Spooky Halloween event at Blackpool's original Art Deco Regent Cinema
An original Art Deco cinema which is still screening films in Blackpool is staging a spooktacular event for Halloween this weeend.
The Regent Cinema, on the corner of Regent Road and Church Street, is playing host to ‘an evening of the Paranormal, Supernatural, Ghosts, Hauntings, Investigations and Experiments’.
The ticketed event, taking place between 9am and midnight on Saturday (November 2), will begin with a presentation of the history, heritage and hauntings at the building.
This will be followed by a spooky ghost tour of the premises, including the cinema, before guests will be able to carry out experiments in the various parts of the building, including the attic and cellar areas.
The event will then finish with ouija sessions and a seance.
One of Blackpool’s most distinctive buildings, The Regent was first opened in 1921.
The building, covered in white glazed terracotta tiles, harks back to the days of the old ‘picture palaces’ in the exciting hay day of the silver screen, when crowds of people would flock to enjoy some Hollywood glamour.
It was built by the Blackpool firm of Lumb and Walton, for what was called their Neo-Grec styling with a three-storey domed tower.
The octagonal foyer had a marble floor and a marble staircase rose to the grand circle, while the auditorium was carpeted in gold and black Wilton.
But it gradually fell into a state of disrepair and disuse before being restored as a working cinema and antiques hall after businessman Rick Taylor bought the derelict building for £100,000 in 2013, reopening in 2016.
The Regent regularly screens classic films and vintage movies and is also host to an antiques hall.
The weekend’s spooktacular event follows the success of similar events.
Rick said previously: “We’ve had a number of different paranormal events here in recent years.
“The building lends itself to this kind of thing because it’s big, it’s old and it’s atmospheric, and a lot of people have been through its doors in the last ninety-odd years.
“I think that creates a lot of energy within the building.”
Tickets cost £21 per person and are available from The Regent or online. Visit https://theregentblackpool.co.uk/cinema