Lynn Shelton

Kim Ok-vin and Shin Ha-kyun star as a wildly dysfunctional married couple in 'Thirst.'

Courtesy Focus Features

Winner of the Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Thirst was largely overlooked at the time of its American theatrical release, even amid the biggest vampire craze in recent memory. That's a shame, because Chan-wook Park's latest, about a deeply devoted Roman Catholic priest (Kang-ho Song, of The Host) who turns into a reluctant Nosferatu after an ill-fated transfusion leaves him hungry for blood, is one of the year's most chilling fantasies – gory, funny and thoroughly entertaining.

Roy Andersson pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to the joys of being alive in his new comedy, 'You, the Living.'

Courtesy Palisades Tartan

If you've never seen Dr. Strangelove or the original Nosferatu, here's your chance – both are returning to the big screen this week in extremely limited engagements. Elsewhere, Roy Andersson's acclaimed comedy You, the Living (currently boasting a perfect score on the Rotten Tomatometer) arrives at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, making this week a fine time to visit the Bay Area's indie theaters.

The long-defunct Talking Heads remind us what we're missing in Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense.

Courtesy Warner Brothers

The Jewish Film Festival is entering its first weekend, the Red Vic is celebrating its 29th birthday, and David Byrne's Talking Heads are taking the stage (in a manner of speaking) for two nights only. It's looking like a promising week for moviegoers seeking an alternative to the mindless savagery of Orphan and the magical incantations of Harry Potter. Here's a list of some of the finest films arriving at an indie theater near you.

Monsters of Mumblecore: Shelton shares a laugh with Duplass, who plays the domesticated husband contemplating sex with his best male buddy in Humpday.

Courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Lounging in a conference room at San Francisco’s Four Seasons hotel, Lynn Shelton, the 43-year-old director anointed “the female Apatow” by her burgeoning legion of online fans, seems relaxed. She’s naturally handsome without seeming glamorized. She’s welcoming, quick to offer guests a drink from her modestly stacked beverage tray. And, thanks to her Sundance sensation Humpday, she’s finally enjoying a slice of the limelight.

Undead Nazis make a less-than-welcome comeback in the blood-soaked Dead Snow.

Courtesy IFC Films

If Muggles and the fresh-faced wizards and witches of Hogwarts aren't magical enough to pique your interest, here's a list of the most satisfying alternatives currently in rotation at an indie theater near you.

1. Dead Snow
Where: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., 415-863-1087
When: All Week