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Where to go
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Grimmfest Halloween Horror Nights

Tom Grieve, Contributing Writer

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Grimmfest Halloween Nights

30-31 October 2020

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

From £10
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Looking for a scary movie to watch this Halloween? This year you can hand over control to Grimmfest, Manchester’s premiere horror and genre film festival, who have curated two nights of blood, gore, monsters and mayhem for film fans to enjoy from home.

Starting on Halloween-eve, there are over four hours of scheduled content each evening, with four feature film premieres joined by a selection of shorts that explore everything from the horrors of short term rentals in In the Mirrors, to the grisly comedy of life as a hitwoman in Green Cobra.

Feature film-wise, Friday 30 October sees first time UK showings of Beast Mode — a black-hearted satire of crass celebrity — and Homewrecker, a savage study of social awkwardness that starts off in a yoga classroom.

For Halloween itself, Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame is joined by metal royalty in the form of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, for the spooky anthology Bad Candy. That’s before an all-girl punk band is kidnapped and forced to fight in gladiatorial combat the Northern UK premiere of Spare Parts.

Where to go near Grimmfest Halloween Horror Nights

City Centre
Bar or Pub
Schofield’s Bar

Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
Gallery
UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

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