‘IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS’ COMES TO BIG SCREENS

IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS, a major BFI UK-wide film and events programme celebrating the horror genre comes to  the big screen at cinemas nationwide. IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS is supported by National Lottery, BFI Film Audience Network and the ICO. The BFI’s annual blockbuster returns in full force on big screens across the UK following hugely successful previous blockbusters including JAPAN, presented digitally during the pandemic, Black Star, Musicals and Sci Fi.

IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS is a fresh, inventive and inclusive take on the horror genre, tracing how the imagery of  nightmare has been created through film, and how stories of monsters have always been political. Through five mythical horror archetypes – the beast, ghost, vampire, witch and zombie – IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS explores how these monstrous bodies have been represented on screen over the last hundred years and how they have been reclaimed by new voices in horror filmmaking. Each archetype doesn’t so much inform a subgenre as it does a taste for horror. A UK-wide programme of over 35 special events and screenings supported in partnership by the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) has been announced.

Highlights in Northern Ireland

Across October, Ghouls On Film will celebrate the history of witchcraft and folklore, beginning with an exhibition of work from local artist Triona Doyle. The exhibition will launch at The Black Box on October 2, with silent film screenings accompanied by Skull DJs Stuart Watson and Ryan Fitzsimmons. A full day of folk horror events will be held on October 30, including a Samhain creative market, followed by screenings of THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)and Robert Eggers THE WITCH (2015). Prior to the screening, local folk musicians Aoife O’Reilly and Catriona Gribben will perform a set of traditional Irish folk music and Ghouls on Film programmer Isabella Koban will introduce the films, exploring the history of witchcraft and outlining how modern depictions of witchcraft on film project current social anxieties onto the feminine body.

As part of the Foyle Film Festival, Nerve Centre in partnership with In Your Space Circus will create an immersive cinema experience inspired by A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) and the popularity of Stranger Things. This cinematic experience on 26 November will invite audiences to a slumber party where 'rogue teens' will tell ghost stories and invite spirits to the party. Expect spooky audio visual, SFX and live performers for a night to remember.

At Queen's Film Theatre In Dreams Are Monsters focuses on the creatures of horror that linger long after the closing credits. From a 100-year-old story of witchcraft to the new faces of horror, we're looking to the 5 archetypes of horror (the witch, the ghost, the vampire, the zombie and the beast) with a horror all-nighter with a WTF-rated twist; drag stars, poets and tarot in 'A Queer Séance' with Ghouls on Film; the history of the black vampire from BLACULA to BLADE; alongside classic John Carpenter, B-movie maestro Larry Cohen and some wintery thrills.

Go to BFI for more information or indreamsaremonsters.co.uk for full UK-wide listings