Ghouls’ Night Out presents Symposium of Sickness

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and it's time to get spooky again. After a long summer break, Ghouls' Night Out is back with its most gruesome evening to date and it's not for the faint-hearted! We bring to you the Symposium of Sickness. An evening of splatterpunk and gore comedy, talks and music hosted by Andrew O'Neill with Basement Torture Killings, special guests and a screening of Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood.

Come dressed as victims or victimisers!

We at GNO were inspired this month by splatterpunk - a term coined in 1986 referring to a movement within horror (generally literature) distinguished by its graphic, often gory, depiction of violence and hyperintensive horror.

Splatter films or gore films deliberately focus on graphic portrayals of gore and violence with an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. This much-maligned genre pushes boundaries, or perhaps, smashes them down with a sturdy axe.

Short film: Satoru Ogura's Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood.
An inspired piece of fimmaking from Manga artist Hideshi Hibino, conceived after Hibino received an 8mm snuff film in the mail. After viewing the film, and subsequently turning it into the police, Hibino decided to recreate the film as a semi-documentary, blurring fact and fiction. Containing scenes of dismemberment, and a brutal disemboweling,

Basement Torture Killings: Gore Obssessed, Serial Killer Worshipin, Old School Death Fucking Metal
Described by Metal Hammer as "a death metal perversity in knitted cardigans and tweed" BTK have been plying their murderous serial killing death metal snce the winter of 2007 quickly gaining a reputation as one of the UK's most depraved acts. Their music is violence personified with a stage show straight from your worst nightmare.

Lolo Brow - The Delightfully Deranged
Awarding winning sideshow performer with skills ranging from classical dance to lying on a bed of nails, right through to butchery, Lolo is more than well equipped to Lower the Tone of any evening.
Dom Lawson - Talk on Goregrind
A music journalist since 1999, Dom currently writes for Metal Hammer, Prog, Classic Rock and The Guardian. He also writes liner notes, biographies and anything else that people are willing to pay him for. But not in a bad way.

Alexys Becerra - Goddess of Gore
Make-Up Tattooist and Special Effects Make-Up Artist, Alexys Becerra is known for her work on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), Houseparty of the Dead 6 (2010) and Wrap (2009).

Dee Riley - Alternative Magician
One of London's leading stage & close up cabaret magicians, Dee has won several awards for his stage routines as well as being the producer and performer of several of his live stage show up and around London. Dee has featured on Sky1's "don't stop me now" as well as being hired for Katy Perrys birthday party.

Fancy dress encouraged. Inspiration ideas: famous serial killers, zombies, doctors, patients....