Was your childhood traumatised by Worzel Gummidge, Doctor Who and Day of the Triffids?
The children who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s were placed in the unenviable position of being scared by virtually everything. In this show, Liverpool writers Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence – the men behind the superb Scarred For Life books – will be giving a hilarious talk about the TV, films, music, comics, board games, books, adverts and crisps (no, really) that blighted all of our childhoods. All accompanied by a slide show of some of their most potent childhood fears!
And, afterwards, there’ll be a Q&A and discussion – so feel free to chip in with your own memories of retro childhood trauma!
Stephen and Dave’s incredible book Scarred For Life Volume One: The 1970s was published in 2017, with Volume Two: Television in the 1980s following in 2020 and Volume Three: Pop Culture in the Shadow of the Bomb in 2024. They are, essentially, gigantic compendiums of everything that terrified a generation of British kids during these extraordinary decades… from appallingly graphic kids’ TV to violent comics (and Monster Fun), post-apocalyptic cinema, shocking sitcoms and a boom in paranormal news coverage!
The evening will be hosted by Fortean Times writer Bob Fischer, who spent the entirety of 1978 convinced that his family dog had rabies after glimpsing an appallingly irresponsible poster next to the headmaster’s office door in his primary school reception. So come and join us for the ultimate celebration of vintage terror! You are – of course – at liberty to watch from behind your fingers, although sadly we’re unable to provide a sofa to hide behind.
Join us in celebrating the work of new and established filmmakers from across the globe.
This year’s Blackpool Film Festival Short Film Competition saw over 120 submissions from across the globe, including films from Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Malaysia, North Macedonia, Iran and Canada, as well as the UK and many more countries.
Join us in celebrating the work of fantastic young filmmakers from across the globe.
Open internationally to filmmakers under the age of 25, this year’s Blackpool Film Festival Young Filmmakers Competition was inundated with an abundance of fantastic entries from all over the world.
Opening the 2024 Blackpool Film Festival in style, join us for this dazzling new 4K restoration of Charles Vidor’s film noir classic, Gilda.
Set amongst a backdrop of smoky casinos in post-war Buenos Aries, follow charming gambler Johnny as he becomes entangled with the mystifying Gilda, a stunning nightclub singer and the estranged wife of his ruthless boss, Ballin Mundson. As tensions rise, Johnny’s obsession with Gilda deepens, revealing her mysterious past.
Starring the radiant Rita Hayworth in her most iconic role, Gilda captures the intense unfolding of this tumultuous love triangle, exploring themes of love, jealousy and betrayal through its classic film noir style.
Since 2014, the Blackpool Film Festival has provided a platform for cinema programmed and co-produced with the artists and creative communities of the Fylde Coast.
