A celebration of horror movies in the form of a five day film festival is set to take place at HOME Manchester over the Halloween period.
HOME’s annual celebration of big-screen scares – known as FilmFear 2020: Scream Now, Think Later – returns for five film-filled days and a provocative programme that mixes thrills and chills, with plenty to think about.
For this year’s festival, HOME has partnered with Film4 to co-curate a line-up of modern genre classics that sink their teeth into politics, race, sexuality, social issues and more, with movie-goers told to “prepare yourself for the ‘Night of the Living Subtext’ [as] the real world can be unsettling at the best of times and, as FilmFear proves, horror cinema faces it all without flinching”.
As aptly-described by FilmFear 2020 co-curator David Cox, “even though what we’re experiencing [with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic] may feel unprecedented, the horror genre has already seen it, done it and no doubt re-imagined it as either a city-devouring monster or an undead infestation.
“And somehow, these extreme representations of our worst fears and most unimaginable realities have the power to make us feel better – or at least distract us from the terror outside for 90 minutes.”
So, what films are making up the programme this year?
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Among the terrifying treats on show will be Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs – a savage slice of Reagan-era urban Gothic – and Philip Kaufman’s 1978 sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams and Jeff Goldblum.
From Parasite Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho comes The Host, which is an aquatic creature-feature that says as much about Korean society as it does about beasts from the deep. Staying under the earth, a murder on the London Underground alerts authorities to the possibility of some sort of creature living in the long dark tunnels in Death Line, which brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘mind the doors!’
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HOME Manchester
In lieu of the remake – which should have been in cinemas this month – HOME will present a restored version of early 1990s horror classic Candyman, in which the vengeful, hook- handed title character proves that some urban legends are actually true.
Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s Jennifer’s Body makes a well-deserved return to the big screen. Starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, and critically disregarded on release, the film has been reappraised as a feminist cult classic in the wake of the Me Too movement.
This year, FilmFear 2020 extends to Thursday 5th November – Bonfire Night – for a special screening of Attack the Block, which is writer/director Joe Cornish’s social-themed sci- fi/monster movie that’s set on this very night.
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As a special Bonfire Night bonus, Cornish will take part in a live video Q&A too.
Crossing over with the ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival for only the second time, FilmFear 2020 also celebrates Spain’s horror maestro Chicho, who passed away in 2019.
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador is one of the most well-known, and best loved, names in Spanish film and television history. Forever linked to the horror genre, ‘Chicho’, as he was known to all, was responsible for the legendary TV series Historias para no dormir, which ran intermittently from 1966.
A double-bill of El asfalto and La residencia will be shown.
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FilmFear 2020 runs from Wednesday 28th October – Thursday 5th November.
The event is curated by Film4’s David Cox and Jason Wood – HOME’s Creative Director for Film and Culture – with tickets set to go on sale to the general public on Tuesday 6th October.
You can find more information and purchase your tickets to each film showing via the HOME Manchester website here.
What's On
Manchester announces its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is getting ready for a city-wide Pride celebration this month.
Of course, we all know Manchester Village Pride will be returning for 2026 over the August bank holiday weekend, but aside from the official festivities around the Village, an extensive new Pride Fringe event has been announced – with a programme featuring everything from a film festival and shopping events, to live performances, family-friendly celebrations, and more.
Alongside comedy, club nights, exhibitions, and walking tours, venues across Manchester will also come together for a month-long celebration.
You can expect an exciting mix of LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, live entertainment, family events, food, drink and shopping experiences, giving visitors even more reasons to make a weekend – or even a week – of it.
Many of these events will be raising vital funds for local LGBT charities, and on top of that, the city’s hotels will also be joining in the celebrations with dedicated Pride packages, parties, free gifts, and discounts this month.
Manchester has announced its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (Supplied)
Pride Fringe will be led by the return of the week-long SCENE Festival.
Back for its third year and kicking off from Thursday 20 August, SCENE will be bringing together some of the biggest names in TV, film, and queer culture for eight days of screenings, panels, live comedy, parties and premieres across 10 Manchester venues – and this year, it’s the festival’s most star-studded programme to date.
Some of the other highlights on the programme include a selection of Pride-themed walking tours and guided trails.
At the forefront of this is a a guided walking tour led by local playwright and tour guide, Chris Hoyle of What’s The Story?, exploring the stories that have shaped Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community.
From Victorian drag balls and the birth of Canal Street, to the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the city’s iconic Pride Parade, the tour uncovers the people, places, and moments that have helped make Manchester one of the world’s leading LGBTQ+ cities.
Manchester Arndale and Afflecks will also be hosting their own Pride-themed shopping events and workshops, while Aviva Studios, The Refuge, Freight Island, Kampus, and Fairfield Social Club are among the dozen independent venues throwing their own parties.
Families can also head to places like Manchester Central Library and Great Northern Warehouse for storytimes, craft sessions, entertainment, and other child-friendly events.
Pride Fringe will be running from Thursday 20 August, right through to 1 September in some cases, and you can find a full list of events here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
The same team behind the annual Alton Towers run is bringing a new race to Flamingo Land
Danny Jones
Following the success of Run Alton Towers, the same team is bringing a brand-new running event to another Northern attraction with the first-ever Flamingo Land race.
Knowing how popular its forerunner is (pardon the pun), this one is already well on course to sell out.
The inaugural Alton Towers run first took place in November 2021, and now half a decade later, RunThroughUK – the biggest and fastest-growing race organiser in the country – is recreating the format over at Flamingo Land.
Landing next month, the beloved UK theme park and zoo will be joining them in holding two different distances, and you can still be part of it.
Hosted within the grounds of the wider Flamingo Land Resort, the unique route takes participants through the zoo, passing plenty of incredible animals, before continuing through the theme park alongside some of its biggest rides and amusements.
Located in Kirby Misperton up in North Yorkshire, they will be holding both 5-kilometre and 10km runs around the venue.
With the promotion and sporting events company having already comfortably proved they can hold a slick and seamless running event throughout the 500-acre plot, there’s set to be even more jam-packed sights to see as you jog zip through the slightly smaller and multi-purpose park.
As always with RunThrough dates, runners of all abilities are welcome; whether you’re chasing a personal best or simply looking for a different kind of race route, you’re sure to have a memorable time.
And yes, for those wondering: just like with its Staffordshire counterpart, you do get to stay and enjoy all the rides, wildlife and more as part of your entry fee afterwards.
Even better still, not only will every runner be treated to accurate chip timing, a fully marked course, enthusiastic marshals and support from spectators, but you also get a unique finisher’s medal.
Oh yeah, and you get all of your race pictures for FREE, as is standard with RunThrough events. Belter.
With race day not far away, the final places are filling fast for what promises to be one of the UK’s most unique new running events – not to mention one we fully expect to become another annual addition.
Taking place on Saturday, 5 September 2026, you can secure your bibs for the 5/10k running race HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
5th October 2020 
