Our week-long horror celebration is back for its fourth year - and with a new name

Step into the world of the unknown with Spooked (formerly Dark Dukes) and our line-up of handpicked selection of horror films, live events, talks, crafts and more sleepless nights.

Delve into our programme of new horror gems, including Guillermo Del Toro’s long-awaited Frankenstein adaptation, the found-footage chiller It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This - which is only available in cinemas, and the bad-taste reboot of The Toxic Avenger. We also have another fantastic lineup of short films with our Sharp Shocks programme. 

Our From the Vaults strand will be celebrating horror history and marking several anniversaries, including the British classics Dead of Night and The Descent.  We also welcome back audience favourites Neil Brand,  Adam Z. Robinson, and the UK’s number-one horror podcast, The Evolution of Horror. For our themed strand, cult films are taking centre stage in celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, one of the most iconic cult films ever made.  Dive into the world of outrageous, bizarre and unsettling hidden gems from around the world.

Not sure what to sink your teeth into? Here are our Head of Cinema, Johnathan Ilott's, Spooked Highlights! 

NEIL BRAND & THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

The highlight of year for me is Neil Brand joining us to score a classic silent film, and this year is taking on the wonderfully atmospheric 1928 adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher. This is a rare chance to catch Jean Epstein’ a fantastic, expressionistic take on Poe’s novel, complete with Brand’s brilliant piano playing.

THE DESCENT

The Descent turns 20 this year and to mark the occasion we’ll be joined by our friends at the Evolution of Horror podcast for a special anniversary screening. A year after a tragic accident, six friends meet for their annual outdoor adventure, and descend into the depths of a Appalachian cave system. Deep in the earth the friends discover strange evidence that they might not be alone down there. Neil Marshall’s film is a taut, claustrophobic chiller , which expertly ratchet ups the tension. After the screening  we’ll be joined the Evolution of Horror team who’ll be discussing the film and its legacy. 

TWILIGHT

Hoa Hoa Hoa Hoa season is officially back. Twilight is, without question, one of the most iconic cult classics. Though you might not have 90 years to wait for your soulmate like Edward Cullen, you might have 435 minutes to watch Twilight alongside New Moon and Eclipse in this mega movie marathon!

SHARP SHOCKS

Our annual programme of short films from British and international emerging talent. This year’s showcase has a decidedly northern feel to it, with brilliant films from Lancashire, Manchester and Liverpool as well as from further afield.

SCARRED FOR LIFE

A self-styled support group for anyone raised on a diet of bizarre children’s TV and disturbing public information films. For the last few years, Stephen Brotherstone and Bob Fischer have been discussing the scariest telly of the 1970s and 80s with theatre audiences, on podcasts and in books, and now they return to The Dukes with a special unscripted conversation sparked by your childhood memories.

DEAD OF NIGHT

A personal favourite of mine, Dead of Night is a rare pre-60s British horror film. Better known of their comedies and wartime dramas, Ealing studios assembled  a team of their most prominent filmmakers for this anthology of haunting stories. Robert Hamer’s uncanny segment The Haunted Mirror, and Alberto Cavalcanti’s The Ventriloquist’s Dummy are standouts, and both still have an unsettling, eerie power. 

WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR

After the success of I Saw the TV Glow at Dark Dukes 2024 we’re revisiting Jane Schoenbrun’s unnerving debut film. In the unnerving World’s Fair, a teenager falls down the rabbit hole of a viral online challenge. The film draws upon creepypasta and internet ephemera, for its strange exploration of isolation and the blurred lines between online and the real world. 

Join us from 28 October to 2 November for Spooked!

See the full programme here: https://info.dukeslancaster.or...