A major BFI UK-wide film and events season celebrating the horror genre on screen is coming our way this winter with In Dreams Are Monsters, taking place at cinemas nationwide, at BFI Southbank (from 17 Oct-31 Dec), BFI IMAX, on BFI Player and with a tie-in major BFI Blu-ray release.
The event coincides with two big screen horror re-releases, both of which will be screening at the BFI Southbank. It’s the 40th anniversary of Tobe Hooper’s all-time horror classic Poltergeist (1982) and the 20th anniversary of Alejandro Amenábar’s double BAFTA nominated The Others (2002).
The full programme for In Dreams Are Monsters is out now and highlights include –
- A Halloween double bill celebrating the work of Clive Barker. A 35th anniversary screening of his directorial debut Hellraiser (1987) introduced by actors Nicholas Vince and Simon Bamford with BFI governor and curator of The Clive Barker Archive, Phil Stokes, will play alongside director’s cut of Nightbreed (1990).
- A triple bill of landmark Black vampire horror classics – a 50th anniversary screening of William Crain’s Blacula (1972), Bill Gunn’s Ganka & Hess (1973) and James Bond III’s Def By Temptation (1990), plus screenings of Bernard Rose’s original Candyman (1992), Jordan Peele’s modern alternative zombie film Us (2019). A rare screening of legendary Black horror filmmaker Richard C Kahn’s Son Of Ingagi (1940) will be followed by a panel discussion on the history of Black Horror.
Blacula will be showing as part of In Dreams Are Monsters - A screening of Let The Right One In (2008) will be preceded by a discussion on trans representation within the genre in partnership with Trans on Screen, and a selection of Queer Horror and Experimental Magic Films, drawn from the BFI National Archive, will screen as part of BFI Southbank’s Experimenta strand.
- Classic movies featuring your favourite creatures such as Frankenstein (1931) Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) in 3D, David Cronenberg’s vision of The Fly (1986), A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) Ringu (1998) and George A Romero’s Day Of The Dead (1985) all included.
See your favourite creatures during the event, with showings from classic like The Creature From The Black Lagoon - Lesser-seen gems including the nightmarish imagery of Russian Witch horror Viy (1967), Mexican folk horror La Llorona (1960), Japanese zombies running amok in One Cut Of The Dead (2017), ghostly home invasion horror The Entity (1982) and Bruce McDonald’s fun take on the zombie trope Pontypool (2008).
- Remarkable debuts such as Babak Anvari’s supernatural Iran-Iraq War horror Under The Shadow (2016), Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos (1993), Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Polish mermaid horror The Lure (2015) and Liam Gavin’s Welsh spine chilling occult horror A Dark Song (2016).
Remarkable debuts such as Babak Anvari’s Under The Shadow will be part of the event - Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle on-stage for a Q&A following a special 20th anniversary screening of 28 Days Later (2002) with extra special guests to be announced.
- Director Lesley Manning and writer Stephen Volk joining the BFI Southbank audience for an on-stage Q&A following the immersive 30th anniversary screening of Ghostwatch (1992) presented by Celluloid Screams and Live Cinema UK.
- A surprise film night with live commentary from horror podcasts Evolution of Horror, Brain Rot and The Final Girls, and the impact and popularity of horror video games will be celebrated with a day of cosplay, gaming and prizes hosted by GamePad.
The BFI IMAX cinema will also be transformed into a spooky summer camp for an all-night sleepover in December. Before enjoying a marathon of cabin-themed slasher films on the biggest screen in Britain, audiences will be able to explore an interactive in venue summer camp.
In Dreams Are Monsters will be taking place between 01 October and 31 December. Find out more at the website here.