Paracinema 2025 Schedule - at a glance
Friday 2nd May
6pm
Gazer (Dir. Ryan J Sloan)
2024, 116 mins
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Frankie, a young mother with dyschronometria, struggles to perceive time. Using cassette tapes for guidance, she takes a risky job from a mysterious woman to support her family, unaware of the dark consequences that await.
8:15pm
The Dark Crusader (Dir. Vincent Gargiulo, USA)
2025, 90 mins
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Stockton superhero The Dark Crusader must battle his ego while watching his girlfriend, Ratwoman, achieve major stardom. Can he get his life on track or will he be doomed to work at the amusement park and perform at open mic night forever? Director and star Vincent Gargiulo will be joining us for the event over the weekend too!
10pm
Night of Death (Dir. Rapael Delpard, France)
1980, 95 mins
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A nurse at a secluded care home becomes suspicious when her colleague disappears in this French horror thriller, lovingly restored in this new edition by Nucleus Films. French with English Subtitles.
Screening supported by Nucleus Films
Saturday 3rd May
12pm
A Final Exorcism (Dir. Sam Mason Bell, UK)
2025, 71 mins
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Anne, believing herself possessed, requests an exorcism, with her two children by her side. On the third night, Father Stone, begins to doubt the family's intentions. Is Anne truly possessed, or are her children deceiving him?
2:00pm
Talk – How ITC Entertained the World
45 mins approx
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Lew Grade’s ITC (Incorporated Television Company) lit up small screens in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s with a number of exciting action-adventure series (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Saint, The Prisoner, Department S, Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased), The Persuaders!) that rivalled the American model of production, often topping them in exuberance, style and panache. Join Jaz Wiseman as he talks about the history of the company and their productions and shares with us his considerable ITC archive, featuring the art and design of this famous British company. Expect rare marketing art and sales designs, as well as some well known and alternative-version credit sequences. Co-hosted by Dick Fiddy, the BFI’s TV historian.
3:00pm
ITC Screenings - The Prisoner / Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) (PG)
90 mins approx
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A double header of two key ITC shows gracing the big screen in all their glory.
We start with the first episode of the classic series from Patrick McGoohan as the eponymous Prisoner in "Arrival". First screened in 1967, this series has gone on to be a huge influence on television and filmmakers. This debut episode sees the newly named Number Six arrive in a very strange village / prison, but quickly he finds a possible escape. Directed by Don Chaffey (Jason And The Argonauts).
Then we follow that dystopian slice of 60s pop culture with a detective show with a twist. Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) follows the investigations of Randall (Mike Pratt) and his partner, the very much dead, Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope). This episode "But What A Sweet Little Room" sees our duo faced with a fake medium robbing middle aged widows. This don't go to plan when Marty materialising in front of her and she gets her first experience of a real ghost!! Directed by Roy Ward Baker (Quatermass And The Pit).
4:45pm
Talk: The Female Vampire
45 mins approx
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Sink your teeth into the captivating history of female vampires on screen in this talk exploring the evolution of this myth, all the way from the silent film era, exploitation cinema and contemporary representations, uncovering female vampire’s power, allure, and cultural impact. Presented by Clelia McElroy, director of Monstrous Flesh.
Talk supported by Dracula Returns to Derby
5:45pm
Razor Blade Smile (Dir. Jake West, UK)
1998, 102 mins (followed by Q+A)
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Lilith Silver is a contract killer with an unusual past - 150 years ago she had been mortally wounded in a duel, but was saved from death by being transformed into a vampire. Nowadays she kills on behalf of Platinum, her boss and lover. We’ll be joined by director Jake West for a Q+A about the film on the day.
Screening supported by Dracula Returns to Derby
8:30pm
Phantom of the Paradise (Dir. Brian De Palma, USA)
1974, 91 mins
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A disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise. Presented by Cult Film Club.
Sunday 4th May
12pm
Exorcismo (Dir. Alberto Sedano, Spain)
2024, 123 mins
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Under the Franco dictatorship, Spain’s rigid censorship laws had repressed any form of sexuality outside of Catholic marriage. But following Franco’s death and the consolidation of democracy, ‘Clasificada S’ films – restricted to those over 18 years old – embodied a period in Spanish history when sex went from being a sin to becoming a cinematic expression of political freedom. This documentary explores the eye-opening history behind Clasificada S, and the distinctive shockers that subverted the values of the former dictatorship. Some sections in Spanish with English subtitles.
2:30pm
Life's a Bitch (Dir. Xavier Seron, Belgium)
2023,88 mins
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To make Cecile happy, Tom accepts to adopt his dead neighbor's Chihuahua. Actress Greta is broken down. Her dog and her assistant are killed by a bus. Franck and Lola fall in love at first sight. French with English subtitles.
4:30pm
Shorts Showcase (Various directors)
90 mins
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Join us for our latest short film showcase, where we’ll be presenting folk horror, vampires, the nightmares of parenthood, an AI recycling bin and a western quite unlike anything you will have seen before…
Benji (6 mins)
Bloody Fury (23 mins)
Dormant (8 mins)
The Hollow of The Three Hills (12 mins)
Red Sky at Night (19 mins)
Sleepeater (18 mins)
6:30pm
Chainsaws Were Singing (Dir. Sander Maran, Estonia)
2024, 117 mins
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"Adventures await when new lovers are separated by a chainsaw killer."
Chainsaws Were Singing is an absolutely bonkers action-horror-musical-comedy B-movie epic from Estonia. Shot guerilla style in 2013, this true love letter to crowd-pleasing exploitation cinema then spent a modest 10 years in postproduction and is finally out in 2024! Estonian with English subtitles.
Monday 5th May
12:00pm
Doctor Cerebro (Dir. Pablo Pares, Argentina)
2024, 84 mins
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A group of revolutionaries in the Neo-Mendoza of 2037 undertakes a dangerous journey through the Andes mountain range to save the last Artificial Intelligence on the planet. Spanish with English subtitles.
Screening supported by Black Mandala
2pm
My Imaginary Life for Someone (Dirs. Molly Wurwand and Ryan McGlade, USA)
2024, 76 mins
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An uncanny tour through a labyrinth of mysteriously linked Los Angeles McMansions circa Y2K provides a dreamlike glimpse into the lives of five unique women who live behind the front gates.
4pm
1978 (Dir. Nicolás Onetti & Luciano Onetti, Argentina)
2024, 76 mins
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During the 1978 World Cup final between Argentina and Holland, in times of military dictatorship, a group of torturers violently breaks into a home and kidnaps a group of young people to take them to a clandestine detention centre. What begins as an inhumane interrogation turns into a true martyrdom: the wrong group of people have been kidnapped. They turn out to be part of a macabre cult guided by an unknown supernatural force, and this authoritarian nightmare is about to become Hell itself… Spanish with English subtitles.
Screening supported by Black Mandala
6pm
The Surfer (Dir. Lorcan Finnegan)
2024, 99 mins
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Humiliated in front of his son by surf gang the Bay Boys, an unnamed man’s life slowly unravels as he is drawn into an escalating conflict that tests his sanity and identity. Set against the backdrop of a coastal idyl and featuring a hypnotic, pulsating score, an impressive Nicholas Cage and exceptional cast delight in this sprightly paced, trippy thriller that nods to Australian New Wave cinema. From the director of Vivarium (2019).