London Horror Festival 2019
8th October – 2nd November 2019 (times vary)
At Pleasance Theatre and The Old Red Lion Theatre
Sponsored by Horror Channel and PS Publishing
The UK’s largest festival of live horror performance returns for its 9th year, expanding over 2 venues and 3 theatre spaces, with help from their sponsors Horror Channel and PS Publishing. This year’s festival has slithered its way through Islington to join forces with Pleasance Theatre, presenting over 30 shows to rattle your bones and send shivers down your spine. Once again, the suitably spooky Old Red Lion Theatre will play host with 2 brand-new full-length productions seeing us through Halloween.
The Festival is honoured to have playwright David Pinner, the author of RITUAL (the novel that inspired the classic cult movie THE WICKER MAN) present the world premiere of his play Edred, The Vampyre at the Old Red Lion from the 28th October – 2nd November; casting a gothic shadow over the theatre with his soon-to-be modern horror classic. Between the 8th – 26th October the Old Red Lion will be re-united with former (deceased) residents via The Knock Knock Club’s docu-play Last Orders. A blending of fact and fear, the Knock Knock Club have created a show based on the haunted folklore of the 600 year old pub and the paranormal investigations they have conducted throughout the building over the past few months. Both productions are bound to terrify, entertain and keep you checking under the bed before you go to sleep at night!
Alongside these productions, the Horror Festival will have an eclectic programme of shows by new and established horror companies taking over Pleasance Theatre’s Main House and Stage Space between 8th – 25th October. Festival Patron Nicholas Vince, Chatterer in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Kinski in Nightbreed, brings his first one-man show to the stage in I AM MONSTERS!, an autobiographical exploration of monsters and what it means to be an actor in the genre. The Milkman Cometh by DeadPlant Theatre aims to sour your semi-skimmed hopes and dreams with its grotesque horror comedy tale of demonic milk-deliverers, accompanied by a live metal band. More horror comedy appears in the form of multi-award winning Casual Violence’s 10th Anniversary extravaganza (and final ever show) Hang The Suits as they bring us the best of their deranged sketches in this double-bill event.
Horror Cabaret is also in full swing this year with Nevermore Theatre’s Serial Killer Cabaret, The Bitten Peach’s Not Another Asian Horror and PopHorror’s drag slasher panto He’s Behind You! bringing some showbiz glam to the genre!
Those looking for genuine terror will find solace with ONEOHONE Theatre Co.’s interactive horror CULT infiltrating the festival, alongside festival favourites House of Macabre with their new shocker What The Dolls Saw, critically-acclaimed Hermetic Arts’ uncanny ANTHOLOGY, and Chamber Piece Theatre’s compendium of frightening tales Late Night Horror.
The Festival are also aiming to increase representation and support for LGBTQIA+ writers within the genre through their annual playwriting competition focusing entirely on Queer Horror Writers; with the winner being unveiled to the public on the 25th October.
Don’t miss your chance to join the festivities and celebrate the blood-curdling joy of live horror with fellow theatre-goers this Halloween season!
www.londonhorrorfestival.co.uk
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FULL SHOW LISTING
Last Orders – The Haunting of the Old Red Lion
The Knock Knock Club
Tuesday 8th – Saturday 26th October 7.45pm (Tues-Sat), Sat & Sun & Thurs 17th 2.30pm matinees, Old Red Lion Theatre
£14 (Preview tickets on 8th & 9th £12)
THEY SAY THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED.
So we stayed overnight, turned on our cameras, pointed our microphones into the dark and asked ‘who’s there?’
In ‘Last Orders’ we present our findings – the uncanny, the unnatural and the unexplainable – as more than 600 years of history clamours to be heard.
I AM MONSTERS!
Nicholas Vince
Tuesday 8th – Thursday 10th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£12 (£10 concessions)
In this autobiographical show Nicholas Vince, Chatterer in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Kinski in Nightbreed, shares stories from his first encounters with monsters – by torchlight under bedclothes – to the making of the films. He reads excerpts from his favourite horror classics and reveals what it takes to be a monster.
The Milkman Cometh
DeadPlant Theatre
Tuesday 8th – Thursday 10th October 9.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£10 (£8 concessions)
Grotesque-Horror-comedy, with metal band ‘Fuck Slurry’ playing original soundtrack live on stage.
Come meet the Milkman…IF…YOU…DAIRY!
Not for the lactose intolerant
‘So depraved they make Charles Manson look like Julie Andrews’ (BroadwayBaby)
‘Seriously deranged surreal fun’ (Horror Hothouse)
‘Bloody brilliant’ (Velvet Box Office)
‘Loud, crude and funny’ (The Reviews Hub)
The Fetch Wilson
The Corps Ensemble
Friday 11th & Monday 14th October 7pm, Sunday 13th October 2.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£12 (£10 concessions)
This wild and darkly comic journey takes you down the streets and back alleys of modern Dublin, from award-winning writer, Stewart Roche and ground-breaking young Irish theatre collective, The Corps Ensemble. This thrilling new play brings you to places you shouldn’t go but want to – while asking one question: how well do you really know yourself? Inspired by the world of Edgar Allen Poe.
Scare Slam
Blackshaw Theatre Company
Friday 11th October 9.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£12 (£10 concessions)
Lovers of scary stories, unite. Adding the fear factor to increasingly popular spoken word nights, storytellers from across the Horrorfest and beyond will share their worst (or should that be best?) nightmares at Blackshaw’s fifth annual Scare Slam.
Prepare yourself for a night of chilling tales from both sides of the line of veracity.
The Hypnotist
Monkey’s Fist Theatre Company
Saturday 12th October 2.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£12 (£10 concessions)
“I want you to close your eyes and relax…”
An ancient evil is stirring in the Ecuadorian jungle. Will Garrett pay more than time and money for his eco-tourism? There’s blood-thirsty demons, venomous serpents and human sacrifices aplenty in G. M. C. Lewis’ riotous, trip to the tropics!
Hang the Suits
Casual Violence
Saturday 12th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£17.50 (£15 concessions)
Multi award winning sketch villains Casual Violence have been making sad and sinister comedy for a decade. Tonight is their final show: a celebratory double bill (with an interval, they’re not monsters) of their finest and most fearsome characters. ★★★★★ – The Skinny / Broadway Baby / ThreeWeeks / Reviews Hub / Brighton Argus / Latest 7
Happy Never After
The Maydays
Sunday 13th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£12 (£10 concessions)
A twisted, gothic musical tale inspired by Tim Burton and the Brothers Grimm. Starting with audience suggestions, these award-winning improvisers weave a fantastical tale dripping with black comedy, gut-clenchingly playful characters and haunting live music that’s different every time.
‘Fantastic! Improvisational theatre at its best!’ ★★★★★ (BroadwayBaby.com).
‘Hilarious!’ (Colin Mochrie).
Italian Horror Stories – The Italian Origins of Gothic Horror
Grand Guignol de Milan
Sunday 13th October 9.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£13 (£10 concessions)
This show explores Italian historical facts and legends that inspired gothic classics such as Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein and the Woman in Black. The show is divided into vignettes, linked by a sarcastic, devilish host, the Prince of Darkness, who will lead the audience into a journey through ancient horrors.
Social (loboto)Mobility
Pomegranate Yesterday
Monday 14th – Tuesday 15th October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£7.50 concessions)
A convict and a free man. An orbitoclast. A locked room.
What could possibly go wrong?
And also, what is an orbitoclast?
Two old friends connect and collide /
Righting the wrongs of the class-divide.
But is psychosurgery the answer? Or do they just need to hug it out?
CULT
ONEOHONE Theatre Co.
Monday 14th – Wednesday 16th October 9.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£16.50 (£14 concessions)
‘Do you seek purpose? Do you want to be one of the chosen few? Come, Friend, and join us for a once in a lifetime opportunity.’
From ONEOHONE Theatre Co, CULT is an interactive exploration of a phenomenon. Something is stirring. From beneath, it rises.
Infinity Land
Somna Theatre Co.
Monday 14th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£7 concessions)
J is building a city.
Held in a backyard for 17 years, J seems to finally be trying to make sense of the ordeal.
Or maybe that’s just what she’s telling us.
It’s hard to tell, she just keeps building…
Either way, something’s screaming from inside.
Mr Fox
The Off-Off-Off-Broadway Company
Tuesday 15th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£8 (£6 concessions)
‘Be bold, be bold, but not too bold, lest that your heart’s blood should run cold.’
By the company that brought you ‘Peaceful’ and ‘A Curse of Saints’, ‘Mr Fox’ is a brand new take on the gleefully horrific folk tale about a plucky young woman and her mysterious fiancé.
Serial Killer Cabaret
Nevermore Theatre
Tuesday 15th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£12 (£10 concessions)
Notorious for their crimes, what if the likes of Charles Manson turned their ‘talents’ towards showbiz?
Nevermore Theatre takes a stab at separating fame from infamy – all through song and dance of course!
Sold out at Edinburgh Horror Festival (2018/2017), SKC is a must see for fans of true crime!
CLOWN
Danse Macabre Productions
Wednesday 16th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£10 (£8 concessions)
In a world where clowns were born to scare, one (accidentally) discovers what it means to make someone laugh. Previously vessels for comedy, tragedy and social commentary; horror has turned red noses into jump scares and Hallowe’en costumes.
Clown is here to take them back.
The Collectors of Screams
Orange Shade Productions
Wednesday 16th – Thursday 17th October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£15 (£12 concessions)
Creatures lurk in the darkness outside time. And you work for them. It’s your job to cover up their existence, kill those who get too close, collect their dying screams and make the coffee.
But you’ve got ideas… The great conspiracy is under new management.
The Evil In You
Isa Bonachera
Wednesday 16th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£8 (£6 concessions)
We all have some evil in us: there is a Mr Hyde to our Dr Jekyll, a yin to our yang, a fig roll to our jaffa cake. Embrace your dark side and come to our evil lair for an hour of horror comedy you will never forget.
Quintessence
Sweet Productions
Thursday 17th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£10 (£8 concessions)
Humanity’s extinction leaves behind an AI being programmed to recreate the human race when the time is right, with the complete works of Shakespeare as a guide to the human spirit. Humanity must thrive… but at what cost?
Winner – Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Award (Brighton Fringe 2019)
He’s Behind You! – The Slasher Panto
PopHorror
Thursday 17th – Friday 18th October 9.30pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£13 (£10 concessions)
‘He’s Behind You!’ combines the familiar fun of traditional Pantomime with the camp thrills of an ‘80s Slasher, starring a wealth of Drag talent. Expect a high body count, and a higher double entendre count, as Fairytale meets Scarytale. The most bloody fun this Halloween Season… oh yes it is!
The Perfect Companion
SISATA Theatre Company
Thursday 17th – Friday 18th October 9.45pm, Saturday 19th October 2.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£12 (£10 concessions)
A modern re-telling of ‘Dracula’, where the Gothic Classic has been flung into a real time intimate ‘drawing room’ setting. In this psychological thriller, Bram Stoker’s novel is retold as a contemporary haunting tale of existential angst, nihilistic ambition, and toxic romance in the metropolis of London…. where everyone is lonely.
ANTHOLOGY
Hermetic Arts
Friday 18th October 7pm, The Pleasance, Main House
£10
Three hauntings, from the past, future, and present.
Three ghosts in the machine.
Three uncanny stories, from the creators of UNBURIED, APRIL, and BADD.
An evening to remember.
Performed by Carrie Thompson
Written and directed by Chris Lincé
Praise for UNBURIED: “Utterly, compulsively gripping. I don’t think I’ve seen a more intelligently crafted show this year.” ☆☆☆☆☆ The Stage.
What The Dolls Saw
House of Macabre
Friday 18th – Saturday 19th October 7.15pm & Sunday 20th October 2.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£12 (£8 concessions)
Five women. One cold case. A house of dolls.
Three sisters travel home for the funeral of their father, the world’s greatest dollmaker. With an unsolved case hanging over the family, they must work together to unearth dark secrets.
An all-female, dark-comedy thriller that will delight fans of true crime.
Him Indoors
Cheekykita presents
Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10.50 (£8.50 concessions)
Come down to Tittitutar town where things are not quite right. Something you can’t quite put your finger on, but one journalist is determined to get to the bottom of it. Hearing about a lady with a little man inside her, he seeks her out and encounters the town’s other peculiar oddbodds.
Children of the Quorn TM
Megan from HR
Sunday 20th October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£9 concessions)
“Comedy geniuses” (Jeremy Vine) Megan from HR. present Children of the QuornTM, a new sketch show, complete with seance.
A “super-slick double-act sketch comedy with razor-sharp timing” (ThreeWeeks), this an original, “wickedly smart” (TheatreWeekly) hour of comedy that will raise the roof and the dead.
SHIVERS: THE BISHOP OF HELL
Sinister Masterplan
Monday 21st October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£8 concessions)
SHIVERS: spine-chilling tales read to the accompaniment of the theremin and other unnerving live sound. Tonight: debauchery and damnation in Marjorie Bowen’s neglected classic, THE BISHOP OF HELL.
“SHIVERS is an unusual theatrical experience – part concert, part creepy Jackanory” – TheReviewsHub.
Learn more: www.sinistermasterplan.com/shivers/
Late Night Horror
Chamber Piece Theatre
Monday 21st – Wednesday 23rd October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£7 (£5 concessions)
Chamber Piece Theatre returns with a trilogy of chilling tales, certain to upset your sleeps. Stare into the face of fear, the psyche of a madman, the heart of the beast! A warning to the curious – this show has been designed to penetrate your mind.
Mother Must Die?!
Fantastic Garlands
Tuesday 22nd October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£8 (£6 concessions)
It’s mother’s birthday, and sisters Jocasta and Jupiter are making their annual visit. The soufflé is on the rise, the rosé is on ice, and they have murder on their minds. But will the sisters get to give their darling mother the ultimate present, or does she have other plans…?
Go To Hell!
The Electric Head
Wednesday 23rd October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£8 concessions)
Above breathing, above screaming for help, laughter always wins control over the larynx, so prepare to risk everything as acclaimed comedy double-act The Electric Head present a divinely-comic retelling of Dante’s Inferno, in this terrifying live radio recording, and discover that, after 700 years, Hell has had to modernise.
The Unseen Hour
Unseen Things
Thursday 24th October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£8 concessions)
Underground cult hit horror comedy podcast The Unseen Hour makes its highly anticipated return for a Halloween special. A surreal radio drama live on stage with three actors playing ten roles and creating live foley sound effects, plus guest performances and live music in a brand new tale of the uncanny, the macabre and the absurd.
One Woman Alien
Cast Iron Theatre
Thursday 24th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£8 concessions)
In fringe theatre, no one can hear you scream: one hour, one woman, one cult movie.
The sell out Edinburgh Fringe show returns celebrating 40 years of the horror classic.
Katy Schutte tackles the entire movie alone (with a cat).
PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
London Horror Festival in association with Danse Macabre Productions
Friday 25th October 7.15pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£10 (£8 concessions)
Come join us as we celebrate the brightest new horror talent with this year’s Playwriting Competition winner as performed in a rehearsed reading by Danse Macabre Productions; it’s bound to terrify and delight!
Not Another Asian Horror
The Bitten Peach
Friday 25th October 9.45pm, The Pleasance, Stage Space
£15 (£12 concessions)
Enter the world of queer Asian cabaret and experience the pleasures of The Bitten Peach, the Pan-Asian performance collective featuring a stellar lineup of the UK’s legendary queens, kings and creatures of the Far East. Devour the forbidden fruit and join us for this SLAYsian dynasty’s comedy cabaret slashup!
EDRED, THE VAMPYRE
Sarah Lawrie presents
Monday 28th October – Saturday 2nd November 7.30pm, Sat 3pm matinee, Old Red Lion Theatre
£16.50 (£14.50 concessions)
World Premiere from the author of RITUAL, the novel that inspired THE WICKER MAN
Edred is a thousand-year-old bisexual vampire, who slept with Shakespeare but never bit him. Breaking all of Stoker’s laws, Edred loves garlic and crucifixes, and resides in a church where he is one day confronted by two vampire-hunting gap year students.
