The Festival of Fantastic Films, which is held in Manchester on the weekend of October 28th – 30th, has announced further details of their 32nd event. The festival is much-loved by those who attend for having a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and a unique selection of films to watch.
Guests include The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson, Hammer horror actress Judy Matheson, reigning British scream queen Dani Thompson, cult horror screenwriter David McGillivray, and rising British film and TV actor Dean Kilbey – as well as famed genre authors including festival president Ramsey Campbell, Adam Nevill, Stephen Laws, Mark Morris, and Stephen Gallagher.
It all takes place at the city centre’s Pendulum Hotel on Sackville Street from Friday 28th to Sunday, October 30th with a weekend of Halloween festivities. Weekend passes and day tickets are available via Eventbrite, with no booking fees payable by festivalgoers.
“We’re delighted to once again share an amazing line-up of guests and movies in Manchester,” says festival programmer Darrell Buxton. “What makes this festival so special is its unique atmosphere. It’s an informal, extremely friendly event, with fans and filmmakers mingling and chatting in the bar between screenings, perhaps sharing a meal. There’s nothing else like it. We’d love as many newcomers as possible to share in what’s on offer, so please join us!”
In addition to guest interviews, Q&As and signings, highlights of FFF Manchester 2022 include:
New and recent films being screened include the fun indie horror-comedy-musical Powertool Cheerleaders Vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead (2022, starring guest Dani Thompson), The Mount (2021) and The Mount 2 (2022) shot entirely in Gibraltar, and the new Brit creature feature Manfish (2022) with star Dean Kilbey and director Marc Coleman in attendance.
Delta International Film Competition and inaugural Norman J. Warren Trophy: more than 1,000 films were submitted for this long-running international competition. It brings to Manchester an amazing array of horror, science fiction and fantasy short films from locations including Brazil, USA, Australia, Mexico, Iran, Spain, UK, Ukraine, Taiwan, Turkey and Germany.
The Sunday schedule boasts a Nigel Kneale centenary event with a Tomato Cain book launch in partnership with Manchester publisher Comma Press. Kneale was one of the 20th century’s most visionary screenwriters, and we’re delighted to launch this long-awaited reissue of his short stories. This includes a panel with the book’s editor, Kneale biographer (and Northern Soul writer) Andy Murray, Jeremy Dyson, Ramsey Campbell, Dr Jennifer Wallis of Headpress, and authors Stephen Laws and Mark Morris. Sunday Oct 30th at 12 noon.
The festival is also an opportunity to experience films that are rarely screened on the big screen. These include gruesome Italian giallo Death Carries A Cane, Judy Matheson’s sixties Spanish horror The Exquisite Cadaver, bizarre seventies flick Help Me… I’m Possessed, the Redgrave sisters in the nineties remake of Whatever Happened To Baby Jane …? and, to close the festival, Disney’s sci-fi disaster movie The Black Hole. A separate room is showing a programme of retrospective movies specially curated by Stuart Scott.
The festival is also remembering cult Manchester filmmaker Cliff Twemlow with a special late-night screening of his film Predator: The Quietus, introduced by Cliff’s friend and collaborator, Bolton-based actor and stuntman Paul Flanagan.
“There really is something everyone at the festival,” Darrell says. “It’s going to be a fantastic event and we hope as many fans as possible, friends old and new, can join the fun at the Pendulum Hotel. You can find the festival and more details on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Eventbrite.”
Tickets for FFF Manchester are £105 for a weekend pass, £55 for Super Saturday, and £45 for Scary Sunday. STARBURST will be there – we’ll see you in the bar!
