Classic horror movies from key directors in the genre, an atmospheric Art Deco setting and options throughout Spring and early Summer – sounds like a winning combination! Welcome to ‘Horror Legends Season’, an exciting series of 2020 screenings presented by horror cinema specialists Grimmfest in partnership with The Horror Channel – bringing classic horror films from four genre legends to the big screen at Stockport Plaza Cinema.
Grimmfest are certainly no strangers to presenting some of the best horror and cult films in a range of Greater Manchester venues. Considered one of the UK’s key specialists in horror cinema, they are keen to also celebrate the history– hence how ‘Horror Legends Season’ came about’: allowing audiences to watch a selection of horror films from iconic directors in the genre, in an all-day format!
The season kicked off with a thrilling day dedicated to the director Tobe Hooper on Sunday 9 February, with days dedicated to David Cronenberg (8/3/20), John Carpenter (9/5/20) and Wes Craven (5/7/20) still upcoming and available to book. This is an opportunity to experience four key films from each director, within the elegant setting of Stockport Plaza Cinema – a beautiful example of 1932 Art Deco architecture (pictured below).
Audiences certainly were impressed with the first event of the season dedicated to Tobe Hooper – an action packed all-dayer (1pm onwards) featuring screenings of the director’s key classics Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Salem’s Lot.
So what is coming up? Sunday 8 March marks the next date in the season – focusing on David Cronenberg. Again, from 1pm onwards, this is a chance to see four of his directorial icons: Rabid, Videodrome, The Fly and Crash – the latter being Cronenberg’s vivid reimagining of J.G. Ballard’s 1973 novel.
Saturday the 9 May then marks a John Carpenter special from 1pm onwards, with four of his films – Prince of Darkness, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live and In The Mouth of Madness – coming to the Stockport Plaza big screen.
The final event of the season is dedicated to Wes Craven on Sunday 5 July, with screenings of The Hills Have Eyes, Scream, The People Under The Stairs and A Nightmare On Elm Street.
To book tickets for upcoming features of the season, visit the Grimmfest website here. Day passes are available, as well as the ability to buy a ticket to see individual films – at £7.50 each.
Don’t forget, full festival passes are also now available for Grimmfest 2020 – taking place from Wednesday 7 October - Sunday 11 October at the Odeon Great Northern. Expect five cinematically-packed days including over 20 feature films and more than 20 short films, as well as Q&As and celebrity guests – with the first announced as Mick Garris (Masters of Horror, Nightmare Cinema, The Stand).
By Emily Oldfield