Liverpool’s first ever horror festival launches this Halloween and promises to bring all things horror to the city; from a Victorian séance, film, talks, live theatre and music, costumes, psychics, Vaudeville, D.J.s and everything in between. With core events running from Thursday October 31st to Saturday November 2nd, along with planned fringe events.
The festival has been put together by music publicist Lisa Southern from Little Sutton and Liverpool based illustrator Ilan Sheady from Horror Talk T.V.
Lisa Southern said, “I’d been introduced to Ilan over a year ago and we soon got on to subject of horror, his passion and knowledge really was something else. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t anything out there bringing all the different aspects of the horror genre together. By the end of his first coffee I planted the seed about starting Liverpool’s own horror festival.”
Ilan Sheady said, “Liverpool has been screaming for a festival like this for a long time. In the same way artists like the Beatles lay the ground works for the music industry, Liverpool’s horror icons like Clive Barker, Doug Bradley and Ramsey Campbell will influence millions of artists, writers and directors for years to come and they should be praised in the best way horror fans know how.”
It took another year before the idea became a reality, with the help of Liverpool promoter Ethan Allen: “This year is a taster of what we are all about. We’ve tried to keep it simple, so our three nights of entertainment are based in the same location on Mathew Street but we are already planning next year’s festival which is going to be massive, longer and will run across many different venues and sites.”
Film will play a big part of the festival with Grimmfest and the British Film Institute announcing a programme of horror classics over the festival. There are horror readings planned at Waterstones in Liverpool ONE, Zombie Paintball at 1 Mount Pleasant, a Halloween Goes Wrong Party with Dead Wrong at Club Aura and Haunted Liverpool events across the city.
Grimmfest festival director Simeon Halligan said, ”Grimm up north’ is quickly becoming the U.K.’s home of horror and fantasy films outside of London and we are excited to be part of the new Liverpool horror festival this year. We’ll be bringing some brilliantly scary screening events to Liverpool over the Halloween period so keep your eyes peeled for vampires, ghouls and monsters of the celluloid kind.”
Other highlights include the Horror Talk horror quiz, to crown the first Master or Mistress of the Macabre 2013, Neal Atkinson’s Psychic night and an alternative 80s and industrial D.J. set with Ben Christo from Sisters of Mercy at Eric’s.
Lisa Southern said, “We’ll also be the screening the new British horror comedy Stalled, which has been hailed as the new Shaun of the Dead, about a janitor gets trapped in a women’s toilet and encounters an all-out attack by a hoard of zombies. Some of the cast and crew will be joining us for the screening and we’ll be encouraging everyone to dress up as Zombies, we’ll have horror themed cocktails and refreshments and a few surprises that I can’t talk about.”
Liverpool Horror Festival Highlights
Thursday 31st October, 7pm till midnight – Rubber Soul, Mathew Street
Film: Hell Raiser I and Hell Raiser II (Rubber Soul)
Film: Stalled – with cast and crew – zombie outfit optional (Rubber Soul)
Victorian Séance with paranormal investigator Roy Basnett (Rubber Soul II)
Halloween cocktails and refreshments available
Friday 1st November, 7pm till midnight – Rubber Soul/Eric’s, Mathew Street
Horror Talk Horror Quiz (Rubber Soul II)
Neal Atkinson Psychic night (Rubber Soul II)
Songs About Death performing multi media ear-shattering Evil Dead live
Hell’s Belles (Eric’s)
Ben Christo from Sisters of Mercy D.J. set – (Eric’s)
Saturday 2nd November, free horror shots and prizes for fancy dress – Eric’s, Mathew Street
El Diablo show live – The Undead Bublé, the Insane Iglesias is the bastard child of Elvis Presley, Rocky Horror and Hammer Horror and his poison cocktail of dreadful entertainment is a heady brew indeed. (Eric’s)
Fancy dress comp (optional) and photo ops
Hell’s Belles (Eric’s)
Mad butchers feast – veggie option available (Eric’s)
Monster Mash – horror house live covers band (Eric’s)
D.J. set with Danny Lastat – 50s, 60s rocking horror to the dark side of the 80s (Eric’s)
Day tickets available, Thurs 31st Oct £5, Friday 1st Nov & Sat 2 Nov £10 and on the door. 3 day festival pass £20. Tickets available from the Ticket Quarter, Queens Square, Liverpool. Tickets bought in advance get 10% off at Smiffy’s fancy dress shop of ticket.
Fringe events with Liverpool Haunted, Grimmfest, Waterstones Liverpool ONE, Zombie paintball, Merseyside Paranormal, FACT and Club Aura.