Flatpack Cinema presents Beetlejuice, Dudley Castle - review with pictures
It's showtime! Thousands of film fans headed to Dudley Castle to see what shakes loose when Flatpack returned with Beware The Moon.
The annual event - that saw attendees scream with enjoyment for Night Of The Living Dead and The Lost Boys last year - returned to the ruined fortification last night for the first of two nights of famed horror flicks.
And this year we were in for a treat, with the opening night playing host to 'the ghost with the most', Beetlejuice.
Read more: Flatpack Cinema presents The Blair Witch Project, Dudley Castle - review
A spooky DJ playing eerie tunes welcomed cinema goers who were setting up their camping chairs and picnic blankets ready for the frights ahead. A quick short film kicked off the evening, featuring another classic Tim Burton hit.
Telling the tale of man's best friend and the afterlife, 1984 short Frankenweenie warmed our hearts on the cool summer night.
The tell-tale panorama shot of a sprawling forest and quaint town marked the start of the rip-roaring tale, starring the likes of Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Annie McEnroe, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Michael Keaton in the role of the titular ghoul.
The creepy creation tells the story of the spirits of a deceased couple, Barbara and Adam Maitland, who are dismayed when the unbearable Deetz family move into their beloved home.
Consulting the otherworldly Handbook, the Maitlands travel to a netherworld waiting room populated by other distressed souls, where they discover that the afterlife is structured according to a complex bureaucracy.
The Maitlands' caseworker, Juno, informs them that they must remain in the house for 125 years. If they want the Deetzes out of the house, it is up to them to scare them away.
In their hour of need they decide to call upon a malevolent spirit to terrify the Deetzes, but they get more than they bargain for when the whirlwind that is Betelgeuse wreaks havoc.
In previous Flatpack events, the setting of Dudley Castle has worked perfectly to create a spine-tingling and truly frightening atmosphere - though this was not the case for Beetlejuice.
Instead, and equally as effective, the fortress plunged us deep into the Maitland's dilapidated home, with every gust of wind providing a different chill.
The cool weather worked in the event's favour as we found ourselves transported into the dark and uncaring afterlife with ease thanks, in part, to the elements.
The iconic landmark was bathed in red light, with spooky projections adorning the brick walls to plunge the audience further into the cold and imposing narrative. The towering castle was littered with projections turning it into Dante's Inferno Room, before turning into a swirling sensation of black and white lines.
Laughs and shocked gasps filled the landmark attraction as Beetlejuice concluded, to the sound of thunderous applause from the audience.
Once more, Flatpack Cinema kicked off an electrifying weekend of iconic cinema in expert style.
Flatpack return to the attraction tonight for a screening of The Blair Witch project.
