Any local horror fans out there are probably aware that the annual Grimmfest has recently passed, and are no doubt eagerly awaiting the next. Serving a thick slice of horror for both young and mature audiences, Grimmfest has been the hub of Manchester based film screenings of this genre for its sixth year. This year was unarguably the company’s greatest success, with over 2000 tickets sold to screenings of a variety of films, including the cult classic Suspiria and What we do in the Shadows, which is not yet released in the UK. It owes largely to the diversity of films, hard work and additional fringe screenings that this year’s Grimmfest has been so popular.

When asked how it begun, Simeon Halligan, Co-Founder of Grimm Up North explained ‘Well actually the festival came about by mistake really. We put on a night on Halloween 2009 to showcase our film Splintered and a few others, but as more people found out about the event, we ended up screening 25 features over a prolonged Halloween weekend. Grimmfest was born and we were a little in fear of what we had created.‘

‘We describe the festival as embracing the darker side of cinema, focusing on multiple genres, and cinema that challenges. We like to invite the film-makers and stars to come do workshops and seminars so there’s also an educational aspect to the festival.‘

People in the industry like Shaune Harrison – a make-up artist famous for his work on films such as Harry Potter and World War Z – often do demonstrations. Some actors also do Q+A’s with the audience.

‘People love to meet and chat to actors and film makers and Grimmfest is a very open festival that allows and encourages close contact.‘