Manchester is pulling out all the stops for Halloween this year. Choose from haunted houses (Nightmare Emporium at Victoria Warehouse) to spooky plays (Polaris at the Lowry), free film screenings (Sightseers at 70 Oxford Street), pumpkin carving and even flower arranging at an interactive screening of Little Shop of Horrors.
DRESS UP: Day of the Dead at Islington Mill
The Mill’s big do is themed around the macabre Mexican holiday, so be sure to dress appropriately. An Afro-tropical funk band from Snowdonia (where else?) will provide the entertainment. Like the sound of this? Read our Halloween club & gig guide here.
Sat 29 Oct, Islington Mill, 1 James Street, Salford, M3 5HW, Tel: 0161 278 6404, 7.00pm – 3.00am, £10, www.islingtonmill.com
HORROR FILM: The Birds screening and brew tap at Track Brewing Company
An arch under Piccadilly Station is an appropriately spooky venue in which to enjoy Hitchcock’s avian chiller. You can steady your nerves with craft beer from the bar.
Fri 28 Oct, Track Brewing Co., 5 Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2ND, Tel: 0161 273 4832, 7.00pm, FREE entry, www.facebook.com
HAUNTED HOUSE FOR GROWN UPS: Nightmare Emporium at Victoria Warehouse
If you want Halloween event with some visceral scares, you could risk a visit to this immersive haunted house for grownups. Check out the trailer so you know what you’re getting yourself in for.
Fri 14 Oct – Mon 31 Oct, Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1AB, Tel: 0161 660 7000, 7.30pm – 10.30pm (various timeslots), £18, http://victoriawarehouse.com/whats-on-manchester/
CULT FILM FOR FREE: Free screening of Sightseers at 70 Oxford Street
The third film from British director Ben Wheatley is a dark comedy about a couple whose camping trip goes horribly wrong. The event is part of the Gothic Manchester Festival.
Sat 22 Oct, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5NH, 6.00pm, FREE, www.eventbrite.com
THEATRICAL CHILLS: Polaris at The Lowry
This creepy play is based on a short story by the horror maestro H.P. Lovecraft. In a Louisiana swamp in 1920, a man disturbed by recent events and too afraid to sleep begins to relive his nightmare.
Mon 31 Oct, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, Tel: 0843 208 6000, 8.00pm, £10 – £12, www.thelowry.com
SCIENCE DEBATE: Frankenstein 2.0 – Debate at the Portico Library
Thanks to modern science, Mary Shelley’s vision of creating new life might be close to reality. This debate will centre on the moral implications of new medicine, nanotechnology, and the philosophy of life.
Sat 29 Oct, Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HY, Tel: 0161 236 6785, 3.00pm – 5.00pm, £7/£6 (conc.), www.theportico.org.uk
(UN) REALITY TV: Ghostwatch screening and fundraiser at Islington Mill
Much like Orson Welles’ take on ‘War of the Worlds’, this BBC TV movie from 1992 caused panic when it was first shown. Many viewers thought they were watching a live broadcast from a haunted house, but little did they know it was all a hoax… and a very scary one at that.
Sun 30 Oct, Islington Mill, 1 James Street, Salford, M3 5HW, Tel: 0161 278 6404, 7.00pm – 11.00pm, £5 donation, www.islingtonmill.com
SING ALONG: Ultimate Power presents: Bat Out of Helloween Party at The Ritz
This club night is all about cheesy music, especially the oeuvre of the portly power-balladeer Meat Loaf.
Fri 28 Oct, The Ritz, Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ, Tel: 0161 714 4140, 10.30pm – 3.30am, £9, www.ultimatepowerclub.com
FLOWER ARRANGING WITH A DIFFERENCE: Flower-arrange-a-long Little Shop of Horrors at Texture
Now you can enjoy Frank Oz’s classic dark comedy in a whole new way. Join in with the 50s style doo-wop songs, and do and have a go at some topiary courtesy of FROG Flowers.
Sat 12 Nov, Texture, 67 Lever Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 1FL, 3.30pm, £8, www.skiddle.com
PLAY WITH KNIVES: Pumpkin carving competition at Ziferblat
The Northern Quarter’s pay-for-your-stay café is hosting something a little more artistic. The winner will receive 10 free hours of ‘coffee and cake’ time at the venue.
Sat 29 Oct – Mon 31 Oct, 23 Edge Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1HW, Tel: 07714 468257, 8.00am – 10.00pm, £3 to enter, www.ziferblat.co.uk
- Words:
- A. James Simpkin
- Published on:
- Fri 28 Oct 2016
