Nightmares Before Christmas Weekend coming up at Picture House Uckfield

Nicolette Howard said: “With Christmas feeling a little different this year, we decided to embrace the alternative for our annual selection of Christmas movies at the Picture House this December.

“And who better to help us curate a weekend of the darker side of Christmas than local filmmaker, all-round font of film knowledge and friend of the cinema, Corin Hardy? As the director behind Gangs of London, The Nun and The Hallow, we were confident that Corin would embrace this opportunity to come up with his own excellent criteria for a series of slightly unconventional Christmas movies – and he hasn’t disappointed us.

“So this Friday, December 18, load up on drinks and buckle up for a night of Die Hard in The Lounge, our brand-new cinema experience.

“Next, on Saturday 19 it’s Christmas carols with your naughty neighbourhood Gremlins!

“Then on Sunday 20, behold the animated festive magic of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and finally complete the cinematic winter wonderland, with the gothic-tinged and snow-covered Dark Knight himself, in Batman Returns.

“Tickets are on sale now and will include Corin’s programming notes on each of the movies.

Corin said: “Seeing a film or two at the Picture House has always been a Christmas tradition for me and my family so I was really happy to be asked to program a weekend of some of my favourite Christmas movies.”

“I mulled over what I felt were the key ingredients to a ‘Christmas movie’ and decided that to qualify, films needed to fulfil the following criteria: Firstly, a film must take place over the Yuletide period; secondly, it has to capture the spirit of Christmas (and that could include actually physically capturing it); thirdly, somebody dressed as Santa Claus must feature at some point in the movie (even if that character happens to be dead!); and finally, the movie becomes the perfect experience when it’s accompanied by a glass of mulled wine, a warm mince pie or two and is watched on the big screen with an great sound system.”