saturday night and sunday morning…
And I’m back in the land of the living on top form, after a hugely enjoyable ten hour stretch of monsters, zombies, general mayhem and all other permutations of on-screen carnage at Leeds International Film Festival’s Night of the Dead XI last Saturday. Even the fully anticipated backache has almost gone already – yay!
I was also fortunate enough to begin my night out with dinner in the (enviably tall and blonde) company of the lovely Amanda fae Inverness, who was visiting York (requests for a London visit have been passed on) and a couple of very enjoyable hours of dinner-and-gossip later I (short, dark, annoyed-looking) made my hasty way back to the railway station for an amble through the wilds of North Yorkshire in pitch darkness en route to Burley Park and the nearby Hyde Park Picture House, where I have not been in years (and bar a bit of a tart-up it hasn’t changed a bit, thankfully).
A visit to the 24 hour Sainsbury’s Local opposite for extra supplies to add to the brought-from-home pack up of chocolate digestives and Ribena, plus half hour or so of queuing later and I was comfortably (for the time being at least) ensconced, boots off and biscuits in hand, by quarter to midnight or so amongst a packed house of fellow horror fans, and am proud to report that bar some unavoidable minor napping around the 5am mark (which infuriatingly meant I missed a bit of Blind Alley, a brand new Spanish flick that we were privileged to be only the second audience in the world to see in it’s finished form) I made it through the entire event without flagging and eventually staggered back in the house shortly after half past twelve on Sunday lunchtime. There followed a very enjoyable pyjama-clad afternoon of sleeping on the settee in front of the X Factor repeat, lots of tea and a huge Chinese takeaway before bedtime; solemn apologies to everyone who’s only just had their emails answered today but as many will know, answering work correspondence when you’re not entirely compos mentis is rarely a good idea, let alone when you’ve spent a good portion of the preceding twelve hours watching innocent bystanders being splat-tastically rent asunder in imaginative ways by the Risen Undead. And that was just on the walk to the cinema (badumtish). Sorry.
A look at the night’s opening short film is below for anybody who wants to join in a bit, and also because it nearly made a popcorn come out of my nose (it isn’t graphic but there is sound, and the sound is important*). The follow up event Day of the Dead 5 (promising even more zombies including Cuban ones – woohoo) is next Saturday, and I am keenly awaiting it already – needless to say my last day of Scarborough availability prior to my Isle of Man/Jersey visits next week will be Friday. And anyone who’s also going, feel free to drop me a text once you’re in and if I get it I may even share my digestives.
More later in the week. To Jersey folks in particular, availability is going fast – London is also filling up quick. Christmas hours will be posted up directly, but in the meantime (as ever), just mail! And maybe while you’re online, find a local independent cinema to go and watch a film in one night (the film doesn’t have to come with a body count, although if it does so much the better and you might get a decent cup of tea). Back soon…
*For anyone disappointed at the distinct lack of zombies, scattered vital organs and semi-naked screaming laydeez, my other favourite short of the evening ‘Brutal Relax’ can be found here. Hahahahaha.
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