Whilst many of us are still basking in the warm weather, we mustn’t forget that for some, this can be a very difficult time.
Spare a thought then, for the goths — the pasty-skinned horror movie fans who are withering in the sun before our very eyes. And thank goodness that GrimmFest tickets are now on sale to cheer them up. Well, not ‘cheer up’ exactly. But Manchester’s international festival of horror and cult films certainly gives us movie buffs something to look forward to for their 5th birthday. Or ‘GrimmFest V’ as it should be known in horror movie terms.
Book now for the festival over 3rd-6th October at the Dancehouse Theatre on Manchester’s Oxford Road and you can even snare early bird tickets at the bargain price of £48.50. For the more observant of you, that’s less than fifty quid. You can’t even get a body bag, chloroform and cable ties for that these days.
Plus, book a festival pass before 8th August and you could win bed and breakfast at Jury’s Inn.
So, what to expect? Well, Jury’s Inn will likely be the usual hotel set up — comfy bed, unbridled sexual activity, toiletries so small they look like they’re really far away.
As for GrimmFest… they’re keeping us in suspense with their full box of tricks, but we’re promised the usual bloody offering. To clarify, I mean “bloody” as in gore, not Mancunian slang (“bloody hell, there’s horror on at t’pictures!”). That means a heady (or headless?) blend of horror and black comedy as dark as every forest surrounding every cabin full of teenagers who’ve taken a wrong turn, ever. Plus exciting Q&As with some of the industry’s leading lights.
For starters, there’s the Northern premiere of ‘Hansel and Gretel Get Baked’, starring Lara Flynn Boyle and Twilight’s Michael Welch — a fairy tale best saved until after the kids have gone to bed. And the English premiere of Jugface, “an unsettling tale of backwoods religion gone bad, blood sacrifice, incest and frightening folk art”. Dominic Brunt (Emmerdale), Paul Davis and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) will all be there with their new films too, as will Shaune Harrison and Mark Coulier, the Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup experts on World War Z. There’ll even be a special exhibition of their work, for those that like their zombies within chomping distance.
To book now, visit grimmfest.com/grimmupnorth/2013/07/early-bird-tickets-on-sale-now
Gemma Wildgoose (@gemwildgoose)
