The first edition of Celluloid Screams took place at the Showroom Cinema from 23rd to 25th October 2009. Inspired by visits to genre festivals both in the UK and abroad, festival founder Rob Nevitt curated the first ever Celluloid Screams lineup based on three key areas: the most interesting and exciting new horror feature films, a programme of astonishing short films from the best new genre filmmakers, and a selection of horror classics that remind us why we fell in love with the horror genre in the first place. Armed with a belief that Sheffield audiences had an appetite for horror beyond the mainstream fright flicks on general release at the multiplexes, with the support of the Showroom Cinema (including then-Creative Director Bill Lawrence) Rob set about making Celluloid Screams Horror Film Festival a reality.

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Celluloid Screams' first ever opening film was Joel Anderson's wonderful found-footage chiller LAKE MUNGO, which went on to win the inaugural award for best feature film. Our opening night continued with a very special screening of Lucio Fulci's epic gut-muncher ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS, accompanied by star of the film Ian McCulloch, who joined us as our first ever guest of honour. Ian was a genuine delight, regaling us with anecdotes of working with Fulci, as well as chatting and signing autographs for fans after the screening.  The opening night of Celluloid Screams 2009 was rounded out with Michael Dougherty's love letter to Halloween TRICK 'R TREAT.

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Saturday kicked off with Australian psycho thriller COFFIN ROCK, followed by the first of our classic selections. Screened from a 35mm archive print and introduced by genre expert and long-time friend of the festival Shelley O'Brien, Bigas Luna's ANGUISH was an obvious choice for a horror festival crowd.

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Next up was another change of pace with Tak Sakaguchi's YOROI: SAMURAI ZOMBIE, a gloriously gory Japanese splatter movie, the kind of which were a staple in the early years of the festival, followed by Glenn McQuaid's I SELL THE DEAD.

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The Celluloid Screams secret film was next, a tradition that has remained at the festival to date. The Celluloid Screams audience was among the first to witness the horror phenomenon that requires no introduction: Oren Peli's PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, our first ever Celluloid Screams secret film.

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Among the short film talent selected for our 2009 edition, there are several filmmakers who would go on to become a staple presence in festivals to come, including Richard Bates Jr. with EXCISION and Ryan Spindell with KIRKSDALE. And who could forget the winning short film of 2009, Andy Muschietti's MAMA, which was later expanded to feature-length before its director went on to tackle a certain Stephen King adaptation?

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The festival continued with the UK Premiere of Robert A Masciantonio's home invasion shocker NEIGHBOR and we were joined by producer Charles Smith III for a post-film Q&A. Day two came to an end with a rare 35mm screening of Juan Piquer Simón's trash-epic slasher PIECES at midnight.

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The final day of Celluloid Screams 2009 kicked off with a lunchtime 35mm screening of THE BURNING, followed by more Japanese mayhem with VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL, Ti West's retro creepfest THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and our closing gala for 2009, Paul Solet's cautionary tale of parenthood gone very wrong, GRACE. 

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With a respectable amount of tickets sold and a first edition under our belts, work began on Celluloid Screams 2010...

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CELLULOID SCREAMS 2009 - FULL PROGRAMME

FEATURE FILMS

LAKE MUNGO  | Director: Joel Anderson  | Australia  |  2008
ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS  | Director: Lucio Fulci  | Italy  |  1979  (with special guest Ian McCulloch)
TRICK 'R TREAT  |  Director: Michael Dougherty |  USA  |  2007

COFFIN ROCK  |  Director: Rupert Glasson  |  Australia/United Kingdom/New Zealand  |  2009

ANGUISH  | Director: Bigas Luna  |  Spain  |  1987  (35mm archive screening)
YOROI: SAMURAI ZOMBIE 
I SELL THE DEAD
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (Secret Film)

NEIGHBOR (UK Premiere)
PIECES (35mm archive screening)
THE BURNING (35mm archive screening)

VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
GRACE

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SHORT FILMS

RITE
FULL EMPLOYMENT
HOW MY DAD KILLED DRACULA
FALLOW
BROTHER'S KEEPER

DON'T LOSE HEART
MAMA
I LIVE IN THE WOODS
THE SHORT FILMS OF RODRIGO GUDINO - THE EYES OF EDWARD JAMES, THE DEMONOLOGY OF DESIRE, FACTS IN THE CASE OF MISTER HOLLOW
THE GYNAECOLOGIST
FAR OUT
KIRKSDALE
DELANEY
EXCISION
INSIDE

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