Festival of Fantastic Films

1994 was the year I decided to upgrade my Elmo ST1200 to a Fuji SH30, it was a good choice, it was quieter running and gave rock steady projection, 1994 was also the year I was tempted into attending a festival/convention of any kind, as a punter, rather than as an exhibitor. Customer, dealer, fellow Godzilla lover and good friend, the late Harry Nadler, one of the “Festival of Fantastic Films” (FoFF) founders and organisers, persuaded me to spend a weekend in Manchester for their fifth event. Derek had been up there the previous year, but due to his hard stance on film handling and the condition of prints, had come away a little disappointed, due to problems with some of the prints. But I had great time and saw many old and not so easy to find films, while rubbing shoulders with a half dozen special guests. My motto is ‘if it’s the only way you can see it…’ so I forgave the odd scratch and splice on some of the material used and sat back and enjoyed them, along with the rest of a highly enthusiastic audience. Sasha’s was the venue for that first visit, and I’ve never forgotten standing next to a dishevelled Janette Scott, outside the hotel, due to a faulty fire alarm, along with all the other hotel guests, at 3am! Over the years there have been many guests including Forrest J Ackerman, Ray Harryhausen, John Landis, Roger Corman, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Ingrid Pitt, Hazel Court, Veronica Carlson, Jimmy Sangster, Janette Scott, Paul Naschy, Martine Beswick, Edward de Souza, Francis Matthews, Anne Robinson and Freddie Francis, to name but a few. The President of the FoFF is British author Ramsey Campbell, who hosts the annual festival auction of fantastic movie memorabilia and who, one year introduced Ghibli animation to a full house of horror fans when the billed film failed to appear… they loved it. On Saturdays there was a dealers room with books, mags, stills and DVD’s galore on sale. Over the years I’ve bumped into many Derann customers, and one of the festivals film projectionists, the late Tony Meadows remained a firm and long time friend! I’d only ever missed one year (due to work commitments), and everything had been booked and paid for 2015s, but I found myself in hospital for 6 months and haven’t been able to attend since, as I have problems with my legs and feet that make standing, walking or even sitting for long periods very difficult. 2020’s was a casualty of the pandemic and just a few weeks prior to the 2021 festival we saw the death of founder and organiser, Gil Lane-Young, and this year we lost fellow founder Tony Edwards. I really do miss them, it really was a wonderful way to spend a weekend, films, guests, films, chatting with old friends, films!! The venue has moved around over the years, but they have all been just a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Gardens and over the years I have been lucky enough to see many ‘classic’ rarities including ‘The Mole People’, ‘The Giant Claw’, ‘The Island of Lost Souls’, ‘World Without End’, ‘The Space Children’, ‘Angry Red Planet’, ‘The Creeper’, ‘Target Earth’, ‘Brainiac’, ‘The Disembodied’ and many more! OK they’re not all classics but where else would you get to see ‘The Godmonster of Indian Flats’