Just in time for spooky season, the BFI is taking its new horror film season out to cinemas across the country – including Sheffield.

In Dreams Are Monsters shines a light on forgotten gems as well as classics of the horror genre. The programme centres around five of the most haunting figures of on-screen storytelling of the last century: the vampire, the ghost, the zombie, the witch and the beast.

Together, these films trace the ways that horror has made physical the anxieties of their times, how they’ve forced audiences to confront their darkest thoughts, and offered a platform to those excluded from the mainstream.

Join in the joy and terror this October and November in Sheffield with films at the Showroom, Abbeydale Picture House, The Light, and Peddler Warehouse.

In Dreams Are Monsters – Sheffield programme:

19 October
The Lost Boys
The Light
Join The Light to mark the ​​​​​​35th anniversary of this teen vampire classic. When brothers Sam and Michael move to a new town, they get sucked into a mysterious and dangerous world of bikers, vampires and vampire hunters.
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21–22 October
Ghostwatch + Q&A
Peddler Warehouse
Horror film festival Celluloid Screams is teaming up with Live Cinema UK to present an immersive experience of the 30th anniversary of BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch within a warehouse in Neepsend. Together they'll resurrect the original spirit of the broadcast for a hauntingly good celebration of the paranormal, Parky, and Pipes. Complete with a Q&A with director Lesley Manning and writer Stephen Volk.
Note: the event on 21 October has sold out but, due to demand, a second event has been planned for 22 October – book quickly.

29 October
Candyman (1992) and Hellraiser (1987) 35mm Double Bill
Abbeydale Picture House
Warm up for Halloween with cult cinema heroes Reel Steel as they present a rare 35mm double bill of the original Candyman and Hellraiser films – both based on the work of author Clive Barker. You'll also have the chance to see and hear up close how the 35mm projector works, with demos by the Projected Picture Trust.
Note: due to renovation work in the main auditorium, this screening will take place in the Abbeydale Picture House's Fly Tower Cinema.
Find out more

29–30 October
ParaNorman
The Light
ParaNorman is the story of 11-year-old Norman Babcock who must use his unique ability to see and speak with the dead to save his town from a centuries-old curse. The Light are bringing this much-loved family film back to the big screen for two days to mark its 10th anniversary.
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31 October
The Thing
The Light
A special 40th anniversary screening. In the winter of 1982, a research team at a remote Antarctic research station discover an alien that's been buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Once unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror, and becomes one of them.
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2 November
Kier-La Janisse: House of Psychotic Women book talk + Der Fan
Showroom
Independent film exhibitors Matchbox Cine are bringing renowned film writer, programmer, producer and director Kier-La Janisse on a UK tour to mark the publication of the new, updated edition of her seminal book House of Psychotic Women. Join them at the Showroom, in connection with Celluloid Screams, for a Q&A and a screening of 1982 West German horror thriller Der Fan, about a teenage girl's obsession for pop singer that turns sinister.
Booking info coming soon.

19–20 November
Hammer Horror & Cinema Poster Exhibition Weekender
Abbeydale Picture House
Reel Steel present a Hammer Horror weekender, featuring two double bills of standout titles from a period when British horror changed the shape of the genre.
Saturday: The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Devil Rides Out (1968).
Sunday: The Gorgon (1964) and Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966).
Alongside the screenings will be a cinema poster exhibition, featuring original cinema release quad posters from a private collection gathered since the 1960s. Expect rare posters from across Hammer and the wider horror genre. Exhibition open 12pm-4pm each day, with free entry.
Due to renovation work taking place in the main auditorium, these events will take place in the Abbeydale Picture House's Fly Tower Cinema.
Book now

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