Three nights of European cult horror films from the past 60 years, including giallo, body horror and slasher classics, with locally-made horror shorts and a Q&A.
Forbidden Worlds are back with The Big Scream, a three-night run of European cult horror at the Bristol Megascreen from 22 to 24 October. It's their celebration of the continent's horror tradition, built on the idea that Europe gave birth to the genre — from Georges Méliès' The Haunted Castle (1896) and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922) through to modern thrillers like Christian Tafdrup's Speak No Evil (2022). The line-up focuses on cult titles from the last 60 years, and the festival opens with locally made horror shorts by BFI NETWORK, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
The programme pulls from a few different corners of the genre. You've got the giallo side of things with Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964), The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh (1971) and Dario Argento's Deep Red (1975). There's the slasher and body horror territory with Stagefright (1987) and Baby Blood (1990), and the more psychological Who Can Kill A Child? (1976) and Paul Verhoeven's The Fourth Man (1983). The poster design is by Andy Janes.
The venue is the Bristol Megascreen at Bristol Aquarium, which used to be the Bristol IMAX cinema. It opened in 2000 as part of Wildwalk at the At-Bristol science centre and now serves as the aquarium's events space. Its 300-seater auditorium has been revamped with Dolby surround sound, brand-new carpet and a new Christie projector lens for the 19x15m screen — the second-largest in the South West after IMAX Plymouth. Attendees are asked to use the Anchor Road entrance.
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Tickets are £8.50, or £5 concession, for individual screenings. If you're planning to stay for more, a Friday or Saturday pass is £24 (£14 concession), and a full festival pass is £55 (£35 concession). The whole thing runs from 22 to 24 October at the Bristol Megascreen, inside the Bristol Aquarium on Anchor Road.
