We now fast forward to 1988 and Harry, still thirsting for all things film, is taking a course on genre movies at Manchester University. Here he makes the acquaintance of Gil Lane-Young and after a few months they decide to form a film society to show and discuss genre movies. Harry invites his old friend Tony Edwards to be the Treasurer, while the author Ramsey Campbell is asked to take the position of President.
Dave Trengove soon joined the Committee and before long the society began to run regular monthly meetings, mainly held at Sacha’s Hotel in Manchester. [1]
Then in 1990 it was decided to run a one off all night film feast of eight films.
This was such a success that it was decided to organise a 3 day weekend festival in October of that year and so the ‘Festival of Fantastic Films’ was born and has been held every year until the present day. 2020, like so many other annual gatherings was held over due to the Covid pandemic, but will return in 2021. [2 – 8]
It was Harry who persuaded me to attend one of the Manchester festivals. The year was 1995 and I was silently cursing myself for weeks afterwards for not starting my visits ealier, I’d had such a whale of a time. Sasha’s was the venue for that first visit, and I’ve never forgotten standing along side a dishevelled Janette Scott, at 3am in the rain, outside the hotel due to a falty fire alarm along with all the other hotel guests! Over the years there have been dozens of guests including Forrest J Ackerman, Ray Harryhausen, John Landis, Roger Corman, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Ingrid Pitt, Hazel Court…..and more, it’s a long list! One year, President, Ramsey Campbell, who hosts the annual festival auction of fantastic movie memorabilia, introduced Ghibli animation to a full house of horror fans when the billed film didn’t turn up…they loved it. It was 2015 when my prolonged stint in hospital brought my annual visits to an end.
Harry passed away in 2002 and a special eight page commemorative leaflet was written by President Ramsey Campbell, [9 – 16], along with contributions from other commitee members. Author Ramsay Campbell had been a long time friend of Harry’s and in his 1989 novel ‘Ancient Images’ a story concerning Sandy Allen, a film editor trying to uncover the truth about an unfinished Lugosi/Karloff movie, we meet a horror film fan who gives some assistance, with information to Sandy…. and the fans name just happens to be Harry Nadler!
To close I’ve inlcuded the covers os several copies of ‘Scary Dreams’ the magazine published each year to co-inside with the ‘Festival of Fantastic Films’, plus a few programes. [17 onwards]
[ ] indicates the photo illustration.
My thanks to Tony Edwards for the original material, along with a so many details.
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