Kirkstall Abbey is set to team up with cinema installation specialists Sneaky Experience to present a trio of terrifying evenings over this Halloween weekend. The ruined Cistercian monastery will host The Exorcist, John Carpenter’s Halloween and the seminal Blair Witch Project in three consecutive evenings, allowing horror-lovers to observe these cinema classics in an appropriately chilling setting. The events intend to champion the idea of a cinematic experience, with organisers promising “more than just a film” and asking perspective visitors to anticipate “interactive craziness” in the form of fancy dress and a ghost walks telling tales of the grounds which date back over eight hundred years.

The carefully plucked selection of films range widely; from what is often considered to be the greatest supernatural thriller of all time, through to the only film truly synonymous with the celebrated day and finishing with a marker of contemporary, independent filmmaking. These horror benchmarks punctured only briefly, yet nonetheless considerately by Sunday’s matinee screening of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. for which the pre-movie activities begin at 11am, trading the haunting tales of the grounds former years for a family-friendly treasure hunt and a chance to bob for apples. Cinema-goers are encouraged to dress up for the evening events, which start from 6.30pm and represent an exciting, alternative way to spend your Halloween.

The Exorcist shows at 6.30pm on the 31st October
Halloween shows at 6.30pm on the 1st November
Monsters Inc. shows at 1.00pm on the 2nd November
The Blair Witch Project shows at 6.30pm on the 2nd November

Sam Broadley