Ti West

The wild rumpus returns to the big screen this Sunday at the Red Vic.

Courtesy Warner Brothers

Same story, different week: The weather outside remains frightful, but the movies playing at your local indie theaters are delightful enough to justify the trip. Among them:

Besieged by an army of flesh-hungry zombies, Nick Frost (left) and Simon Pegg barricade themselves in their favorite pub in Edgar Wright's 'Shaun of the Dead.'

Courtesy Focus Features

Once you're finished scouring the city for the season's best Black Friday bargains, settle into a darkened theater to catch this year's Oscar hopefuls, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, which should give Pixar's Up fierce competition for Best Animated Feature. To help you on your way, here's a list of the finest films now playing at your local indie theaters.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play a star-crossed couple in Mark Webb's '(500) Days of Summer.'

Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

For those seeking alternatives to this weekend's surefire blockbuster – the teenage romance New Moon – there are plenty of worthy options now playing at the Bay Area's indie theaters. Among them:

Adventures in Babysitting: Samantha visits hell on earth in 'House of the Devil.'

Courtesy Magnet Releasing

Samantha needs money. She’s putting a payment down on her first apartment and she’s got $84 in the bank. Bills are due Monday, and it’s already Wednesday night. What’s a girl to do?

She spots a wanted ad: “Baby$itter Needed.” Perfect, right? Well, not if the ad was placed by Satan worshippers looking for fresh flesh to sacrifice, but what are the chances of that?