A new monthly cinema night curated by local film experts, kicks off this October with a horror classic.

Cinema fans, get ready – a new monthly screen series is launching at the Landmark in Ilfracombe, looking to bring a taste of London’s legendary Prince Charles Cinema to North Devon.

Critics Choice Cinema is the brainchild of local film experts John Sellings and Graeme Kennedy, who were approached by Carol Turner of the Landmark to curate an eclectic programme of cinematic gems for Ilfracombe audiences.

“We are all HUGE fans of the Prince Charles Cinema in London and their diverse range of cinematic treasures” says John. “We wanted to try and bring a taste of that to Ilfracombe.”

Each screening event will be more than just the showing of the film. Audiences can expect a short introduction before each film, followed by the chance to stick around afterwards for a chat and discussion. For the November screening of Hamnet, on which John worked as Visual Effects Compositor, he’ll be bringing along behind-the-scenes content showing his work on the film – and making the case that a career in film doesn’t have to mean leaving North Devon behind.

First up: The Thing (1982)

Fittingly for the initial Halloween launch, the series kicks off with what John calls “the GREATEST film ever made” – John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Widely regarded as one of the best horror films ever made, The Thing tells the story of a group of Antarctic researchers who unwittingly unleash a shapeshifting alien terror after uncovering a mysterious body buried in the ice. Gripped with paranoia they soon start to realise they can trust no-one.

Famously overshadowed on release by a rather friendlier alien visitor (a certain E.T.), The Thing has since gone on to be celebrated as one of cinema’s great descents into horror, thanks to Rob Bottin’s jaw dropping practical effects, a score from John Carpenter and Ennio Morricone, and Kurt Russell at his coolest as helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady – sunglasses, sombrero and all.

Coming up in November and December

The programme of films continues into the festive season with two very different picks:

• November: Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, an award-winning, Shakespearean tearjerker (bring plenty of tissues).
• December: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a Finnish Spielbergian Christmas classic, perfect for fans of The Goonies, Monster Squad and Stranger Things.

With a new screening planned every month, Critics Choice Cinema is shaping up to be a regular fixture of North Devon’s cultural calendar through 2027.

The Critics Choice team

Critics Choice Cinema is curated by two local film experts.

Graeme Kennedy is an illustrator, writer, designer and film-maker whose work has been shown both nationally and internationally.

John Sellings works in visual effects as a Senior Compositor, with recent credits including Harry Potter, Hamnet, Mission: Impossible and Disney’s The Little Mermaid. He’s also heavily involved in local community projects, running manga/anime and film workshops, and is part of the team behind the Ilfracombe Town of Culture bid.

You can read more about John’s visual effects work in our Meet The Crew interview.

Critics Choice Cinema screens monthly at the Landmark, Ilfracombe in North Devon. Visit the Landmark’s website for tickets and full details.