The daddy of underground cinema classics is 50 years old. Never seen Night of the Living Dead? See it on the big screen at Square Chapel courtesy of FANTASTIQ.
Sunday 6 May, Halifax
Before Dawn (18) 82mins
Dir: Dominic Brunt | 2013
Dominic Brunt, Joanne Mitchell, Nicky Evans, Eileen O’Brien
Estranged husband and wife Alex and Meg head to a remote cottage in a bid to salvage their marriage. But as their domestic drama is played out in isolation, a much bigger drama (the apocalypse) is slowly being played out elsewhere. And when a blood-soaked moorland wanderer attacks Meg their weekend hideaway turns into a genuine house of horror. Edgy, frenetic and terrifyingly claustrophobic – think Night of the Living Dead transposed to Hebden Bridge – Before Dawn is also powerfully original. Dominic Brunt’s clever little drama hints at the dawning of the end of the world and has the confidence to boil down events to just a handful of people who realise with growing horror that something is very, very wrong. It sets out to join the annals of traditional zombie movies whilst simultaneously offering a fresh take.
Screentalk: Dominic Brunt in conversation
One of the award-winning ensemble cast of TV’s long-running Emmerdale, Dominic Brunt is also forging a reputation as a writer, director and producer of acclaimed independent films. He made his debut with Before Dawn in 2013, following up with Bait and Adult Babies. He will be interviewed by Tony Earnshaw, director of FANTASTIQ, the Festival of Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Horror.
Night of the Living Dead (15) 96mins
Dir: George A. Romero | 1968
Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Russell Streiner, Judith Ridley, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Kyra Schon, George Kosana, Bill Cardille
Terror reigns. Panic is everywhere. The dead are returning to life and no-one can explain why. In a remote wooden farmhouse seven people fight for their lives against ever-increasing numbers of flesh-eating ghouls. One by one they are whittled down until, in a memorable shock finale, only a lone hero remains, cowering in the cellar as legions of ravenous zombies run amok. As the sun rises, he cautiously emerges into the dawn… In 1968 a new breed of horror film erupted onto American movie screens. Vilified by critics and ignored by distributors on its release, George A. Romero’s tense, audacious, ground-breaking shocker ushered in a new era of raw modern horror. Rightly championed by fans around the world, it is now revered as a seminal cult classic – a quasi-expressionist celluloid nightmare and the Citizen Kane of the horror ’B’s.