I don’t know how things are in Manchester right now but I can assure you that things further north of the border are very, very “Grimm” indeed. Persistent rainfall, thunder, lightning, flash floods.
Real Wrath of God type stuff.
Perhaps the good people behind Manchester’s Grimm Up North festival have come to make things a little better in this the final year, if the Mayans are to be believed.
Our friends down South got in touch to let us know some information about their latest event, Vampire Sunday, being held on July 22nd at The Dancehouse.
Bring your garlic and crucifixes…
From the Press Release:
This year is the centenary of Bram Stoker’s death. Much respect is due to the creator of one of horror’s most enduring icons, the bloody count, Dracula – and so, as part of the 2012 Manchester Fringe Festival, we’re holding a special “Vampire Sunday“, over at the decadently deco Dancehouse theatre. Four feature films, special guests, and a cheap bar – it’s a veritable Feast of Blood!
Kicking off the day in style, award-winning Gothic writer and poet Sam Stone, best known for her Vampire Gene novels, will be presenting a reading from her latest work, followed by a Q&A session. So if you have any burning questions for Sam or simply want to sit back and be engrossed by her dark and deadly world, get down to the Dancehouse for 2pm, and let the bloodsucking begin…
Our first film of the day is an exclusive preview of gritty new British indie The Harsh Light of Day. When occult writer Dan’s wife is brutally murdered and the police fail to find the culprits, he is offered a chance to mete out a very different, far more brutal kind of justice… Combining vampires and vigilantism, it’s Death Wish with fangs. We will be joined by cast and crew for a Q&A following the screening.
A more traditionally Gothic version of vampirism is next in cult classic The Vampire Lovers, veteran director Roy Ward Baker’s steamy adaptation of J. Sheridan LeFanu’s seminal vampire tale Carmilla. The late great Ingrid Pitt stars as cinema’s most notorious bloodsucking lesbian, with the inimitable Peter Cushing as her implacable nemesis and Arthur Daley himself, George Cole, providing local colour.
For the third film of the day, the Count himself finally puts in an appearance, and we continue our Hammer Horror theme, with Dracula: Prince of Darkness, the sequel to the 1958 classic, featuring Christopher Lee’s definitive performance as the Count.
The final film of the day is Cronos, Guillermo del Toro’s remarkable reimagining of the vampire legend. A golden scarab turns up in an antique dealer’s store. When opened, the device stabs the person holding it, bringing them eternal life and a vampire’s lust for blood. See del Toro’s classic first feature film in all its bloody glory on the big screen before joining your fellow Grimmlins in the Dancehouse bar for drinks.
To end the evening, the lovely people at Fab Café on Portland Street have offered all Grimm-goers free entry so hardened vamps can continue the party into the night.
Check out the the official Grimm Up North website for more.
On another note, early bird tickets go on sale on July 31st for this year’s festival, also being held at The Dancehouse.
