Full festival programme...
FANTASTIQ – THE FESTIVAL OF FANTASY, SCI-FI AND HORROR
AUGUST 9-11 2013
Friday 9th August
1pm Hammer House Of Horror Double Bill
2pm From The Vault: Heavy Metal (15)
3pm Bug (15)
4pm Orson Welles’ The War Of The Worlds
5:30pm Ghostwatch (adv 15)
6:00pm Preview – Upstream Color (15)
7:15pm Stephen Volk In Conversation
8:00pm From The Vault – Heavy Metal (15)
8:40pm Book Signing Whitstable
9:30pm Spectral Press Presents...Dracula (12A)
10:00pm House (Hausu) (15)
HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR DOUBLE-BILL:
Friday 9th at 1pm
CHARLIE BOY (adv 15)
Dir. Robert Young GB 1980 52 mins
Leigh Lawson, Angela Bruce, Marius Goring
Charlie Boy is an African voodoo fetish doll with deadly powers, as Graham Elder discovers. Perhaps the goriest episode in Hammer’s TV anthology, it was directed by Fantastiq Guest of Honour Robert Young.
+ THE SILENT SCREAM (adv 15)
Dir. Alan Gibson GB 1980 52 mins
Peter Cushing, Brian Cox, Elaine Donnelly
Ex-con Chuck Spillers is befriended by prison visitor Martin Blueck. The mysterious Mr Blueck keeps exotic animals in his pet shop. But does he also have a plan for Chuck…? Claustrophobic psychological chiller.
FROM THE VAULTS: HEAVY METAL (15)
Friday 9th at 2pm and 8pm
Dir: Gerald Potterton Canada 1981 86 mins
Cast: Don Francks, Richard Romanus, John Candy, Susan Roman, Eugene Levy.
This animated Canadian cult classic gets a rare 35mm screening! Based on the magazine of the same name, Heavy Metal is an anthology of stories exploring the themes of good and evil via futuristic taxi drivers, green meteorites, World War II bombers and zombies. Popular on the late night circuit in the 80s, its cult classic credentials are cemented by a legendary soundtrack featuring Black Sabbath, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult and more.
BUG (15)
Friday 9th at 3pm
Dir: William Friedkin USA 2005 102 mins
Cast: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr., Lynn Collins, Brian F O’Byrne
William Friedkin’s return to form was the first collaboration between him and playwright Tracey Letts for this intense tale of obsession and psychosis. Ashley Judd stars as a waitress living in a rundown motel in Oklahoma, unable to move on from the disappearance of her son years ago and living in the threat of her ex-con husband. She is introduced to recently discharged soldier, Peter (Michael Shannon) and they begin a relationship slowly isolating themselves from the world. Featuring two incredibly intense central performances from Judd and Shannon.
Special Audio Presentation
ORSON WELLES’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Friday 9th at 4pm
Dir: Orson Welles USA 1938 60mins
Cast: Orson Welles, Frank Readick, Kenny Delmar, Ray Collins,
It was the night that panicked America. On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater Company broadcast a radio dramatisation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds for CBS. But a series of incidents – the lack of a sponsor, the timing which placed it opposite a hugely popular music show, and the real-life drama of the Munich Crisis during which programmes were suddenly interrupted by breaking news from Europe – meant that listeners were already on edge. What they heard – or thought they heard – were increasingly strident reports of alien craft landing in New Jersey. It caused bedlam. Thousands fled their homes. Highways were jammed. One terror-struck woman, convinced the Martians had landed, tried to poison herself. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of this remarkable event, Fantastiq is proud to present this benchmark radio play. “We take you now to Grovers Mill…â€
GHOSTWATCH (adv 12A)
Friday 9th at 5:30pm
Dir. Lesley Manning GB 1992 91 mins
With: Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith, Craig Charles, Gillian Bevan
First broadcast on Halloween night, 1992, this elaborately staged pseudo-documentary claimed to investigate paranormal activity in a family home and provoked a huge response from British television audiences at the time. During the course of the “live†broadcast, sinister events become increasingly distressing until the house’s resident poltergeist, Mr Pipes, begins to reach out through the cameras into the world beyond. Although obviously scripted (by Fantastiq guest of honour Stephen Volk), Ghostwatch is an effective and unsettling drama that exhibits huge technical confidence. The programme also raises interesting questions about the nature of reality television and how easily our belief that television can reveal that the truth can be manipulated for the purposes of dramatic entertainment.
STEPHEN VOLK In Conversation
Friday 9th at 7:15pm
We are thrilled to welcome the incredible Stephen Volk to Fantastiq. A novelist, anthologist and screenwriter, Stephen is the man behind Gothic, The Guardian, The Awakening, Afterlife and, of course, the classic “Halloween Hoax†that was Ghostwatch. Stephen will be in conversation about his career. And to tie-in with the centenary of Peter Cushing he will be officially launching his latest novella, Whitstable, published by Spectral Press.
SPECTRAL PRESS PRESENTS…
DRACULA (12A)
Friday 9th at 9:30pm
Dir. Terence Fisher GB 1958 82 mins
Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Olga Dickie, John Van Eyssen, Valerie Gaunt, Janina Faye
A genuine Hammer classic and arguably the best-ever pairing of terror titans Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, Dracula is perhaps a perfect piece of fantastique. Lee plays Count Dracula as an urbane but utterly deadly immortal aristocrat, while Cushing has forever stamped his authority on the role of Van Helsing – a no-nonsense scientist, man of action and fearless vampire killer. Written by Jimmy Sangster and employing the combined talents of Terence Fisher, production designer Bernard Robinson, cinematographer Jack Asher and composer James Bernard, this stunning adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel simply gets better with age.
PREVIEW
UPSTREAM COLOUR (15)
Friday 9th at 6:00pm
Dir: Shane Carruth USA 2013 96 mins
Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins
Fiercely intelligent and challenging sci-fi is a rarity in cinemas today, Carruth is at the vanguard of a new movement of sci-fi directors. After his stellar debut with Primer, Carruth has taken 9 years to follow up but it was worth the wait. Kris and Jeff find out that they have each been infected by a complex parasite causing amnesia and a strange connection to pigs and blue-tinged orchid leaves.
House (15) S
(Hausu)
Friday 9th at 10pm
Dir: Nobhiko Obayashi
Cast : Kimiko Ikegami, Ai Matsubara, Eriko Tanaka, Miki Jinbo, Masayo Miyako, Kumiko Oba.
A truly unique movie that follows a lot of the conventions of the classic US slasher movie. A group of teens go to stay in the woods with one of the girls’ relatives. Mayhem ensues. Sounds like a standard slasher blueprint. Not Hausu. Bizarre, weird and wonderful, this film is the psychedelic acid trip of slasher cinema. You have to see it to believe it!
Saturday 10th August
10:45am From The Vault: Silver Bullet (15)
11:00am The AckerMonster Chronicles
1:00pm Dez Skinn In Conversation
1:15pm Corruption (adv 12A)
3:00pm Jason And The Argonauts (U)
3:15pm The Sorcerers (15)
4:45pm Johnny Mains On John Burke & The Sorcerers
6:00pm The Beast Must Die (15)
6:30pm Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (U)
8pm Paul Annett In Conversation
8:30pm From The Vault: Silver Bullet (15)
9:30pm Preview – Kiss Of The Damned (cert tbc)
From The Vault: Silver Bullet (15)
Saturday 10th at 10:45am and 8.30pm
Dir: Daniel Attias USA 1985 95 mins
Cast: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Terry O’Quinn, Lawrence Tierney
Based on Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf this is another portrait of small-town life in the vein of Salem’s Lot. Except in this film the villain is a werewolf. Corey Haim is the wheelchair-bound kid who cries wolf, and with good reason when he is attacked one night. Gary Busey is the uncle who has to be convinced. A hit in the ‘80s, Silver Bullet retains some of its chills of King’s novella but its strongest element is in its depiction of how ordinary folk deal with an extraordinary monster in their midst.

The AckerMonster Chronicles! (adv 15)
Saturday 10th at 11pm
Dir: Jason V Brock USA 2012 90 mins
Documentary with: Ray Bradbury, Joe Dante, Ray Harryhausen, John Landis, Dan O’Bannon, Richard Matheson and Forrest J Ackerman
There are many stories about Forrest J Ackerman, and all of them are (more or less) true. He was the man who invented the term ‘sci-fi’, who edited the beloved magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, whose home became a living museum to fantastic cinema, who was a prolific bit-part actor and who counted the likes of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Lon Chaney Jr as personal friends. When he died, aged 92, in 2008 the world of cult cinema mourned one of the founding fans of the genre. Now in this loving portrait Jason V Brock explores the man and his legacy through memories, tributes and laughter from a range of high-profile admirers. The AckerMonster Chronicles receives its UK premiere at Fantastiq.
Dez Skinn In Conversation
Saturday 10th at 1pm
The legend that is Dez Skinn will join the ranks of Fantastiq in August. Dez was the brains behind House of Hammer magazine - a prime slice of '70s comic gothic and a man who lured many a fan into the folds of fantasy films. We hope Dez will present a masterclass on how to run magazines as well as reminisce about his time on the all-too-brief glory days of HoH.

Corruption (18)
Saturday 10th at 1:15pm
Dir: Robert Harford-Davis UK 1968 91 mins
Cast: Peter Cushing, Sue Lloyd, Noel Trevarthen, Kate O’Mara, Billy Murray
Corruption is one of the least-seen and lesser-known films in the Cushing canon, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Cushing plays a surgeon, Sir John Rowan, who becomes a roving killer out of a massive guilt complex after he accidentally scars his girlfriend’s face in a freak accident. Rowan finds that fluids drawn from the pituitary gland can restore her beauty. But to access them means removing the gland – by decapitating other women. This sleazy ‘60s take on Frankenstein is possibly the nastiest film in which Cushing ever appeared. Newly released on digital, it gives new meaning to the term ‘mad scientist’.
Jason And The Argonauts (U)
Saturday 10th at 3pm
Dir: Don Chaffey GB 1963 103mins
Cast: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Honor Blackman, Patrick Troughton, Nigel Green.
Classic Ray Harryhausen special effects bring to life the epic mythology behind Jason’s journey in the search for the Golden Fleece. Harryhausen’s memorable creations include the harpies, the fighting skeletons of King Pelias, the hydra and Talos, the sinister gold giant. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Jason and the Argonauts on the big screen as we pay tribute to Ray Harryhausen, who died in May aged 92.
THE SORCERERS (15)
+ JOHNNY MAINS IN PERSON
Saturday 10th at 3:15pm
Dir. Michael Reeves GB 1967 87 mins
Boris Karloff, Catherine Lacey, Ian Ogilvy, Elizabeth Ercy, Susan George
Dr Marcus Montserrat and his wife, Estelle, (Karloff and Lacey), an elderly couple, invent a device that enables them to hypnotise others and vicariously experience their emotions. What begins as an experiment rapidly escalates to murder as Estelle ignores her husband’s agonised pleas for restraint and manipulates a young man (Reeves regular Ogilvy) into committing murder in order to enjoy the emotional and sexual rush of the killing. Karloff, in one of his very last roles, is excellent as the aged puppeteer.
The Sorcerers was based on Terror for Kicks, by John Burke. Writer, author and publisher Johnny Mains tells the story of the machinations behind the film in his latest book The Sorcerers: The Original Screenplay (PS Publishing). The book details Burke's travails as he collaborated with Michael Reeves on his penultimate movie.
THE BEAST MUST DIE (15)
Saturday 10th at 6pm
Dir. Paul Annett GB 1973 93 mins
Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing, Anton Diffring, Charles Gray, Marlene Clark, Michael Gambon, Tom Chadbon
Based loosely on The Most Dangerous Game, The Beast Must Die is a Seventies horror thriller in which a big game hunter takes on the ultimate quarry: a werewolf. Self-made millionaire Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) invites an odd assortment of guests to his remote estate convinced that, when the moon is full, one (or more) of them will transform into a ravenous lycanthrope. A high calibre cast, including Anton Diffring, Charles Gray and Peter Cushing (as a Norwegian scientist with a wavering accent) bring depth to an unusual and atmospheric English B-movie, here receiving a rare 35 mm screening.
PAUL ANNETT IN CONVERSATION
Fantastiq is delighted to welcome director PAUL ANNETT to this special screening of The Beast Must Die.
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (PG)
Saturday 10th at 6:30pm
Dir: Gilles Penso
Cast: Ray Harryhausen, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, John Landis, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, Steven Speilberg, Guillermo Del Toro.
An all encompassing documentary following the work of ‘special effect titan’ Ray Harryhausen. Despite being an American it is fair to say the UK embraced him as one of our own and recognised him as the driving creative force behind such classics as Jason And The Argonauts, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and more. Here we see interviews and tributes from the biggest names in the movie business.
PREVIEW
KISS OF THE DAMNED (adv 15)
Saturday 10th at 9:30pm
Dir: Xan Cassavetes USA 2012 97 mins
Cast: Josephine de La Baume, Roxanne Mesquida, Milo Ventimiglia, Anna Mouglalis.
Beautiful vampire Djuna tries to resist the advances of handsome screenwriter Paolo (Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to their passion. When her troublesome sister Mimi unexpectantly visits, she throws the love affair into the open and threatens the whole vampire community. Channelling the works of Jean Rollin and other Euro-Horror directors, Xan Cassavetes has created a beautiful blend of retro 70s horror with a modern 21st Century twist.
Sunday 11th August
11:00am From The Vault: The Black Belly Of The Tarantula (15)
11:30am Horror Tour Of Derby with Darrell Buxton
1:30pm Dr Who And The Daleks / Daleks: Invasion Earth Double Bill
2:00pm Filmmaker’s Forum Panel Discussion
4:00pm Zombie: The New Undead (adv 18)
5:30pm Cinema Retro Presents…Vampire Circus
6:00pm Orson Welles’ The War Of The Worlds
7:15pm Robert Young In Conversation
8pm From The Vault: The Black Belly Of The Tarantula (15)
8:45pm Closing Night Preview – John Dies At The End (15)
Horror Tour Of Derby with Darrell Buxton
Sunday 11th August at 11:30am
Derby may be Britain's most haunted site - but there are secrets even the spooks don't know about! Before Fantastiq, even before QUAD, our host city was a thriving centre for the weird and wonderful aspects of scary showbiz. Join your host Darrell Buxton for a sedate Sunday stroll into Derby's forgotten past, to celebrate and reinforce the region's reputation as a hotbed of entertainment most eerie. Featuring ghosts, vampires, aliens, chainsaws, disco, and much more!
From The Vaults : The Black Belly Of The Tarantula (15) S
Sunday 11th at 11am
Dir: Paolo Cavara Italy 1971 89 mins
Cast: Giancarlo Gianni, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, Barbara Bach,
Classic golden period giallo film, obviously cashing in on the success of Dario Argento’s Bird With The Crystal Plumage but manages to rise above that distinction. A mysterious killer is picking off various women associated with a blackmail conspiracy. The killer’s MO is injecting his victims with a paralyzing drug before killing them with the giallo weapon of choice, a sharp knife. Inspector Tellini is tasked with finding the killer, before he too becomes a target.
THE 1ST FANTASTIQ FILMMAKERS’ FORUM
With: Dominic Brunt, Damian Morter, Paul Annett, Robert Young
As more and more filmmakers take the indie route Fantastiq presents this trouble-shooting forum where a quartet of directors discuss the world of low-budget filmmaking in the 21st century. What are the pitfalls to avoid? How can finance be secured, and where from? Is it possible to make a viable movie for less than £100,000? And how can it be seen by the widest audience? Join Dominic (Before Dawn) Brunt, Damian (The Eschatrilogy) Morter and Fantastiq special guests Paul Annett and Robert Young for a lively debate on today’s indie scene
DOUBLE-BILL
DR WHO AND THE DALEKS (U)
Dir. Gordon Flemyng GB 1965 82 mins
Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden, Roberta Tovey, Barrie Ingham
+ DALEKS: INVASION EARTH – 2150 AD (U)
Dir. Gordon Flemyng GB 1966 84 mins
Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks, Andrew Keir, Roberta Tovey
Only loosely connected to the BBC series these two films, heavily rooted in the 1960s, focus on arguably the Doctor’s ultimate enemy: the Daleks. In the first the Doctor, played as a cuddly grandfather by Peter Cushing, winds up with his granddaughters and accidental companion Roy Castle on the planet Skaro shattered by atomic warfare. In the sequel, set squarely on Earth in the not-too-distant future (aka the ‘60s) the Daleks have their sights set on our planet and using Mankind as slave labour. Fantastiq is delighted to present Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 AD as a double-bill that fully illustrates the lovingly retro nature of the festival.
CINEMA RETRO PRESENTS…
VAMPIRE CIRCUS (15)
+ ROBERT YOUNG IN PERSON
Dir. Robert Young GB 1972 84mins
One of Hammer’s most unusual of its off-kilter run of monster movies, the clue to the success of Vampire Circus is in its title. One of Hammer’s stable of talented Young Turks in the 1970s, Robert Young made an impact with Vampire Circus and later returned to the Hammer fold with Charlie Boy, an acclaimed episode of the Hammer House of Horror TV series. His other genre credits include the BBC rabies thriller The Mad Death, The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. We are delighted to welcome him to Fantastiq.
ZOMBIE! THE NEW UNDEAD
GUY’S GUIDE TO ZOMBIES
Dir. Daniel Austin GB 2006 3 mins (adv PG)
With the voice of Matthew Austin
A terrific spoof of 1950s American public information films, offering practical advice on co-existing with the living dead, from the makers of Bloodline.
NIGHT OFF OF THE LIVING DEAD
Dir. Richard Matthews GB 2003 29 mins (adv 15)
Adam English, Sandra De Souza, Paul Richardson
Jeremy Frantz is a member of the living dead, the butt of society’s narrow-minded prejudice, unable to hold down a job due to his putrid, decomposing body, feared due to his craving for human brains. The film documents his day-to-day death, culminating in a raucous night out where Jeremy and his friends seek some solace in their cruel social netherworld. A marvellous spoof, Night Off of the Living Dead belongs to the same affectionate genre as Shaun of the Dead.
BLOODLINE
Dir. Daniel Austin GB 2004 20 mins (adv 15)
Chris Austin, Nathan Byrne, Matthew King
Fleeing a series of atrocities in their northern English town, three friends head for the countryside. But, in the woods, death lurks – death in the form of lurching, undead figures that attack without warning. A tense, chilling and imaginative low-budget companion piece to George Romero’s The Crazies and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, Bloodline is a triumphant zombie thriller from the Austin Brothers.
X-MASS
Dir. Scott Flockhart GB 2005 25 mins (adv 12A)
Jordan Calvert, Ross Boatman, Lesley Coleman, Jerome Wright, Nina Young, Richard Brimblecombe, Madeline Rakic-Platt and Joey McCoy
It’s Christmas, and teenager Callum’s dog is dead. Given a book of spells by his aunt, he’s soon testing his necromancy skills to bring the mutt back from the grave. But things don’t go to plan, and soon his favourite uncle is joining the family for Christmas dinner. But, wait a minute, isn’t Uncle Ted, er, dead…?
FULL EMPLOYMENT
Dirs. Thomas Oberlies, Matthias Vogel Germany 2008 12 mins (adv 18) Subtitles
Wilfried Elste, Mark Auerbach
In these difficult times, older members of society can still contribute to the economy – no matter what their job might be… A riotous comedy/horror that hits all the right discordant notes.
CHOMP!
Dirs. Adam Horton, Joe Horton GB 2011 5 mins (adv 15)
Georgina Strawson, Marc Pickering, James Dean
Two zombies chow down on a convenient cadaver, content with their portion. But will they share…? A disgustingly delicious romzomcom.
