Grimmfest at Odeon Great Northern

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

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Grimmfest

Odeon Great Northern, Manchester
1-7 October 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Nightmare Cinema
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Grimmfest returns this October for a tenth anniversary edition, which looks back at its ghoulish origins, whilst surveying the current state of genre cinema. At this point the festival of horror, cult and fantastic film is firmly ensconced as one of the reliable highlights of Manchester’s film calendar, but the Grimmfest team aren’t resting on their laurels, instead pushing forward with the very first Grimmfest Awards. In order to fight the misconception that genre film is all-male affair, this year’s festival jury will be made up exclusively of women and the shorts programme will focus on female creators.

Along these lines, guest of honour at Grimmfest 2018, and recipient of the first Grimmfest Lifetime Achievement Award, is cult actress Barbara Crampton (Body Double, Chopping Mall). Crampton will introduce a screening of classic horror film, Re-Animator, as well as two of her new films: gory sequel, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (described in The New York Times as “Certifiably bonkers and cheerfully offensive.”) and supernatural, cabin-in-the-woods thriller, Dead Night.

Fans meet the cast & crew of “Double Date”, Grimmfest 2017. Photography by Olivia Lennon.

To mark the Grimmfest’s tenth anniversary there will be a festival preview night at Stockport Plaza on Monday 1st October. The festival launched as ‘Grimm Up North’ originally, and the preview programme has a northern flavour in acknowledgement of those roots. Festival Directors Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones’s debut feature, the dark psychological horror fable, Splintered screens in a new, remastered cut. There will also be three new shorts films from the North West, alongside a special family-friendly screening of CBBC and DHX’s horror anthology Creeped Out.

Of course it’s the programme of new films that fans look for, and this year’s slate doesn’t disappoint. Johnny Kevorkian returns to the festival — his film The Disappeared appeared at its very first iteration — with claustrophobic sci-fi, Await Further Instructions. Whilst, anthology film Nightmare Cinema stars Mickey Rourke as the projectionist in a haunted picture palace which invites audiences to witness five terrifying tales. Each tale is the work of a different director; excitingly, Gremlins’ and The Howling’s Joe Dante takes his turn behind the camera.

Anna and the Apocalypse

With a packed four days of shorts and features, there’s too much to list here, but audiences might want to look out for Issa López’s magic-infused Mexican film Tigers Are Not Afraid, which has been steadily gaining festival buzz elsewhere. Similarly, festival closer and Scottish high-school zombie musical, Anna and the Apocalypse arrives in Manchester with rave reviews fresh from FrightFest. All selected films are in the running for the new Grimmfest Awards and the festival is pwith film financing group BCL to offer £40,000 worth of post-production services to each of the winners of the Best Film and Best Director categories.

What's on at Odeon Great Northern

Where to go near Grimmfest at Odeon Great Northern

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The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a 16th century, family-run, traditional country inn with an impressive dining space. The Peak District at its best.

Testbed Main Space
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TESTBED

TESTBED is a newly renovated 10,000 sq foot event venue in Leeds that offers endless possibilities for creating unique and inspiring experiences.

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Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
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The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

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The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

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