Brand New Brighton Horrorfest is Launched

For 13 days in October, Sweet Dukebox will become home to a selection of spooky shows and gory goings-on, with the launch of the brand newBrighton Horrorfest.

With shows ranging from macabre storytelling (Cast Iron Halloween Dukeanory: 'The Box'), to dark folk-tales told through puppetry (Three Ribbons - Two Sisters), and modern post-apocalyptic horror (Live Feed), there's something for everyone. There are also interactive events with immersive theatre games such as The Werewolves of Hove, Actually and Horror at Frankenstein Castle.

Another highlight is the award-nominated Nosferatu's Shadow - the story of Max Schreck, the actor behind one of the most iconic movie monsters, who played over 800 roles, but is only remembered for one. Writer and performer Michael Daviot received 5-star reviews for this production at Edinburgh Fringe, and is thrilled to be able to bring it to the inaugural Brighton Horrorfest this year.

Sweet Dukebox is also excited to welcome Gimcrack Productions with their new show Dr Bleak and His Musical Medium - a cabaret extravaganza of clairvoyancy and crossing into the spirit world. Gimcrack are not the only company fascinated by the line between life and death, as popular magicians Griffin & Jones bring back their sold-out Brighton Fringe hit Talking to the Dead, using Victorian séance techniques to mystify their audience.

Brighton Horrorfest is the result of a shared passion between performers and Sweet Venues' managers Mill Goble and JD Henshaw, and a desire to bring great horror-themed shows to the Brighton stage.

Sweet Venues' Mill Goble, said, "It seemed odd to us that this didn't exist already. The London Horror Festival has been going for a fair few years now, and Edinburgh is just in the process of creating one too. Brighton has such a rich history of ghost stories and grisly murder tales, and all the horror-themed shows we have hosted so far have always been well-attended, so it felt like the right time to pull those strands together into a cohesive festival. We hope it will become an annual event and eventually grow to include other venues as well as our own."

Brighton Horrorfest runs 18th-30th October at Sweet Dukebox, The Iron Duke Pub and Hotel, 3 Waterloo Street, Hove, BN3 1AQ. For more info and tickets, visit www.sweetvenues.com