PROGRESS REPORT No. 1

OUR NEW VENUE IS THE MANCHESTER CONFERENCE CENTRE AND HOTEL

The Manchester Conference Centre and Hotel is set in The Weston Building, Sackville Street, Manchester.

Apart from a 3 star hotel the building has major conference facilities including the Weston Theatre, The Manchester Evening News Theatre and the Weston Room. All of which we will using for our Festival.

The Weston Theatre is a 300 seat cinema, and The Manchester Evening News Theatre is a 130 seat cinema, both with comfortable raked seating.
The Weston Room is a an 80 seat room.
All of of these are bigger and better than we have had at previous conventions.

We have negotiated a special bed and English breakfast rate with the hotel of £45 per person for single and £75 for double rooms.
The hotel boasts an award winning restaurant, bars and plenty of space to just sit around talking and drinking into the night.
The availability of double rooms at the Weston is strictly limited, therefore we have negotiated with the Ibis Hotel, virtualy next door, a rate of £48.95 per room, including Continental breakfasts - all rooms at the Ibis are twin rooms.

GUESTS OF HONOUR

We have invited the great American character actor Dick Miller, who has appeared in numerous fantastic films. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, Richard "Dick" Miller served in the U.S. Navy for a few years and earned a prize title as a middleweight boxer.
He settled in Los Angeles in the mid 1950's where he was noticed by Roger Corman who cast him in most of his low budget horror films where he usually played unlikeable sorts beginning as a vacuum cleaner salesman in NOT OF THIS EARTH. But his most memorable role is in a rare starring role, playing the mentally unstable, beatnik artist Walter Paisley, whose clay sculptures are suspiciously lifelike in A BUCKET OF BLOOD. But he is best remembered for a supporting role as the flower-eating Burson Fouch in Corman's THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. He then spent the next 20 years working in Roger Corman productions, and starting in the late 1970's Joe Dante movies, appearing in credited and uncredited walk-on bits playing quirky chatterboxes which he stole every scene he appeared in. His role of Walter Paisley has been repeated many times such as a diner owner (TWILIGHT ZONE-THE MOVIE) or a janitor (CHOPPING MALL). One of his best bits is the funny occult bookshop owner in THE HOWLING. Being short (so he never played a romantic lead or a threatening villain), with wavy hair, long sideburns, a pointed nose, and a face as trustful as a used-car dealer's, he was, and still is to this day, an immediately recognizable character actor whose one-scene appearances in countless movies and TV shows guarantee audience applause.

Also invited is Tudor Gates writer of such great screenplays as THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE and TWINS OF EVIL.

Just confirmed is actress Madeline Smith, whose credits include FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL and THE VAMPIRE LOVERS.

Also invited is actress Yvonne Monlaur who starred in such films as Hammer's THE BRIDES OF DRACULA and THE TERROR OF THE TONGS.

All guests are subject to confirmation and work commitments.

Watch our website for the latest updates. More news in PR2.

RETROSPECTIVE SECTION.

Last year, this section attracted some of our largest audiences and so we are very pleased to announce that Gerald Price will again be presenting items chosen from a lifetime of collecting horror, fantasy and science fiction films. As usual, he will be more than ably assisted by Tony Meadows and they have let it be known they would be happy to continue screening into the early hours, subject to suitable bribes of beer etc. being offered.

In compiling the programme, Gerald has selected groups of films representing a number of different themes. As far as possible he has tried to avoid those titles which are readily available on video or DVD or which turn up regularly on Sky television. However, if this does happen he will always have more than enough substitutes.

To welcome convention members on the Friday afternoon at 4pm. he will be showing the feature length version of one of Republic's most famous serials: KING OF THE ROCKET MEN starring the wonderfully named Tristram Coffin .... no doubt Adrian James will be in the audience for this one.

In the evening we will be taking a look at a number of films from popular series of the 1940's. Many of them often displayed a leaning towards gothic horror. The Sherlock Holmes series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were particularly strong in that respect. THE SCARLET CLAW evoked a strong sense of foreboding by being set in fog shrouded marshland and THE PEARL OF DEATH feature the first appearance of Rondo Hatton as The Hoxton Creeper. Our examples are going to be SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SPIDER WOMAN featuring the screen's best villianess: Gale Sondergaard.

Over at 20th Century Fox they were putting out 2 or 3 Charlie Chan movies every year. CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT picked up on the mummy theme and CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS had J. Carrol Naish in a gorilla suit picking off his victims. Our choice will be CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM.

In the meantime R.K.O. were providing us with their Dick Tracey series. We will be showing DICK TRACEY MEETS GRUESOME wherin our supersleuth comes up against none other than Boris Karloff as a mad scientist (what else) who has discovered a way to freeze time and motion.

For our late show, starting at 11.30pm, a true classic frightener. We have been able to get a new copy of the Paramount ghost story THE UNINVITED. Don't miss this one.

On the Saturday morning we are going to see how gimmicks are used to add an extra dimension to horror stories. The examples shown will be MY WORLD DIES SCREAMING and CHAMBER OF HORRORS, with William Castle's MR SARDONICUS held in reserve.

We're off to the planets on Saturday at 4pm starting with the delirious CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON starring Marie Windsor (who could give Gale Sondergaard a run for her money). Victor Jory and Sonny Tufts whose name in cast lists always seems to provoke uncontrollable hysteria. Afterwards we will join Rod Taylor in WORLD WITHOUT END for a forerunner to THE TIME MACHINE. A new Technicolor print is being made available.

From 8pm until midnight we will be examining the contribution of Columbia Studios to the horror cycle. Though not a major player like Universal or Warner, they gave employment to a number of good directors who lent class and respectability to subjects which might otherwise be regarded as run of the mill. We will be looking at three films, each featuring a major star of the genre: THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK starring Peter Lorre and directed by Robert Florey, RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE starring Bela Lugosi and directed by Lew Landers and THE DEVIL COMMANDS starring Boris Karloff and directed by Edward Dmytryk.

On the Sunday morning, Gerald will be introducing a special presentation which will include previously unseen items, banned items and various oddities. The last half hour will be a session devoted to collecting memorabilia. If you have anything that you want valued - film posters, promotional items etc. bring it along and we will do our best and perhaps make you an offer you can't refuse.

On Sunday afternoon we are going to screen a rarely seen classic by one of the acknowledged masters of the genre: Fritz Lang. His METROPOLIS was the greatest of all the silent science ficton epics. He then directed the superb M which stared Peter Lorre on a career of screen villiany and in 1932 he produced his masterpiece THE TESTAMENT OF DR MABUSE in which an arch criminal attempts to control the world from within the confines of an insane asylum.

We say goodbye to this year's Festival with a special compilation: THE HORROR OF IT ALL in which extracts from classic horror films such as NIGHT OF THE DEMON, BLACK SUNDAY, THE BAT WHISPERS, etc. will be commented on by Roger Corman, Herman Cohen, Curtis Harrington and Robert Bloch.

"In every horror film there is a door, and behind that door is that which we fear the most. In the best horror films that door is opened for us. We glimpse the horror and we are able to confront it."

MODERN AND NEW FILMS

The more modern and new film programme will be announced nearer the Festival dates.
If you have any suggestions for films you would like us to get, ring or E-Mail Tony Edwards at the usual address
Tel: 0161 707 3747 E-Mail: [email protected]

REGISTRATION INFO

For a Registration Booking Form click on MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION on the main page, then click on MEMBERSHIP FORM YOU CAN PRINT AND MAIL.
Registration for the full Festival is £70, which entitles you to all Progress Reports, Programme Booklet, Badge and Attendance to any of the events and films of your choice over all three days of the Festival
Supporting Membership is available at £30 and entitles you to attendance at any of the events or films on any single day of the Festival, you must specify which day you wish to attend. You can upgrade to FULL membership at any time up to August 15th 2004 by paying the difference in the two rates.
Children: Full Membership is £20 up to age 12 and £30 up to age 16.

INDEPENDENT MOVIES

We will be having our usual Independent Movie Competition,
Among those so far received are
Pope Leo Elecrocutes An Elephant. Domination, rather than relationship or mutuality, characterises Western Civilization. 3000 years ago, the Book of Genesis announced human " Dominion over living things which creep on Earth
London Voodoo. He's a young man that wants the best for his family. But when a spirit possesses his wife, we are reminded that true love must be fought for and won.
For an entry form visit our website www.fantastic-films.com or contact Gil Lane-Young on 0161 929 1423 or write to him at Penrose, 21, Winton Road, Bowden, Cheshire. WA14 2PE.

ALL WINNERS SHOWCASE

It is 10 years since we started the Independent Movie Competition, and to celebrate this we will be having an All Winners Showcase of winners from previous years.
Among them are
I Am Peter Cushing.
House Taken Over.
Le Rat.
Le Derniere Reve.
Succubus.
Domino.
King of the Magicians.
Timmy's Wish.

AMATEUR FILM CONTEST

The Amateur Film Contest will take place on the Saturday of the Festival.
For an entry form visit our website www.fantastic-films.com or contact Gil Lane-Young on 0161 929 1423, or write to him at Penrose, 21, Winton Road, Bowden, Cheshire. WA14 2PE.

AUCTION

Ramsey Campbell's auction performance has once again been nominated for three BAFTA's and an OSCAR, but we need you to find some items to donate to ensure this years auction is at least as good as previous years.
Your generosity is required to bring along some items for Ramsey to get his teeth into and auction for amazingly high prices to help fund the weekend.
This year we are looking for really GOOD people, as we are cheeky enough to ask that all auction items are donated to the Festival outright, We really do need to raise extra funds this year to cover costs.
Please write, email or telephone Gil Lane-Young with details of any material you can spare for this years auction. Gil is on 0161 929 1423, his email is [email protected], and if you want to put pen to paper, you can write to Gil at Penrose, 21, Winton Road, Bowden, Cheshire. WA14 2PE.

DEALERS ROOM

Phil Nevitski will once again be organising the Dealers Room on the Saturday of the Festival.
To book tables contact Phil on 0161 228 2947.
For an entry form visit our website www.fantastic-films.com or contact Gil Lane-Young on 0161 929 1423 or write to him at Penrose, 21, Winton Road, Bowden, Cheshire. WA14 2PE.

THE GREAT FANTASTIC FILMS QUIZ

Once again on the Sunday night we will be having The Great Fantastic Films Quiz.
So sort your teams out, and win some great prizes.