Written by Zoe Crombie

It’s that time of year – the leaves are blood red, there’s a chill in the air, and everyone’s flocking to the latest horror films. But there’s nothing quite like the classics – so come down to this year’s Dark Dukes festival for a celebration of folk horror through the ages. For 2023, our focus is the 50th anniversary of seminal British thriller The Wicker Man, a Christopher Lee laden masterwork that’ll have you never trusting a maypole again – if you’re already a fan of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, also showing this year, then come see the classic that inspired its debauchery in broad daylight.

There’s plenty more where that came from though, with time-honoured horror standards and the latest and greatest releases being celebrated in equal measure. Also from the 1970s, we have The Exorcist, a great choice if you’re looking to wash your hands of its lacklustre sequel from this year, as well as the spectacularly spooky Rocky Horror Picture Show. Looking for something more modern? Then we’ve got Dafoe and Pattinson in The Lighthouse, unsettling apparitions in A24s Talk to Me, and the glorious gorefest that is Evil Dead Rise. We even have some international offerings, including Argentina’s demonic When Evil Lurks and J-Horror nightmare fuel Ringu (introduced by yours truly).

As always, there’s a lot to love at this year’s Dark Dukes festival, and any self-respecting horror fan in the Lancaster area had better beware if they miss it…