“Fanomenon is the genre section of the film festival offering a unique combination of great fantasy cinema experiences, both light and dark, that cannot be found together anywhere else on the planet.

The Méliès d’Argent competition sees an eclectic mix of features and shorts from every corner of Europe including terrifying happenings in the alps of Switzerland (Sennentuntschi) and the arthouse cinemas of France (The Last Screening). We have 70s B-movie from Indonesia (Mystics of Bali) and perhaps the earliest Japanese horror (Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen) while the USA gives us the highly anticipated prequel to John Carpenter’s classic The Thing.

Our renowned horror marathons Night of the Dead XI and Day of the Dead 5 are back in all their terrifying glory this year with the chance to experience much-anticipated UK premieres from movie monster wrestling in Monster Brawl to creative zombie slaying and sharp comedy with Juan of the Dead: Cuba’s first zombie movie and first independent film in 50 years.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary this year the Film Festival is bringing James Cameron’s sci-fi horror classic Aliens to the Town Hall’s giant screen in glorious high definition, along with a programme of sci-fi classics including the most influential films in the genre the way they were always meant to be seen.

Fanomenon mini-season, Planet Japan, celebrates the fact that Japan does cult cinema like no other nation with some of the wildest mind-blowing fantasy film sensations yet made: UK Premieres of Karate-Robo Zaborgar and Katsuhito Ishii’s Smuggler, Milocrorze: A Love Story – a film only the Japanese could conjure up, the latest horror sensation, Yakuza Weapon, Sion Sono’s director’s cut of his sex crime epic Guilty of Romance and the sublime Symbol.”

For full film programme and to book visit the website