Sydney’s outdoor cinema offering is nothing short of exceptional – with open-air screens popping up across the city offering everything from Harry Potter double screenings to Australian premieres and even free outdoor screenings. And for the horror fiends among us, the line-up just levelled up – with Haus of Horror bringing immersive horror movie screenings to some of Sydney’s spookiest spots, including an Inner West cemetery and a heritage-listed former-prison-island in Sydney Harbour.
The immersive cinema experience will take over Camperdown Cemetery, the former derelict wing of Darlinghurst Gaol, and Cockatoo Island this summer, with moviegoers invited to explore their surroundings and some spooky immersive pop-ups before settling in for a scary movie. Haus of Horror will also play host to live DJs, themed photo booths, and food and drink vendors – as well as resident actors intent on stepping up the scare-level.
“This is not your average night at the cinema; it's an otherworldly experience that blurs the lines between fact and fiction,” says Felicity Heath, Haus of Horror’s director and 'Queen of Spook'.
The first event of 2024 will take place at Camperdown Cemetery on Saturday, January 6 – with the event starting at 6pm and a screening of Gremlins starting at 8pm. On Saturday, January 13, Darlinghurst Gaol – home to Sydney's most notorious female criminals – will host screenings of The Craft at 7.30pm and again at 9.30pm. And on Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17, the event will pop up on Cockatoo Island – with screenings of A Nightmare On Elm Street taking place as part of a night of bone-chilling immersive theatre. The final event of the summer will take place at Camperdown Cemetery on Saturday, March 16 – with a screening of The Addams Family closing out the season.
On June 22, Haus of Horror will host a Winter Solstice Party inside Old Darlinghurst Gaol – with two special screnings of The Ring inside a former cellblock.
Felicity says: “A year ago my boyfriend, Sean Fernance, and I started Haus of Horror inside an abandoned cinema in Chinatown, with no idea what the future would hold! Now, here we are, holding events in UNESCO World Heritage locations as Sydney's number one immersive cinema!”
Additional dates are yet to be announced, and you can check out the schedule and score tickets over here.
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