Our matinee screenings at the Caves bring classics from the archives back to the big screen at discounted prices, and 2025’s Underground Cinema starts with our first ever Friday matinee screening! We’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of Cinderella, Walt Disney’s beloved take on the 17th Century fairy tale. A critical and commercial hit, it rejuvenated Disney’s post-WWII fortunes and remains one of the studio’s most seminal works to this day.
Like Bruce Wayne descending into the caverns beneath Wayne Manor, it’s your opportunity to leave the surface behind and slip into Redcliffe Caves for a 20th anniversary screening of Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan’s first Batman film not only rebooted the franchise, but set the tone for a darker era in both superhero movies and more widely in 21st Century blockbusters. Come and witness the birth of a legend - and in case you’re worrying, we can pretty much guarantee that your venue will be bat-free, apart from the ones onscreen…!
Is it Halloween already? Well, no, but if you venture into the Caves on Friday night for our 30th anniversary screening of Se7en, you may well feel chilled to the bone unseasonably early! David Fincher’s gritty and grimy tale of a Seven Deadly Sins-inspired serial killer is not for the faint-hearted, but push past the grislier moments and you’ll find yourself immersed in a gripping detective noir thriller that has set the benchmark for so many imitators and homages ever since.
Saturday’s matinee at the Underground Cinema is a 40th anniversary screening of The Black Cauldron. In keeping with Saturday’s theme of cult classics, this dark fantasy has developed a dedicated fan following over the decades. With echoes of Welsh mythology, a stirring Elmer Bernstein score and John Hurt as one of Disney’s creepier villains, it’s an epic adventure that’ll reawaken your inner child.
Our cult classics continue in the Caves on Saturday with a 40th anniversary of the teen sci-fi fantasy comedy Weird Science. John Hughes’ third coming-of-age film combines the Frankenstein mythology with 80s computer geeks to create a knowingly goofy mash-up inspired by 50s comics, classic monster movies and Hughes’ hallmark touch of breathing life into awkward teenager tropes. So place your tongue firmly in your cheek, and start coding…
Next up on Cult Classics Saturday at the Caves is another 40th anniversary screening: it’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome! The third outing in the epic post-apocalyptic series introduces Tina Turner in her iconic role as the ruthless Aunty Entity, and is packed with stunning vehicle choreography, one of the most epic movie fight scenes of all time, and enough energy to keep the franchise alive until the Tom Hardy revival. Strap yourselves in…
Saturday at the Underground Cinema is all about cult classics, and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas certainly fits the bill! Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fuelled gonzo novella is intentionally provocative, at times hilarious and frightening, and a whirlwind of a film that got the seal of approval from Thompson himself!
Saturday evening’s selection at Redcliffe Caves is the surrealist satire Repo Man - or is it a conspiracy thriller, or a punk rock operetta, or an indie road movie? No matter how you classify it, it’s one of the best films of the 80s, and even has a surprising local link: first-time writer/director Alex Cox studied film at the University of Bristol before moving to LA to make this!
We’re concluding Saturday’s Underground Cinema screenings with a late evening screening of one of the great cult actors in one of his cultiest films (there’s even a cult in it!) - it can only be Mandy. Nicolas Cage is hypnotic to behold in this surrealist revenge horror that follows a lumberjack trying to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend from a brutal cult [please stop using the word “cult” now - Ed.]. There’s beauty amidst the chaos, but be warned: it gets very, very messy too…
Sunday’s matinee at the Underground Cinema is a 40th anniversary screening of Ridley Scott’s Legend. Starring a pre-Top Gun Tom Cruise and Tim Curry in a terrifying turn as the demonic creature Darkness, it also assembled the largest makeup team ever at that time to bring the dark fantasy world to life, ultimately winning an Oscar in this department. It’s as 80s as it gets, and all the greater for it!
Our Sunday screenings at the Underground Cinema are all about fantasy and adventure, and the schedule continues with a star turn from Robin Williams in a 90s action-adventure: the original Jumanji! Based on a novel and spawning sequels, spin-offs and even theme park rides, the original film turns 30 this year - stampede on down to Redcliffe Caves to enjoy its thrills and spills deep beneath the surface…
We’re delighted to bring a 20th anniversary screening of The Adventures Of Tintin to the Caves this autumn. Tintin’s creator Hergé personally stated that Steven Spielberg “was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice,” and this breathtaking animated adventure draws inspiration from three of the plucky journalist’s most beloved stories. With Snowy, Captain Haddock, Thomson and Thompson, Bianca Castafiore and more all joining the fun, it’s a must-watch for any fan.
In what has become Underground Cinema tradition, watch Jim Henson’s magical musical adventure Labyrinth at Redcliffe Caves. Step into Bristol’s very own subterranean labyrinth, get ready to dance the magic dance, and follow Sarah deep into the Goblin King’s realm where nothing can be taken at face value…
Our 2025 Underground Cinema series concludes as always with the dark fairytale masterpiece – and firm festival favourite – Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is both hauntingly beautiful and brutally ugly, in its seamless blending of its surreal and sinister mythical realm with the harsh realities of the Spanish Civil War’s immediate aftermath.
We’re starting Horror In The Caves a night early in 2025 after last year’s demand, so what better way to strike a chill into the atmosphere than by starting with John Carpenter’s ice-cold shapeshifting body horror The Thing? Maligned on release but now rightfully recognised as one of the greatest horror films ever made, its fiendishly simple premise and stomach-turning SFX ensure that it’s not lost any of its punch over four decades on…
As regulars will know, every year we screen the finest ‘subterranean nightmare’ film The Descent for Horror In The Caves, and since it’s turning 20, we’re screening it twice this year! Tickets always go fast for this, but watching it in the Caves is a truly immersive, and terrifying, experience, and possibly unsuitable for anyone with severe claustrophobia. It’s the ultimate way to experience Horror In The Caves – but you have been warned!
With special permission, we’re thrilled to present a screening of The Substance. Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar-winning sophomore is a jaw-dropping amalgamation of body horror, scathing social commentary and vicious satire, with Demi Moore giving the performance of her career as a celebrity willing to do anything to restore her youth and her career, with consequences that will have you watching between your fingers…!
Our Matinee Screenings return to the Caves on Saturday and Sunday mornings – these screenings, starting at just £10 a ticket, showcase vintage films from the horror vault. For Saturday’s Matinee Screening, we’re celebrating the 80th anniversary of Bride Of Frankenstein. Elsa Lanchester appears as the eponymous bride opposite Boris Karloff as the original monster in this shocking sequel to the 1931 adaptation. It’s one of the all-time great sequels and still a cornerstone of the genre.
After a long time tracking down the rights to this underrated indie masterpiece, we are incredibly excited to bring the Australian cerebral cult classic Lake Mungo to Horror In The Caves 2025! Shot like a true crime documentary, this deeply disturbing and upsetting story of a family experiencing inexplicable phenomena after a tragic bereavement will linger long in the memory. Just keep telling yourself it’s not real, because Lake Mungo feels like you’re watching something that was never meant to be seen…
In case you missed it in cinemas last year, we’re screening Late Night with the Devil, the chilling horror sensation that sees a 1970s talk show descend into demonic chaos. David Dastmalchian shines as a somewhat sleazy chat show host presiding over a Halloween special gone wrong in a film that blends found footage, retro flair, dark humour and supernatural terror. Make sure to tune in for an episode to remember…!
As we move into Saturday evening at Horror In The Caves, we’re resurrecting Fright Night for a 40th anniversary screening. This comedy-horror about a vampire next door inspired a sequel, remakes, comic books, novels, a video game, a stage adaptation, and there’s even a rumoured prequel in the pipeline - but it doesn’t get better than the original, with its chills, thrills, and affectionate homage to the glory days of vintage horror crossed with 80s pop culture. One worth sinking your teeth into!
We’re celebrating another 40th birthday on Saturday evening at Horror In The Caves: it’s the notorious Re-Animator! Stuart Gordon’s infamous adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story is one of the bloodiest mad scientist stories out there, as two medical students create a literally death-defying serum with horrific consequences. We’re presenting a restoration of the original unrated cut; it’s both genuinely scary and genuinely funny, for those with a warped sense of humour and a stomach for gore…
Saturday at Horror In The Caves 2025 concludes with a late evening screening of Bone Tomahawk, which turns 10 this year. This gritty Western - with Kurt Russell on top form as a grizzled sheriff - suddenly takes shocking twists and turns and descends into full-throated, unflinchingly brutal horror. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know it’s a modern genre-fusing classic. If you haven’t seen it, we’re not saying anything more than “Prepare yourself” and “There’s a reason we’re showing this one in a cave complex”…!
For Sunday’s Matinee Screening at Horror In The Caves 2025, we’re celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Night Of The Hunter. Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, one-time director Charles Laughton didn’t live long enough to see his work become recognised as a classic - but Robert Mitchum’s nightmarish turn as a murderous “preacher” remains one of the enduring villains of the genre.
Sunday afternoon at Horror In The Caves 2025 takes us back a quarter of a century to the original Final Destination. The franchise is still box office gold, but the very first film expertly sets up the fiendishly stressful premise of Death itself hunting down a group of friends who literally cheat it when they narrowly avoid a plane crash. The Rube Goldberg-style machinations of seemingly ordinary objects creating deathtraps will have you on the edge of your seat!
Whisper it - A Quiet Place is coming to Redcliffe Caves on Sunday afternoon… John Krasinski’s Oscar-nominated thriller will have you wincing at every pin drop as sound-sensitive monsters stalk a young family in a scenario where silence is the key to survival. Remind yourself of that mantra when you’re stifling a scream…!
As Sunday evening draws in at Redcliffe Caves, we’re presenting a 20th anniversary screening of the possession chiller The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. Part courtroom drama and part demonic nightmare, this eerie film is all the creepier knowing it’s inspired by real-life events - and Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter, Quarantine) is ghoulishly hypnotic as Emily Rose, channeling dark forces in an award-winning and incredibly physical performance that has to be seen to be believed!
As regulars will know, every year we screen the finest ‘subterranean nightmare’ film The Descent for Horror In The Caves, and since it’s turning 20, we’re screening it twice this year! Tickets always go fast for this, but watching it in the Caves is a truly immersive, and terrifying, experience, and possibly unsuitable for anyone with severe claustrophobia. It’s the ultimate way to experience Horror In The Caves – but you have been warned!
