DUNOON’S very own film festival is bringing the fear to town this year with a season of classic horror films, curated with local horror movie enthusiast and film festival volunteer Andrew Wood.
Andrew approached Dunoon Community Development Trust (DCDT), which now leads Dunoon Film Festival, with the idea of arranging more horror film screenings locally.
With support from Barbara Henderson, DCDT’s Volunteer for Wellbeing Coordinator, the Screams season was tested out in October 2025, with Andrew curating and promoting two events at Studio Cinema Dunoon.
Both films, Psycho and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, attracted enthusiastic audiences and positive feedback, so three additional dates were set for early in 2026.
A screening of Jaws, celebrating 50 years since its original release, brought a great crowd out to Dunoon’s Studio Cinema to enjoy, and on Monday, March 23, The Bride of Frankenstein will be screened in all its original 1931 glory. On Monday, April 20, audiences will be able to watch the original version of The Wicker Man on the big screen.
Andrew said: Horror cinema has been ingrained in Western culture since Dracula and Frankenstein resurrected Hollywood in the 1930s. Right from the beginning, horror movies have gifted us with some of our most memorable images, catchphrases, and characters.
Frankenstein (the doctor, not the monster), deliriously crying “It’s alive! Alive!” is famous to the extent of parody. So too Roy Scheider’s shellshocked line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” from Jaws. Or how about Jack Nicholson’s psychotic, axe-wielding (and improvised) delivery of “Here’s Johnny!” in The Shining? All ubiquitous, indispensable, iconic.
He added: Dunoon Screams! is a project born from my own personal love of horror movies and a deep desire to share this obsession with others. Not only with the already converted – as fun as fellow fans are. No, my primary goal is to convince you, the sceptic, the naysayer, the scaredy-cat, that everyone, even you, has the potential to love horror just as much as I do.
One of my greatest joys is to watch a horror movie with a big group of people, preferably in a cinema, and to share the tension, dread, and giddy, nervous laughter that only horror can provoke. Come along and scream with us. You might just never leave.
Dunoon Community Development Trust asked Andrew to write an article to share why he believes horror is for everyone. You can read more at: www.dunooncdt.org/post
Ann Campbell, DCDT’s Partnership Manager, said: This is a great example of how Dunoon Community Development Trust aims to develop new volunteering roles, support our incredible local venues and develop the cultural offering for Dunoon. We developed the What’s On Dunoon project to promote all the great things that are happening here in one website. Owned and managed by the Trust, What’s On Dunoon features all of our Dunoon Film Festival screenings alongside the many activities, venues, clubs and groups on offer across our community.
Full details and ticket links for Dunoon Screams! events can be found at www.whatsondunoon.co.uk.
