our shows ...
The London Horror Festival 2017 ran at the Old Red Lion Theatre from Sunday 15th October - Saturday 4th November and received multiple ★★★★★ reviews.
To audiences delight, the LHF 2017 offered a mix of theatre, puppetry, cabaret, spoken word, body horror, clowning and comedy, featuring satanic cults, mummies, zombies, ghosts, vampires and the bodies of Frankenstein!
Please scroll down for the full show listings ...
playwriting competition winner
london horror festival in association with the old red lion theatre
Sunday 15th October, 7pm
The LHF continues to support new writing and provide a platform for emerging talent in the horror theatre scene with their annual playwriting competition. Dozens of entries have been received from across the UK and the winning play will be performed on the opening night in a staged reading directed by ORL Artistic Director, Clive Judd, with an exclusive prize for the winning entry from sponsor Hobgoblin, to celebrate the official launch of the London Horror Festival 2017.
what's the bloody question?
uk horror scene, the london horror society and the lhf
Sunday 15th October, 9:30pm
Take your seats for the kitschest horror panel quiz show in town - What's The Bloody Question? Two teams pit their horror wits against each other in a battle of knowledge, skill, creativity and... well, probably play-doh actually.
Will London Horror Festival curator Katy Danbury beat her dastardly compatriate Chris Nials of The London Horror Society on home turf? Will the mysterious Questionomicon continue to vex our valiant competitors? Will presenter Tony Sands be able to harness the sheer power of the Dice Of Doom? Will The Score Keeper, Damon Rickard have enough fingers to calculate the points?
All will be decided on the day of reckoning. Or as it's sometimes known to mere mortals... Sunday, 15th October at 9:30pm. JOIN US.
THE SHADOW OVER INNsmouth
hidden basement productions
Monday 16th - Wednesday 18th October, 7pm
On a frankly tedious architectural tour of the coastline, Robert Olmstead happens across the ancient seaport of Innsmouth...
What he discovers there will threaten his life, test his will and shatter his sanity.
This two hander featuring original music, puppetry and physical theatre explores the complex and sometimes deadly relationship between man and fish.
‘666/666’ – Horror HotHouse
★★★★ – LondonTheatre1
★★★★.5 - HorrorTalk
the service
faceplant theatre
Monday 16th - Tuesday 17th October, 9:30pm
After years in hiding, the lone surviving siblings of an extreme religious cult are finally ready to tell their story.
Faceplant Theatre brings you a darkly comic, interactive horror; that will have you singing hymns, confessing sins, and consecrating the sacred cabbage.
Welcome, to The Service.
the raven
evcol entertainment
Wednesday 18th - Thursday 19th October, 9:30pm
This Edgar Allan Poe classic tale is a re-working of his original poem, with Lady Elizabeth Woodruff wrestling with melancholic thoughts after losing her lover; a love whose death she questions her own involvement with upon discovering that she and her estranged husband were themselves engaged in a passionate affair.
curse of the mummy
last chance saloon
Thursday 19th - Friday 20th October, 7pm
Saturday 21st October, 3pm
This classic tale is whipped up with mischievous musical mash-ups, outrageous humour and hilarious slapstick comedy. Follow Montana Jones and a love cursed Mummy to Egypt for a frenetic hour of riotous theatre adventure.
★★★★★ - The Theatre News
★★★★★ “clever, sleek and utterly fantastic” - Edinburgh Evening News
“an utter delight” - The List
felix le freak's shockbuster video
pophorror
Friday 20th October, 9:30pm & MIDNIGHT
Friday 27th October, 9:30pm
Welcome to ShockBuster Video, where your dedicated clerk Felix wants you to browse their favourite aisle - Horror...
Revisit iconic horror through their warped mind as they meld classic horror clips with performance and an unexpected narrative. Just make sure you don't get locked in the store overnight….
Join PopHorror DJ on Friday 20th October for an exclusive MIDNIGHT show afterparty until 3am!
the twins macabre: slay
the twins macabre
Saturday 21st October, 7pm
Sunday 22nd October, 9:30pm
As featured on BBC3 and BBC Radio 4, horror-comedy duo The Twins Macabre present ‘Slay’: a dark sketch cabaret. Born and raised in a travelling freak-circus, Maurice and Ivy are the U.K.’s most infamous 10-year-old killers. Dark comedy intertwined with vaudevillian theatrics, ghoulish music and just a touch of gore.
‘Delightfully freaky.’ –The Telegraph
★★★★ ‘If Edgar Allan Poe had tried his hand at stand-up.’ –GrumpyGayCritic
★★★★★ ‘laugh-out-loud funny… delightfully unsettling.’ –LondonPubTheatres
★★★★ ‘a darkly hilarious, nerve-jangling comedy rampage.’ –Broadway Baby
the men who made frankenstein second self
Saturday 21st October, 9:30pm
Sunday 22nd October, 7pm
Would you willingly go to your execution if resurrection was guaranteed?
For the condemned Margaret and Edward the answer was easy. Now they’re trapped in Doctor Frankenstein’s cells, and their debt is due. The payment: healthy flesh!
A grim body horror exploring the origins of Frankenstein’s body bits.
the dead, live
scytheplays, ltd
Sunday 22nd October, 3pm
Eerie, sardonic supernatural drama (“Literally haunting” – Starburst; “A wonderful performance” – Quays News; “Quite terrifying” – Fictionmaker).
Lawrence Dodds is a popular ‘psychic’ medium who knows he’s a fake, but the world of Spirit may have a few shocks in store for him when someone unexpected attends one of his live shows.
“A fine, tense, old-school ghost story” – Grimmfest
scare slam
blackshaw theatre
Monday 23rd October, 7pm
Lovers of scary stories, unite. Adding the fear factor to increasingly popular spoken word nights, storytellers from across the Horrorfest and beyond will share their worst (or should that be best?) nightmares at Blackshaw’s third annual Scare Slam.
Prepare yourself for a night of chilling tales from both sides of the line of veracity.
Come on down for a scare, or, if you’d like to contribute a story, visit Blackshaw Online for info. Listen to previous Scare Slams here.
waking the walking dead
stack ten theatre
Monday 23rd - Wednesday 25th October, 9:30pm
Survivors of the zombie apocalypse take shelter in an abandoned railway station. As the undead close in who will survive, what will be left of them, and who will end up as human hors d’oeuvres?
Stack 10 Theatre return to the London Horror Festival following last year’s The Wicker Hamper with an evening of laughter, blood and the undead.
house of nostril
casual violence
Tuesday 24th - Thursday 26th October, 7pm
Triple award-winning sketch villains and stars of BBC Radio 4 revive their smash hit 2013 Gothic mansion comedy spectacular for THREE NIGHTS ONLY. Expect goblins, muffins and cretins, and your expectations will probably be met. ★★★★★ - The Skinny ★★★★★ - Reviews Hub ★★★★★ - ThreeWeeks ★★★★★ - Latest 7 ★★★★★ - FringeGuru ★★★★★ - Brighton Argus ★★★★★ - Broadway Baby ★ - The Scotsman
“walking into a Casual Violence show is a lot like entering Arkham Asylum” ★★★★ - Fest
all but us
i love this town
Thursday 26th October, 9:30pm
Mariana and Ricky have worked together for a year and cupid is slowly weaving his magic. But tonight Mariana has decided to confess something... a dark and unbelievable secret that she hasn't uttered for a very, very, very long time. But there are some paths you simply shouldn't go down...
“the writing is razor-sharp - 666/666” – Horror HotHouse
“A charming & quirky comedy with a bloody twist of darkness” – Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser 1 & 2, LHF Patron)
the unseen hour
the unseen hour
Friday 27th October, MIDNIGHT
A gruesome death cult threatens to bring about the end of days, and a family is terrorized by ghosts.
Three actors play ten roles and create live radio sound effects in two back-to-back episodes of an absurd horror comedy audio drama, with monologues and music from guest performers.
The Unseen Hour combines surreal comedy with genuinely unsettling horror and sci-fi concepts.
who's there?
the underground clown club & gavin j innes
Friday 27th - Sunday 29th October, 7pm
Vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper; pinch on the arm to make sure it’s just a dream. Shake, shudder, shiver, screech, shriek, SCREAM!!!
Garnish with Celery. Serve chilled.
From the creators of the 2016 London Horror Festival smash hit Knock, Knock.
★★★★★ - “Horror with a quirky comic twist, hilarious” – LondonPubTheatres
knock knock
the underground clown club & gavin j innes
Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th October, 3pm
A beak tapping at a window…
The shadow lurking in your car…
The castle on the hill…
An unexpected visit…
A horrible feeling in your chest…
Knock Knock…
★★★★★ - “Horror with a quirky comic twist, hilarious” – LondonPubTheatres
555/666 – “Genius…Frantically funny, knockabout lunacy” – HorrorHotHouse
“Wonderfully clever” –A Younger Theatre
badd
hermetic arts
Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th October, 9:30pm
The 1980s. America is gripped by Satanic Panic. Attend this meeting of B.A.D.D. (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons) to deliver your children from the clutches of the occult!
A darkly comic presentation on the multitude of Satanic threats hidden in seemingly innocuous everyday objects and media.
“Pam … is one of the fringe’s most memorable creations” – Broadway Baby
“BADD is good for everyone” - FringeGuru
double-bill:
james hamilton is so lonely & james hamilton is so pregnant
james hamilton
Monday 30th October, 7pm & 9:30pm
Triple award-winning sketch comedian (regular writer for Cartoon Network and Disney Channel; creative lead of sketch group Casual Violence) presents two solo shows for the price of one: a revival of his smash hit “James Hamilton Is So Lonely”, and the debut WIP of “James Hamilton Is So Pregnant”.
“One of the most exciting and talented comics on the circuit” – Brighton Argus
mister mushroom
the fallen institute
Tuesday 31st October - Thursday 2nd November, 7pm
Something terrible has transformed Little Spewling into a smoking toxic necropolis. Now, a solitary rider picks their way through the ruined streets, bent on cleaning up this small town once and for all.
But there is a monstrous evil lurking in the darkness - and it grows stronger...
MISTER MUSHROOM is a sickly, shocking, and suspenseful new play from The Fallen Institute, premiering at the London Horror Festival. It depicts a world of desperation and extremity, desolation and horror - a chilling and twisted parable for a nuclear age.
father of lies
Bête Noire Productions
Tuesday 31st October - Thursday 2nd November, 9:30pm
Making a Murderer meets Rosemary's Baby... Father of Lies tells the chilling true story behind a mysterious, unsolved murder in West Germany, 1973. This is a thrilling horror show about haunted priests, jealous widowers and satanic cults.
★★★★ - The Wee Review
★★★★ “a thought-provoking, disturbing and fascinating hour” - Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
the stomaching
red cape black cape theatre
Friday 3rd - Saturday 4th November, 7pm
St. Oswald’s Clinic, 1969. Human trials of a new drug are underway, promising to cure patients of their deepest, most crippling fears and trauma.
But the experiments mask a hideous truth. There's sickness in the clinic, madness in the medicine, and a despicable plot edging towards climax. Hell has never been so groovy.
gated community
handheld arts
Friday 3rd - Saturday 4th November, 9:30pm
“Where one house once stood, there now stands eight.
A whole new neighbourhood, secured behind a gate.”
Handheld Arts will buzz you in and show you around eight twisted cautionary tales filled with fun, filmic shadow puppetry and amusing verse. A 'Homes Under the Hammer Horror' presented in portmanteau.
the haunting of blaine manor
tales from paradise heights
Saturday 4th November, 3pm
England, 1953.
Doctor Roy Earle, famous for discrediting fake mediums and hauntings, is invited to attend a seance in Blaine Manor. What is waiting there is not nearly as horrific as what has entered with him…
“highly recommended” – Reviews Hub
“O'Byrne has a flair for the classic ghost story…” - Manchester Theatre Awards
“Pay a visit to Blaine Manor, if you can” – British Theatre Guide
“O’Byrne must have sold his soul to write this one. The full six stars out of five” - Fictionmaker