The Producer - JACK ROBERTSON

This is our third year running GrimFest at the haunted Old Red Lion Theatre Pub and it's our biggest one yet! We are taking over the space for a whole month with over 20 different productions & events to thrill & chill fans of live horror, or dark comedy. It all came about because a production had to cancel their run in October 2022 and I swooped in to make use of the theatre by inviting companies to bring their spookiest shows to this iconic fringe theatre. 

Word has certainly spread because we've had more and more applicants reach out to us since we started and audiences have turned up in their hoards... thankfully not undead ones. What we noticed this year is how varied the shows are - from postapocalyptic cabaret to classic ghost stories - it really demonstrates the diversity of this genre and how it can stretch into so many entertaining forms. 

My own play, Pilgrimage from Medium Rare Productions is the first time I've written what I consider a truly "authentic" horror play, instead of any sort of postmodern homage or parody. This year I'm not going for chuckles, I want screams! 

The Curator - NINA ATESH

It’s a real privilege to be curating this wonderful festival alongside Jack in one of the spookiest pub theatres in London! I’m always really taken aback by some of the talent that comes into GrimFest, and it feels special to be a part of something that might be having its debut here! Like Jack said, it’s a real mix and it only goes to show how much you can do with the genre.

I’ve always said horror should never just be about gore and jumpscares. There is so much more you can do with live theatre that can make for a truly chilling experience, and I think you’re going to see that with some of the shows this year.

For anyone who’s come to the Old Red Lion before, they’ll know the space is really unusual, with its narrow little staircase leading up to the theatre, and the church-like pews seating. When you get something that really knows how to experiment with the (sometimes challenging!) set up, you can really make the audience feel immersed and pull them into whatever world you’re trying to create.

That’s the magic of fringe theatre; these small, unusual spaces can be your playground. So I’m excited about what our visiting companies are gonna be treating us to this spooky season!

THE SHOWS - a taster of what to see (plenty more to explore)

Dangerous to Know playing 3rd - 4th - 5th October 2024 7pm

July 1841, St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard (Byron’s final resting place) Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron’s former mistress, has just laid her mother to rest before heading back to Europe. However, a secret passed to Claire at the funeral has raked up painful memories about their scandalous a             air and a nagging conviction that she must uncover the truth. Resolving she cannot do this alone, Claire co-opts her stepsister, Mary Shelley, author of ‘Frankenstein’ to help. After all, Mary was part of the Byron set; she’ll know what to do. But the past is sordid, murky and digging for answers requires getting your hands dirty. And are they prepared for what will be unearthed? Blood will out, as will hearts and brains. A long-buried anguish demands satisfaction. CLAIR/OBSCUR – a female led-theatre company dedicated to placing inspiring women of the past centre-stage. Dangerous to Know is written by Deborah Clair and directed by Lucy Speed who starred in EastEnders and The Bill and is currently playing Stella in The Archers.





Haunted Shadows (The Gothic Tales of Edith Nesbitt) playing 28th - 31st October 2024 7pm

Everybody loves MR James – with good reason – but sometimes the women who wrote immensely e      ective ghost and horror stories are overlooked. Edith Nesbit was pre-eminent among these… and, as this show makes clear, she had plenty of traumatic childhood experiences to draw upon when writing them. In addition to these fragments of autobiography, we present here two widely contrasted tales. THE SHADOW is a highly disturbing psychological horror story from 1905, while A STRANGE EXPERIENCE is a real scoop. A splendidly lurid slice of old-school necrophile Gothic, it was published in magazine form in 1884 and was Nesbit’s first ever weird tale – but it has never been reprinted since. Here, like THE SHADOW, it’s superbly performed by Claire Louise Amias.

The Even Stranger Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde playing 23rd October 2024 8:30pm

The Even Stranger Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde brings you the classic gothic mystery as a fast-paced and baffling comedy thriller, told by two women in a variety of hats. Follow the self-proclaimed best detectives in Victorian London as they solve their biggest mystery yet. The legendary novella deals with such immortal themes as man’s eternal internal battle between good and evil − is man ever just one… or truly two? Our show deals with much the same, as well as more pressing conundrums, such as: how many Victorian urchins are stuck up that chimney? Will our two detectives ever get lunch? Does everyone who sees Mr Hyde immediately throw up? And seriously, if we’re going to play all these characters, do we have enough hats?

How to Urn a Living playing 7th - 10th October 2024 7pm

How to Urn a Living is a merry story of mortality and morality. Berserk Theatre’s inventive new play spooks and delights with physical comedy and witty dialogue, subverting expectations of grief and death.

Book of the Banshee playing 11th October 2024 7pm

What if there was a book that not only contained the stories of monsters of a world long forgotten but also the monsters themselves and what would it take to keep them contained? A show using music, improvisation, poetry and ritual. If you are brave enough to be a part of our ritual the keeper of the book "Pete" will guide you through 3 stories with a particular theme that connects them, this time it is children. There are bound to be plenty of laughs, and tears, you might even learn something but one thing is guaranteed... you will leave frightened! Our show is a celebration of Irish folklore while also critiquing our attitude and way of acknowledging our dark history.

Ben Jamin’s Night School playing 12th & 13th October 2024 7pm



Ben Jamin’s Night School is an interactive-lite horror show presented in the style of a live action point-and-click edutainment game. Ben Jamin, titular character, teaches people three lessons about the night. However, as players delve deeper into the game, something that was once aimed at children has taken on a darker ego. Expect interactive elements (control what Ben can interact with), existential horror, and a di  erent form of storytelling.