Picnic Cinema: Dog Soldiers (15) at Hamsterley Forest
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Picnic Cinema bring the rip-roaring action of Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers to Hamsterley Forest this summer. The film sees a group of soldiers dispatched in the Scottish Highlands for a training exercise only to discover the grisly remains of a special services team. It’s not long before the army men are holed up in the woods desperately fighting for their lives against a some seriously beefy werewolves. Marshall pulls the American Werewolf in London trick of balancing tension and gore with levity and humour, the result being a horror-comedy that’s gained a cult following.
The 2000 hectare Hamsterley Forest sprawls across the sides of a sheltered valley — ideal for a werewolf ambush… Brave guests can camp out, test their wits with a werewolf themed quiz and dance away to some “action inspired, zombie disco tunes on the jukebox”. As usual, Picnic Cinema encourage fancy dress; with werewolf costumes, camo gear and, of course, fake blood and gore, the order of the day.
