Festival of Fantastic Films Manchester

11/09/2026

A reminder that, if you haven't seen Penda's Fen and you're in the UK, it's available on BBC iPlayer for the best part of a year. Described by The Guardian as "a lasting vision of heresy and pastoral horror", It was written by David Rudkin (Artemis '81, The Ash Tree) and directed by Alan Clarke (Scum, Elephant). This 1974 drama stars festival guest, Spencer Banks in a tale of angels, kings and discovered sexuality.

We'll be talking to Spencer about Penda's Fen, Timeslip and much more on the Friday evening of the festival. Tickets still available. See comments below.

PLEASE NOTE: all guests subject to professional commitments, and may change at short notice.

04/09/2026

Amongst the over 22 hours of supplements in the forthcoming Hammer Dracula box set is a 1994 festival interview with composer, James Bernard conducted by Steve Laws.

Here are a couple of screen grabs from the event. As you can imagine, the videography is not of the standard we have today but the interview itself is gold. Ahh, the memories.

We’re very pleased that our guest, David Huckvale will be sharing his own anecdotes about James Bernard and his invaluable contribution to Hammer horror. Altogether now, ‘Da-da-da-Drac-u-la!’

Is that right, David?

24/08/2026

We have flyers!

30/07/2026

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - DAVID HUCKVALE

David Huckvale has written 17 books for McFarland and Co in America, among which are, James Bernard - Composer to Count Dracula (2006), Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde (2008), Touchstones of Gothic Horror – A Film Genealogy in Eleven Motifs and Images (2010), Hammer Films’ Psychological Thrillers (2014), Poe Evermore: The Legacy in Film, Music and Television (2014), A Green and Pagan Land – Myth, Magic and Landscape in British Film and Television (2018), Movie Magick – The Occult in Film (2018), Terrors of the Flesh – The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film (2020), and Unlocking Dracula A.D. 1972: A Classic Horror Film in Context (2025). He is currently working on his 18th title, an examination of the 1971 Hammer classic Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb. After receiving his doctorate, he worked for several universities and as a writer and presenter for BBC Radio, and has appeared on many DVD and Blu-ray releases of horror and fantasy films.

We look forward to welcoming David in October!

Festival tickets are available in Eventbrite. Link in comments below.

23 - 25 October 2026, Pendulum Hotel, Sackville Street, Manchester. M1 3BB

28/07/2026

SUSAN PENHALIGON CAN NO LONGER JOIN US

Susan has been in touch to inform us that, due to professional commitments, she can no longer join us in October. We're updating our guest information as soon as we can. This is disappointing news but it happens. We hope Susan can attend next year's event.

We're in discussions with another potential guest and hope to make an announcement very soon.

26/06/2026

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - AXELLE CAROLYN

Axelle has been a horror fan for as long as she can remember.

She has written and directed several features, including The Manor (2021) for Blumhouse starring Barbara Hershey, and Wales-set ghost story Soulmate (2014), but is perhaps better known for her work in television with writing and/or directing credits on episodes of The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) and The Midnight Club (2022) for Mike Flanagan, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018), American Horror Story (2021), Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen (2026), and two episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2026).

She lives in Los Angeles in a house filled with oddities and horror props.

We look forward to welcoming Axelle in October.

Festival tickets are available in Eventbrite. Link in comments below.

23 - 25 October 2026. Pendulum Hotel, Sackville Street, Manchester. M1 3BB

21/06/2026

A great event sure to be of interest to some of our patrons in the North-west.

A thrilling all day event at The Bijou Cinema in Southport on 25 July celebrating the weird tales of Arthur Machen.
Screenings of "Picnic at Hanging Rock", "The Shining Pyramid" and "Holy Terrors" and a reading of his classic short story "N"
Details here https://southportbijoucinema.co.uk/
[scroll down to July 25]

12/06/2026

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - SUSAN PENHALIGON

Born in Manila, Phillipines, in 1949 and brought up in St Ives Cornwall, Susan Penhaligon is a proud Cornish woman. She is perhaps best known for her role in the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976), and for playing Helen Barker
in the sitcom A Fine Romance (1981–1984).

Her screen career is comprehensive and impressive. Her film appearances include Under Milk Wood (1972), No S*x, Please, We’re British (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1974), House of Mortal Sin (1976), The Uncanny (1977), Count Dracula (1977), The Masks of Death (1984), and Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013). Her many TV appearances include two episodes of Play for Today (1971 and 1975), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Doctor Who (1972), Public Eye (1973), Return of the Saint (1978), two episodes of Tales of the Unexpected (1982 and 1983), Bergerac (1989), The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997), the TV movie Junk (1999), Mark Gatiss’s A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Dead Room (2018) and Beyond Paradise (2026). Susan has also had a substantial stage career.

Tagged the ‘British Bardot’ in the 1970s, she was described by Clive
Aslet in The Daily Telegraph as ‘the face of the decade’.

We look forward to meeting Susan in October.

Festival tickets are available via Eventbrite. Link in comments Below.

23 - 25 October 2026. Pendulum Hotel, Sackville Street, Manchester. M1 3BB.

12/06/2026

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - SPENCER BANKS

Born in Chesterfield in 1954, Spencer Banks began his screen career with a role in the BBC adaptation of Émile Zola’s Germinal (1970). His big break came later that year when he starred as Simon Randall in the cult classic children’s SF series Timeslip (1970-71), which ran for 26 episodes. He gained further acclaim for his lead performance in the brilliant Penda’s Fenn (1974), a BBC Play for
Today that was written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clarke. Further roles include the drama series The Witch’s Daughter (1971), comedy series Alexander the Greatest (1971), espionage thriller Tightrope (1972), spooky children’s series The Georgian House (1976), Dennis Potter’s classic Pennies from Heaven (1978), 11 episodes of the long-running ITV soap Crossroads, and
guest spots in shows such as Minder (1979), Shine on Harvey Moon (1985), and the horror movie The Amityville Playhouse (2015).

We look forward to welcoming Spencer to the festival in October.

Festival tickets are available via Eventbrite. Link in comments Below.

23 - 25 October 2026. Pendulum Hotel, Sackville Street, Manchester. M1 3BB.

29/05/2026

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - SEAN HOGAN

Sean Hogan is a UK filmmaker and author. His feature credits include TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST, THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS, FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000AD and THE BORDERLANDS. In collaboration with Kim Newman and a host of other genre writers, he co-created and directed the anthology horror plays THE HALLOWE'EN SESSIONS and THE GHOST TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE. He is also the author of the novels ENGLAND'S SCREAMING, TWILIGHT'S LAST SCREAMING and THE CO**SE ROAD. He is currently in post-production on a new feature film, THE DARK GETS IN.

We look forward to meeting Sean in October.

Festival tickets are available via Eventbrite. Link in comments below.

23 - 25 October 2026. Pendulum Hotel, Sackville Street, Manchester. M1 3BB.

PLEASE NOTE: all guests subject to professional commitments, and may change at short notice.

More guest announcements soon!