Credit: Popcorn Horror
Editor-in-Chief
Glasgow Horror Fest is back – with a vengeance
This Halloween, it doesn’t matter if you’re too old for guising, too lazy for a costume, or too unpopular for parties: Popcorn Horror has got you covered.
Their annual festival, Glasgow Horror Fest, returns this October for its fourth instalment, and it’s presumably stronger and harder to kill than ever.
The festival was first created to provide a platform for independent filmmakers, showcasing cult classics, student films, local productions, animation and more. Glasgow Horror Fest shies from the tired cliches of your average convention, instead offering a spotlight for local, homegrown talent. Since its early days, the festival has mutated into a crash course in all things horror – but you don’t have to be a die-hard genre fan to make the most of it.
Of course, Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a couple of good-old-fashioned scary movies. Luckily, guests are cordially invited to join an interactive screening of William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill, starring horror icon Vincent Price. Attendees will also get a first look at the Scotland-shot indie horror Matriarch, which is set to premiere at the festival with a cast Q&A on Sunday 28 October.
If you’re looking for a real scare, then why not take a turn in The House With Neon Windows? Modelled after traditional escape rooms, this attraction fuses an 80s aesthetic with an “original horror soundscape”. This interactive experience has to be seen to be believed. Glasgow gaming landmark R-Cade will also be in attendance with 16-bit horror arcade games to stir nightmares and nostalgia alike.
Or, if you’re more interested in behind the scenes action, movie makeup pro Taarna Swanson has a few tricks up her sleeve: her demo panel will have you creating gore in your own home, and best of all, nobody gets hurt. Movie monsters from creature-flicks Creep and Wendigo will also be on the prowl, answering questions, posing for pictures, and doing what monsters do best.
There’s also a chance to get up close and personal with the people behind Scotland’s own horror scene: actor Mark Paul Wake and directors Simon Pearce and Grant McPhee will be on the Glasgow Horror Fest panel to answer questions. If that sounds too tame, Roxy Sparks is on hand with a burlesque show the likes of which you probably haven’t seen before.
Glasgow Horror Fest is topping their excitement-packed programme with a market full of local artists’ creations, including books and comics, to take the horror home with you.
Glasgow Horror Fest runs from Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 October in The Classic Grand.
More information can be found here.
Tickets can be bought here. Use discount code “STUDENTTENOFF” for 10% discount.
