmas can tear us into two. Our reviewer David Mouriquand selected it as his Film of the Week and wrote: “Trei kilometri până la capătul lumii (Three Kilometres to the End of the World), shows that the actor-turned-director is one of the brightest stars of the new wave of Romanian filmmaking.” Read his full review here. 
The Room Next Door 
Beginning its European rollout in Spain and now the UK and Germany, Almodóvar’s first English-language feature film (and Golden Lion winner at Venice Film Festival) is a powerful portrait of life, death and the unbreakable bonds that help us to navigate it all. Based on Sigrid Nunez’s novel, “What Are You Going Through”, it focuses on the relationship between two old friends: Ingrid (Julianne Moore), an autofiction writer who is terrified of death, and Martha (Tilda Swinton) who has terminal cancer and makes the decision to end her life with a euthanasia pill. Powerful and pop-coloured, it’s an important watch buttressed by great lead performances, even if some of the emotional authenticity gets lost in translation at points. Read our full review here.
‘The Disappearance of Kimmy Diore’ (Disney+)
Investigating the case of a kidnapped 6-year-old YouTuber named Kimmy, detective Sara Roussel (Géraldine Nakache) soon finds herself immersed in the seemingly superficial world of social media influencers, within which lurks a sinister underbelly of deception and conceit. Fresh feeling and highly bingeable, this French crime drama tackles a growing topic of concern: the exploitation of child “influencers” who are managed by their parents – and its potentially catastrophic effects.
‘Rivals’ (Disney+)
Is it just us or is it warm in here? Another TV recommendation from Disney+ — and it’s a steamy one. Based on a 1988 novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper, this raucous romp of a show centres on a rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and media mogul Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), all set to the hot and heavily hair-sprayed garish kitsch of the 80s. The cast is stacked, also featuring Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer and Emily Atack, but the main pull is all the sexy bits (and there are many), providing pure soapy silliness that comes together (literally) as the perfect bed-rot-and-soul-cheer viewing.
Laura Marling: ‘Patterns in Repeat’
Laura Marling is one of those rare singers that can capture such gentle folky warmth with sharp poetic profundities in her music. First discovered as a teenager, Marling has gone on to produce eight studio albums, with ‘Patterns in Repeat’ being her newest – following the 2020 release of ‘Song for Our Daughter’. In the time between the two, she gave birth to her daughter, writing music about the experience of motherhood and personal revelations that have come with it. The sound is awash with silky emotion and lulling melodies that give you goosebumps. Read our full review here.
Pixies: ‘The Night the Zombies Came’
It’s difficult to remain cool – especially if you’re a defining band of the 90s alt-rock scene, enshrined in a specific period of success that harshens and heightens attempts to evolve outside of it. Unfortunately for the Pixies, this trope has proven true, with much of their album releases since reuniting in 2004 proving unmemorable and critically dismissed. Their latest – the appropriately Halloweeny titled ‘The Night the Zombies Came’ – feels like a return to more familiar ground and trademark haunted sound; moody surf rock for vibing out in cigarette butt-strewn basements.
Lady Gaga: ‘Disease’
‘Little Monsters’ (the name for Lady Gaga fans FYI) will be roaring with excitement as the singer has released the first single from her upcoming album (rumoured to be called ‘Nightingale’). It’s her first pop single in a while, with 2020’s ‘Chromatica’ being the last and two jazz records following: 2021’s ‘Love for Sale’ and her recently release companion piece to Joker: Folie à Deux, ‘Harlequin’. To be fair, she’s been busy – but the good news is, Gaga’s return to dark dance-pop screams with haunted house party fun – and is much more likely to inspire “a happy face” than Joker 2.