A much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season is returning this autumn as the STAB Season film festival lands back at Cultplex next month.
Part of GRUB over at Red Bank, Cultplex is one of the best small-screen cinemas and hidden gems full stop to be found in the city centre; as the name would suggest, they celebrate fan favourite films, video games, cool nerd stuff and all things culty.
And don’t worry, by culty we mean the stuff people are obsessed with – there’s no risk of stumbling across old people donning hooded cloaks like in Hot Fuzz or anything, we promise.
However, that film is a very good example of the kind of fandom this Manchester ‘mini-cini’ champions, and this October it will once again be taken over by a whole host of horror movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
Promising to deliver “a month of sinister cinema that isn’t for the faint of heart” and be “the biggest yet”, the 2024 STAB Film Season over at Cultplex kicks off on Wednesday, 2 October and doesn’t stop until the start of November.
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With this year’s lineup featuring sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist (1973) and Alien (1979) – and that’s just the double-bill they’ve booked in for Halloween night – as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs and other events.
We’re talking quizzes, Q&A and binging of TV box sets just to name a few. Basically, it’s going to be equal parts terrifying and terrific.
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Kicking off the city’s longest-lasting horror movie festival with their annual airing of 1974’s locally-shot-yet-criminally-underseen The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (now THAT is what you call a cult film), before swinging headlong into Wes Craven’s hit slasher franchise Scream and Korean zombie hit Train to Busan (2016), this thing is going to move at a mile a minute.
It’ll be Halloween before you know it. You can find the full STAB Film Season 2024 line-up below:
Date
What’s on at STAB Film Season – Cultplex @ GRUB
Wednesday, 2 October
19:30 – The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
Thursday, 3 October
20:30 – Sprechen: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari + live score
13:30 – The Addams Family (1991) 16:00 – The Blob (1988) 19:00 – Zombie All-Nighter ft. Train to Busan (2016), Return of the Living Dead (1985), REC (2007) and Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
Sunday, 13 October
16:00 – Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Wednesday, 16 October
19:30 – Halloween Quiz Show
Friday, 18 October
18:00 – Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004 — and our pick of the bunch*)
Sunday, 20 October
13:00 – TRASHFEST with Andrew Leovald Q&A 16:00 – CULT CLUB: The Mummy (1999)
Wednesday, 23 October
19:30 – GASP: Suspiria (1977)
Thursday, 24 October
19:30 – MAGHOUL (amateur video game night – but scary)
13:00 – A Lovely Time: The Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’ Quiz 13:30 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 16:00 – In The Mouth of Madness (1994) + Nick Helm Podcast 20:00 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) for Freddy K’s 40th B-Day Party
Sunday, 27 October
13:00 – Movie Church: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 16:00 – Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout (1990) 19:00 – Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989)
Wednesday, 30 October
19:30 – Arrow Film Club: Ju-on The Grudge (2002)
Thursday, 31 October – HALLOWEEN!
19:30 – Double-bill: The Exorcist (1973) + Alien (1979)
Halloween and horror fans won’t need convincing on this one, you already know the drill.
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You can expect all this and loads more surprises we wouldn’t dare spoil for you when STAB Film Season kicks off at Cultplex next month.
And the best part is, you’re already at GRUB, so proper good food and drink is right on your doorstep. Just try not to throw it all in the air when the jumpscares start.
Full-season listings can be found HERE with tickets for all events available to book now – if you’re brave enough. It’s not the only thing fright fans can look forward to this year either…
Fairfield Social Club has been voted the Best Comedy Venue in the North
Danny Jones
Let’s toast another feather in Greater Manchester’s cultural cap as local arts venue, bar and hangout, Fairfield Social Club (FSC), has been named the Best Comedy Venue in the North.
That’s according to the much-revered annual Chortle Awards, the 2026 edition of which has named Fairfield not just one of the best in our specific city or region, but currently the benchmark for any live comedy spot located in the top half of the country.
And that’s not all: they actually took home another award this year, because why just win one when you can take home two?
For starters, congratulations are in order, and we couldn’t be prouder of our grassroots Manc venues continuing to set the bar; now let’s get into exactly what they won and why…
In addition to taking home the accolade for leading their field when it comes to hosting live comics and more, having quickly built up a strong reputation in the industry beyond just the North West, FSC also claimed a second gong, thanks to ‘CroppaChoppa’s Slumber Party‘.
The resident stand-up and sleepover games format show, which has been based over at the Green Quarter complex for some time now, just won Best New Comedy Format for the second year running.
Reacting to the consecutive awards, founder Charlotte Cropper said: “We are so thrilled to have won Best Comedy Format two years in a row! Lying our sleepover bag down at Fairfield Social Club is our favourite thing to do every month.
“Who knew a sleepover show with a misogynistic teddy bear mascot would become the best night of our lives?”
This, of course, is just one of many regular comedy-centric events happening throughout the FSC calendar – and you really should going along if you haven’t before.
Speaking on an incredible year all-round, Fairfield Social Club’s GM and live bookings manager, Jessie Perillo, added: “We’ve spent the last year building a comedy programme we’re really proud of; it’s one that supports emerging talent while also attracting some of the biggest names touring right now.
“To have both the venue and the shows recognised nationally is a dream and as a comedy lover myself, I couldn’t be happier!
“We’ve got some incredible new shows lined up over the next few months that we can’t wait to announce, and launching ‘A Lovely Weekend’ is just the beginning of what’s to come.”
Congrats again and well done to all those involved in helping keep Manchester-based humour and live arts on the comedy map; we can’t wait to see what else in store for 2026. Speaking of…
Featured Images — Press shots/Em Humble (supplied via Fairfield Social Club)
TV & Showbiz
The Oldham Man and The Sea: the documentary about the Latics owner’s record-breaking Atlantic voyage
Danny Jones
It doesn’t matter if you’re not an Athletic fan or native to the borough; we think everyone should go along to watch the much-anticipated documentary about football club owner Frank Rothwell and his record-breaking journey across the Atlantic Ocean: The Oldham Man And The Sea.
One of the simplest and most satisfying names for a film we’ve heard in a long time.
For anyone who doesn’t know about the Oldham Athletic FC chairman turned OBE’s incredible story, Frank Rothwell has set multiple records with his impressive sea-faring feats in recent times.
This new doc, which just premiered at this year’s Manchester Film Festival, charts his latest trip across one of the biggest bodies of water on the planet in March 2024.
As you can see from the recent trailer, it’s almost as arduous a tale as the original Hemingway story.
This movie – produced by Journeyman Pictures and Chief Productions – made its full debut at the Odeon in Great Northern Warehouse for MFF 2026, and is set to have a number of other screenings in and around Greater Manchester in the coming weeks and months.
One of those is happening rather soon, in fact, over at Saddleworth’s Millgate Arts Centre on Saturday, 28 March, which is ideal for those local to the region; grab your tickets now.
ln fact, there’s also one happening even closer to his hometown the following month, with Oldham’s very own Queen Elizabeth Hall also hosting a special screening of Rothwell’s incredible achievement.
You can reserve your seats for that one right HERE.
Having not only become the eldest (70) Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge finisher back in 2021, but now holding the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to ever complete the crossing while rowing solo at 73 years old, he’s become nothing short of a local hero – and that’s just his stewardship of the Latics…
The film does, obviously, touch on his time at the helm of the League Two side, who finally returned to the EFL last June, but the heart and soul of this inspiring watch is the sail itself.
More importantly, it also documents not just the gruelling nature of the 64-day, seven-hour and 53-minute trek, but also how Frank has now helped raise more than £1.4 million on behalf of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
What an absolute icon.
Hopefully, this should be just about all the reason you need to watch The Oldham Man And The Sea the very next opportunity you get to do so – and, of course, all proceeds from ticket sales will also be going to charity, because just the kind of bloke he is.
And here’s hoping we get a streaming version sometime soon.
Danny Jones -
16th September 2024 
