Screen Demons:

The North East’s Cult Cinema Scene

Cult /​ kʌlt/ ​n. 1​ ​. A

​ system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular 
figure or object. 
2.​ A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of 
society. 
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https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/cult
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https://www.facebook.com/screendemonshorror/photos/a.1688776251362595/2079659338940949/?type
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Screen Demons b ​ egan as an annual six week horror festival closely working with ​Screenage Kicks,  
Newcastles immersive cinema group. It soon broadened its horrisions after two very successful 
events, and now specialises in cult cinema, opening the doors to an almost endless catalogue of 
films for fans to celebrate and come together in a friendly, family like community. 
 
Founded by enthusiast Kris Marc Atkinson, ​Screen Demons d ​ escribes itself as:  
“A labour of love built from scratch by a few passionate Horror movie fans.” 3 
 
Screen Demons c​ ertainly is a labour of love, and this is what our documentary will explore, 
showing that these films, most of which are forgotten by the masses, can mean so much to so 
many people. It is the passion burning inside everybody involved that keeps these films alive in 
the North East and without the work of Kris and his colleagues, many of the North Easts cult 
enthusiasts wouldn't have the opportunity to meet like minded individuals and see the films 
they love presented on the big screen as they were intended. 

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Recently Kris has opened a new bar named ​Zerox,​ located in Newcastles city centre.  
It aims to bring together the S ​ creen Demons ​community in one place, and despite being a 
relatively recent addition to the community it is already becoming an incredibly popular social 
hub for cult film fans and has hosted an array of events including the J​ ohn Carpenter Pre and After 
Party, a​ nd has plans for a special Halloween event titled ​Welcome to the Videodrome, a​ ptly named 
after the D​ avid Cronenberg c​ lassic, ​Videodrome.
 
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https://www.facebook.com/pg/screendemonshorror/about/?ref=page_internal
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https://www.facebook.com/screendemonshorror/photos/p.2146305505609665/2146305505609665/?type
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Screen Demons: The North East’s Cult Cinema Scene w
​ ill centre around founder, Kris Marc Atkinson 
as he explains the origins of his passion and what drove him to create a non-corporate company 
specializing in celebrating these incredibly strange films from many years ago. 
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After a brief definition of cult and a montage 
of fitting film clips accompanied by a pulsing 
synthetic soundtrack which is seen 
throughout many of the cult films celebrated 
by the community; the viewer will be 
introduced to Kris, interviewed fittingly 
ofcourse in his new bar Z ​ erox ​ that just oozes 
with style and a decor that is ever so 
reminiscent of 1974’s P ​ hantom of the Paradise.  
  
It is Kris’ face and voice that will carry the 
audience through the documentary, after all 
he is in essence one of the major voices of the 
North East’s cult cinema community. 
 
After explaining the origins of his passion , 
Kris will guide the audience through the 
origins of S ​ creen Demons​ and how it became 
the community that it is today. 
Accompanying Kris’ interview will be visuals 
from cult films, previous events and footage 
showcasing the beautiful decor of the new 
Zerox b​ ar. The audience will be transported 
into the world of cult cinema, a world truly 
like no other. 
 
 
To compliment Kris’ interview and narration, the documentary shall also feature micro-interviews from 
members of the S ​ creen Demons c​ ommunity. This addition will help to showcase a wider insight into the 
North Easts cult cinema scene, showing the diversity within the community, from those that love ​Giallo 
to those that celebrate the popcorn horror of yesteryear. 
Ultimately in the conclusion of the documentary Kris will discuss the future of S​ creen Demons ​and what 
he sees in the future of cult cinema. 
Will cult cinema fade into obscurity or will it’s charm burn through, entertaining a whole new 
generation of film goers?   

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2164380740555131&set=a.1437814786545067&type=3&thea
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Screen Demons: The North East’s Cult Cinema Scene w​ ill have a specific visual style, keeping in the tone of the 
cult films that are the subject of the documentary. Z ​ erox i​ s ofcourse a very fitting backdrop for the 
interviews, not only for it’s direct connection to the ​Screen Demons c​ ommunity, but also due to its visuals, 
that strikingly similar to many of the cult films celebrated by the community. 
Some of these films include: 
 
● Phantom of the Paradise ​1974 ​ (previously mentioned) 
● Jubilee 1​ 978 
● Inferno ​1980 
● Blood and Black Lace ​1964   
 
 
Film Stills  Zerox  

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https://www.slashfilm.com/phantom-of-the-paradise-and-finding-a-movie-to-call-your-own/
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https://www.facebook.com/ZEROXbarNewcastle/photos/a.292105794738877/292115424737914/?type=3&theater
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http://www.toyah.net/category/films/jubilee/page/7/
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https://www.facebook.com/ZEROXbarNewcastle/photos/a.292105794738877/292115098071280/?type=3&theater
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The visuals seen throughout ​Zerox a​ re undoubtedly reminiscent of the films mentioned above, and with 
minimal to no set dressing required, Z ​ erox ​will help to give the illusion that Kris and the other 
interviewees are in their very own cult cinema world, populated with atmospheric neon lighting. 
But the productions soundtrack will also play a major part in setting the tone. 
Progressive rock and synthetic music plays a major role within many of the cult films popular within the 
community, specifically the G ​ iallo ​and European horrors of the late 1970’s and 1980’s.   
Public domain music of the same style will be used throughout the production to further replicate the 
style of these cult films, and due to the copyright free nature of the tracks it will massively help to keep 
the cost of production to a minimum. 
Other licensed tracks by independent artists may be sourced and used if an agreement can be arranged 
between us and the creator.   
 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbKgG_TC_To
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https://www.facebook.com/ZEROXbarNewcastle/photos/a.292105794738877/292110671405056/?type=
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http://www.belcourt.org/events/blood-and-black-lace.2785396
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https://www.facebook.com/ZEROXbarNewcastle/photos/a.292105794738877/292106744738782/?type=
3&theater