Ghouls On Film Presents Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971).

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This year, as winter draws near and the witching season falls upon us, Ghouls On Film celebrates the history of witchcraft and folklore with a matinee screening of Piers Haggards ‘The Blood on Satan’s Claw’ (1971). Hailed as one of the early classics within the folk horror genre, ‘The Blood On Satan’s Claw’ follows the demonic unravelling of a small countryside village in 17^th Century England, as the local children descend into a coven of violence and madness. Stradling the always enjoyable line between camp and horror, this film is truly a reflection of the era in which it was made; think wonderfully cheesy special effects and terrible wigs – yet underneath this surface of 70s theatre lies a truly uncanny story of beastly proportions.

Fun and terrifying all at once, ‘The Blood on Satan’s Claw’ is a cult classic, beloved by casual viewers and folk-horror afficionados alike.

CW/TW: This film has a depiction of rape, which is important to the plot but can be upsetting. Please be aware and take care of your mental health first and foremost if you know that scenes of this nature can be triggering for you.

This event is running as part of the BFI season ‘In Dreams Are Monsters’; a season of horror films – in cinemas across the UK and on BFI Player. Radical and provocative, horror has provided a community for those excluded from the mainstream since the inception of cinema, forcing audiences to confront their darkest thoughts and offering a platform to marginalised voices.

In Dreams Are Monsters will focus on the creatures that linger long after the closing credits, which have haunted our screens and dreams for over a century.

Ghouls on Film is a monthly feminist horror film club, showing films that challenge the representations of women within the genre. Expect cult classics, independent releases and rare lesser-known films that explore how women can find agency in the world of horror.

All ticket holders to this screening will receive unique printed material on the history of witchcraft and an original illustration, with an introduction to the film referencing this history in relation to ‘The Blood On Satan’s Claw’.