Electric Dreams: A Weekend of '80s Films

This August Bank Holiday weekend, we are taking you back in time to the 1980s with three days of ‘80s classics.

Kicking off on Friday 28 August, with a special '80s quiz by Showroom Film Quiz host Simon, this will then be followed up by a screening of First Blood to set the weekend off in action-packed fashion. A Vietnam Veteran (Stallone) uses his combat skills against the lawman of a small town when he arrests and abuses him. The original film of what became a definitive ‘80s franchise, Rambo.

Saturday 29 August begins with a Family Time collaboration for an all-time classic, The Princess Bride. A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with each other.

Later in the day, we welcome three back-to-back classic entries from the master director John Carpenter: Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, and The Thing. These screenings can be included in your overall weekend pass, a pass specifically for the Carpenter Triple-Bill, or purchased separately.

In Big Trouble in Little China, Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton, a big-talking, wisecracking truck driver who’s suddenly hurled into a wild adventure even he could never invent. Next: They Live, a drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth. The Thing closes out the trio, where in the winter of 1982, a twelve-man team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Once unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror, and becomes one of them.

On Sunday 30 August, we bring a more comedic focus with two charming '80s classics. Clue is the murderously funny movie based on the world-famous Clue board game. Meet all the notorious suspects from Miss Scarlett to Colonel Mustard, and discover all their secrets. Finishing the weekend is Ferris Bueller's Day Off [40th Anniversary]. Bueller? Bueller? Ferris Bueller has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, “borrows” a Ferrari and embarks on a one-day journey through the streets of Chicago.

Explore the series and book tickets and passes at: https://showroomcinema.org.uk/festivals/electric-dreams-best-of-80s-film

By Sam Howe, Digital Marketing and Programming Coordinator