The lights dim, and a low murmur spreads across the concert hall. On the giant screen above the stage, the opening credits shimmer into existence. Beneath it, an army of musicians lifts their instruments in unison.

We’ve all seen movies before, been to concerts before. But if you have never experienced them stitched together in a live San Francisco Symphony performance, you don’t know what you’re missing.

This October, in celebration of Halloween, the SF Symphony will perform live scores to Coco and Vertigo, each a classic film in its own right. Coco, produced by Disney and Pixar, is the story of a young musician who embarks on an extraordinary journey to uncover the mysteries of his ancestors. It celebrates family, memory and the Mexican Day of the Dead. Vertigo is Alfred Hitchcock’s haunting San Francisco masterpiece, which is a psychological mystery. One in vibrant animated colors. One in black and white. But both become something new when paired with a live orchestra.

Having experienced the living, breathing sound of musicians accompanying the film, you realize how much the score tells a story the dialogue never could. You will sit motionless, surrounded by strangers, and yet feel part of something deeply collective.

For the SF Symphony, these screenings are more than novelties. They are a bridge between art forms and a way to bring new audiences into the concert hall.

If you miss the two performances for Halloween, rest assured there are opportunities in November and December to experience more big screens with big scores. And December brings in holiday fun with the perennial favorite, Home Alone.