Back for a ninth edition Sheffield’s genre festival, Celluloid Screams has opened the Lament Configuration in the prestigious Tanz Dance Academy with their event poster.  The artwork by MUTE honours screenings of Hellraiser with special guests of none other than The Chatterer (Nicholas Vince) and Frank (Geoff Portass) as well as the 4K presentation of Suspiria.   Other highlights are set to include the UK Premiere of Creep 2 plus Inside No. 9 anthology screening with talent.  Boasting a bounty of accompanying short films, take a look at the line up below before grabbing tickets ready for the penultimate weekend of October.

FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER

OPENING GALA: THE ENDLESS

7.00pm

Director: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead | USA | 2017 | 1hr 51 mins | 

A decade after leaving their home at Camp Arcadia, an isolated new age cult, brothers Justin and Aaron (directors Benson and Moorhead stepping in front of the camera this time) struggle to make ends meet in their normal lives. When a videotape arrives containing an invitation to revisit the camp, the two brothers are drawn back towards their previous life, initially enamoured once more with the seemingly idyllic existence that they used to share. The longer they stay however, the more it becomes apparent that the retreat and its surroundings are governed by strange and indescribable forces that threaten the very existence of those who dwell within it. 

Taking us further down the rabbit hole than ever before, this latest expedition into the unknown showcases the directors’ knack for innovative storytelling and subverting genre conventions. Like Resolution and Spring before it, The Endless further cements the status of Benson and Moorhead as two of contemporary genre cinema’s most prodigious talents.

Screening with GREAT CHOICE

BORLEY RECTORY (with special guest director Ashley Thorpe)

9.30pm

Director: Ashley Thorpe | United Kingdom | 2017 | 70 mins

The tale of the haunting at Borley Rectory is a legendary one, which caught the imagination of the general public in the 1920s. Stories about the rectory and its spectral inhabitants circulated between intrigued parties in hushed tones for decades but it wasn’t until The Daily Mirror newspaper printed an account of the phenomena witnessed by paranormal investigator Harry Price that the building’s supernatural reputation really began to take hold. Price’s investigations form the basis for Ashley Thorpe’s extraordinary film, which is pitched as “an ultrasound of a haunting”: a beautifully realised artifact documenting the house’s various occupants throughout its history, both living and dead.

Over six years in the making, Ashley Thorpe’s visually stunning tale of “the most haunted house in England” is unlike any horror film you’ve seen in recent memory. Combining live action, rotoscoping and digital animation techniques, Borley Rectory is a fascinating and enthralling experience that is as haunting as the events it depicts.

Screening with LATCHED + CRESWICK

68 KILL

Midnight

Director: Trent Haaga | USA | 2017 | 93 mins

Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) is a sucker for a pretty face. Dominated by his dangerously beautiful girlfriend Liza (AnnaLynne McCord), he duly accedes to her every whim. However, poor Chip lands himself in a whole heap of trouble when he reluctantly agrees to assist Liza with the robbery of $68,000 from her sugar daddy. This theft leads to a blood-splattered and increasingly outrageous sequence of events, as Chip tries desperately to find a way out of his chaotic situation and return to the simple life he once knew.

From director Trent Haaga, 68 Kill is a lurid black comedy which will take you on a murderous road trip; pure trailer-park trash with a sleazy punk rock edge, and plenty of violent shocks along the way.

Screening with KISSES + MISTER POPULAR + BORN AGAIN

SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER

I REMEMBER YOU 

11.00am

Director: Óskar Thór Axelsson | Iceland | 2017 | 105 mins

Based on Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s best-selling novel, this supernatural scandi-noir is certain to send a shiver down your spine.

An elderly woman hangs herself inside a church in the remote Westfjords of Iceland, which leads to an investigation into a number of strange deaths of elderly people in the region. Freyr, the new psychiatrist in town discovers that the deceased woman was obsessed with the disappearance of his 7-year-old son, who vanished without a trace three years prior. Across the bay in an abandoned village, three city dwellers are restoring a house when a series of supernatural occurrences begin to unfold. These two stories gradually intertwine and it turns out that the disappearance of a young boy decades earlier may hold the key to uncovering the truth.

Screening with THE MAN WHO CAUGHT A MERMAID + DRIP DROP

HABIT

1.40pm

Director: Simeon Halligan | United Kingdom | 2017 | 90 mins

Manchester, the present. Michael divides his time between the job centre and the pub. A chance meeting with Lee, an introduction to her Uncle Ian, and a heavy night on the lash, lead to a job working the door at Cloud 9, a seedy massage parlor. After witnessing the violent death of one of the punters, however, Michael starts having increasingly blood-drenched dreams. Are they flashbacks or fantasies? Little by little, he finds himself being sucked into a dangerous twilight world that he doesn’t fully understand – but which he finds irresistably attractive. Addictive, even.

Gritty and gruesome, director Simeon Halligan’s third feature is a blood-soaked tale delving deep into of the underbelly of the city, where animalistic violence and savagery rule.

Screening with BON APPETIT + COUPLES NIGHT

TRAGEDY GIRLS

4.10pm

Director: Tyler MacIntyre | USA | 2017 | 90 mins

Meet Sadie and McKayla, aka the ‘Tragedy Girls’. Together, they run a website devoted to true crime. Their fascination with the subject is boundless, and the girls soon find they’re no longer satisfied with merely writing about violence, and decide to embark on a more ‘hands-on’ approach. Comedy ensues as the delightfully gruesome killings end up looking like accidents, much to the girls’ frustration, as they crave recognition for their murderous prowess. As their exploits attract attention to their small town, the Tragedy Girls quickly become engulfed in the social media fame they always dreamed of – but will their relationship survive it?

Tragedy Girls is a gory and entertaining bubblegum chiller about exploitation in the digital age, friendship between sociopaths, and the dangers of heavy gym equipment. 

Screening with YOUR DATE IS HERE + MEOW

INSIDE NO. 9 – A SPECIAL ANTHOLOGY SCREENING (with special guests Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton)

7.00pm

Director: Various | United Kingdom | Various | 90 mins

As is only fitting given that this is our ninth edition, we are proud to present a special screening of Inside No. 9 – one of modern television’s true gems.

Created by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (the minds behind Psychoville and 2 quarters of The League of Gentlemen) Inside No. 9 is an anthology series in the classic tradition of Tales of the Unexpected, Hammer House of Horror and Beasts. 

Part of the show’s success lies in its absolute mastery of genre tradition and form. Whether it’s the folk horror of The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge with its talk of witchery, imps and familiars, the giallo-esque Private View or the chilling psychological drama of episodes such as Tom & Gerri and The Understudy, Shearsmith and Pemberton clearly draw upon an innate and encyclopedic knowledge of genre film and television history. This knowledge and authenticity is perhaps most present in The Devil of Christmas, a chilly alpine-set tale filmed through a 1970s lens (quite literally, as the episode was filmed using vintage television equipment.) Their love of horror is clear to see throughout their careers, in the grotesque townspeople of Royston Vasey and the former patients of Ravenhill Hospital, through to many of the characters that reside inside the various No. 9’s.  

Our screening will consist of three episodes, handpicked by the show’s creators. (We’re keeping the exact details of which episodes you’ll see under wraps…)

We are delighted to welcome Inside No. 9’s writers and creators, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton to Celluloid Screams to introduce this special screening and to take part in a Q&A afterwards.

CELLULOID SCREAMS SECRET FILM

9.45pm

Director: ? | ? | ? | 90 minutes

Our annual secret film returns for 2017… Following on from last year’s surprise screening of THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, we’ve selected another top secret film that we think you’ll really enjoy. 

As always, the film will be revealed mere moments before it begins, so settle in and prepare for a surprise…

Screening with TEDDY BEARS PICNIC + THIRD WHEEL + CRAVE

SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY MIDNIGHT GALA:

SUSPIRIA (40th Anniversary restoration – The CultFilms tour of Suspiria 4K)

Midnight

Director: Dario Argento | Italy | 1977 | 97 minutes

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, we are proud to bring Dario Argento’s masterpiece back to the big screen in its restored version.

American ballet student Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper) arrives in Freiburg, Germany on a dark and stormy night to join the ranks of the prestigious dance academy, but soon discovers that the school is a façade for something more sinister as a series of gruesome murders unfolds. With a pulverising soundtrack by Italian prog-rock maestros Goblin and dazzling Technicolor visuals courtesy of Director of Photography Luciano Tovoli, Suspiria is an eye-popping assault on the senses, and its reputation as a cornerstone of European horror is thoroughly well deserved. With a remake on the way, there’s no better time to reacquaint yourself with this bona fide classic.

Screening with BIRTHDAY + BELIAL’S DREAM

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER

TAG

10.00am

Director: Sion Sono | Japan | 2015 | 85 mins

Aboard a coach with her classmates on their way to summer camp, young Mitsuko’s world is shattered as she’s plunged into a horrific, gruesome situation. Lost, alone, and utterly terrified, she must find a way to safety. Eventually she mysteriously stumbles into her life before the incident, but how exactly did she get there? Why doesn’t she recognise anyone? And where did all the men go? These questions will become the least of her worries…and yours. Mitsuko must journey through a series of nightmarish scenarios whilst fighting for survival, to discover the meaning of her very existence.

Tag presents a deeply disorienting world, packed with hallucinatory imagery and vivid action set pieces; a mind-bending fantasy horror that will leave you questioning your own reality by the end.

Screening with ELDRITCH CODE + IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING

MAYHEM

12.00pm

Director: Joe Lynch | USA | 2017 | 86 mins

Climbing the corporate ladder has never been bloodier…

Derek Cho (Steven Yeun) is a young workaholic attorney who is fired after being framed by a vindictive co-worker. Whilst being escorted from the premises, Derek’s exit is shortlived as he is trapped inside when the entire building is quarantined due to a virus outbreak. As the infection takes hold causing those affected to lose their inhibitions and act out their most outrageous impulses, Derek must take on the entire office for the chance to clear his name, get his job back and survive another working day. In a cut-throat office environment full of uninhibited crazies out for themselves, one man must work his way up to the top, by any means necessary. 

If you’ve ever worked in a corporate setting or pondered the potential use of office equipment as a deadly weapon, Joe Lynch’s gleefully gory ode to office politics is made for you.

Screening with TICKLE MONSTER + EARWORM + PARALYS

M.F.A.

2.10pm

Director: Natalia Leite | USA | 2017 | 95 mins

Noelle (Francesca Eastwood) is a shy and withdrawn art student. She has a hard time fitting in with her peers, so she’s thrilled when she receives an invitation to a party from handsome classmate Luke. However, the evening takes a devastating turn when Noelle is brutally raped. 

After seeking help from various sources, Noelle encounters hypocrisy, injustice, and a total unwillingness to address the situation. Her frustration soon turns to anger, and Noelle decides to take matters into her own hands. She sets out to avenge rape survivors whilst channelling her rage into her artwork, creating dark and affecting pieces for her thesis. 

With a mesmerising performance by Eastwood, this captivating revenge thriller tackles rape culture in modern society head-on with a fierce and unflinching intensity. Though it does contain scenes that some viewers may find upsetting, it deftly tackles the tough subject matter to shine a spotlight on a very real issue.

Screening with SHORTCUT + UNDRESS ME

HELLRAISER (30th Anniversary screening – with special guests Nicholas Vince & Geoff Portass)

5.00pm

Director: Clive Barker | United Kingdom | 1987 | 94 mins

Join us as we open Lemarchand’s box and unleash Clive Barker’s horror classic once more…

Frank Cotton’s pursuit of the limits of human experience leads him to a mysterious puzzle box, which summons the cenobites, a group of demonic entities who are committed to administer the extreme pleasures he craves. After solving the puzzle, Frank is torn apart by hooks and chains at the hands of the cenobites in the attic room of his house and later Frank’s brother Larry and his wife Julia move into the family home to start a new life, complicated by the fact that Frank and Julia were earlier involved in a torrid affair. When a drop of blood resurrects Frank as a skinless corpse, Julia becomes drawn into a cycle of murder and bloodletting to restore her lover to his former self, until Larry’s daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) discovers the ungodly horrors that are taking place and comes face to face with the cenobites herself.

In 1987, the landscape of modern horror was changed forever with the arrival of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. In the cenobites the horror genre gained a group of strikingly unique and terrifying characters, due in no small part to the performances of Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford and Grace Kirby, and the astonishing makeup effects by Bob Keen and Geoff Portass. Thirty years on, Hellraiser’s visceral impact and complex ideology remain as potent as ever, so sit back and relax… we have such sights to show you.

We are delighted to welcome cast member Nicholas Vince (Chatterer cenobite) and special effects supervisor Geoff Portass to discuss the production and legacy of Hellraiser in a Q&A after the film.

Screening with WE SUMMONED A DEMON 

CREEP 2 (UK PREMIERE)

7.30pm

Director: Patrick Brice | USA | 2017 | 78 mins

Peachfuzz is back! 

Sara (Desiree Akhavan) is a video artist whose primary focus is creating intimacy with lonely men. After finding an ad online for ‘video work’ she thinks she may have found the subject of her dreams. She drives to a remote house in the forest and meets a man claiming to be a serial killer (Duplass). Unable to resist the chance to create a truly shocking piece of art, she agrees to spend the day with him. However, as the day goes on she discovers she may have dug herself into a hole she can’t escape.

The follow-up to 2014’s CREEP manages to be just as tense and darkly funny as its predecessor. Starting off with a similar premise to the first film, CREEP 2 soon morphs into an altogether different beast, utterly unpredictable and always heading in a different direction to the one you expect.

Screening with CARAVAN + FLOW + DEAD HORSES

CLOSING GALA: BETTER WATCH OUT

10.00pm

Director: Chris Peckover | Australia / USA | 2016 | 93 mins

Halloween may be just around the corner, but we thought we’d look ahead to Christmas for our closing gala…

The festive season is upon us, and in quiet suburban neighborhood, Ashley agrees to babysit for twelve year old Luke, an average kid whose parents are out for the evening. With his best friend Garrett along for moral support, Luke has lofty ambitions to prove to Ashley that he’s boyfriend material, but plans to confess his feelings go awry when the house comes under attack by unseen invaders. However, they soon discover that this is no ordinary home invasion…

To reveal any more about the plot for this festive shocker would be akin to opening your presents early – trust us, you want to know as little as possible going in. What we can say is that this vicious horror comedy is the closest thing to Home Alone meets Scream that we’ll probably ever get.     

All screenings will be open to Celluloid Screams pass holders. There are a limited number of tickets available for individual films which can be purchased from the Showroom Box Office. For full details of the film programme please visit: www.celluloidscreams.co.uk