Spooky Season at Exeter Phoenix
Published September 16, 2026
The leaves are falling from the trees, the nights are drawing in and the pumpkin-spiced lattes are everywhere! Looks like it's that time of year again! A time for monsters, mischief and magic approaches...
Get ready to celebrate all things ghoulish, ghostly and freaky at Exeter Phoenix. From spooky zine making to cult-classic horror films to freaky fringe theatre, we've got something for everyone this Halloween...
Theatre and Performance
Barleycorn
Sun 20 Sep | 7.30pm
Acclaimed folk theatre company Riddlestick Theatre present a new musical comedy inspired by English lore, folk horror, and ‘wyrd’ 1970s telly, featuring traditional and original music and dance.
Age guidance: 12+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Batty!
Mon 28 Sep | 7.30pm
Have you got a wild side? Batty has. She dreams of running barefoot, wild swimming, lighting fires and talking to trees. In fact she’s starting to wonder if she might be a witch…
+ post-show Q&A
Age guidance: 14+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Creator of Batty!, Victoria Firth will also be hosting a themed Craft and Chat session on Sat 26 Sep. Find out more here>>>
Lovett
Thu 08 Oct | 7.30pm
Newly widowed, Mrs Lovett ‘recalibrates’ her relationship with God. The scales of social justice may be tipped against her, but Eleanor has counterweights of her own: creativity, a can-do spirit, and a dream of joys to come. A fascinating, darkly comic tale of her life before she met Sweeney Todd.
Age guidance: 14+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Paper Swans
Thu 15 Oct | 7.30pm
Groundhog Day meets Waiting for Godot.
Paper Swans is a one act play set in a closed park at night. A security guard on patrol finds a young woman in a ballet dress sitting on the bench making paper swans. He tries to question her to find out the reason behind her actions. That locks them in a continuous never ending loop of having to encounter each other again and again to find out the meaning behind those paper swans.
Age guidance: 12+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Forget About Me
Mon 19 Oct | 8.30pm
Designer-performer Dylan Howells weaves psychological illusions and fragmented memories into a magical, chilling tale of a home that won’t stay still.
Age guidance: 12+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
This show is part of a double bill with Copycat. Book for both shows and get an exclusive discount.
Spork! Poetry Halloween Special
Fri 30 Oct | 7pm
Join Spork! this Halloween for another spectacular & spooky spoken-word event, featuring the annual “Dead Poets Slam,” and the gruesome twosome of silly poetry; Chris “Ghostly” White, and Edward “Dead Wood” Tripp.
Age guidance: 12+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Period Drama
Tue 17 Nov | 7.30pm
Period Drama by Olga Kaleta (with integrated BSL by Sherrie Eugene-Hart) is a surreal, episodic dark comedy about mental health, identity and recovery that mixes autobiographical storytelling with bold physicality. A deep dive into the question of wellness through a feminist lens, via slasher flicks, bloody knickers and the existential dilemmas of insects.
Age guidance: 16+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Film
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (15)
Fri 09 Oct - Thu 15 Oct
From the director of the instant cult classic I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun, comes a new kind of horror remake, starring Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) and Gillian Anderson (The X Files, Sex Education).
Friday 08 Oct screening will be co-hosted by Dolly’s Film Club(opens in new tab) and Out There Fest, costumes encouraged (think: final girl – or just a bloody hot mess), prizes and shenanigans available.
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Dolly’s Film Club Presents: Rocky Horror Picture Show (12A)
Auditorium Takeover
Mon 26 Oct | 7.30pm
They're back! And ready to let they freak flags fly. In honour. In reverence. In celebration… Maximum Frank, Maximum Freak. Rocky Horror Picture Show is back in the Exeter Phoenix auditorium!
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Family Workshops
Sketch A Skeleton
Thu 29 Oct | 10.30am - 1pm
Get up close to a replica skeleton and draw the bare bones of the human body. This is a great way to develop your observational drawing skills as well as creating some frighteningly good portraits of our resident Skelly!
Age guidance: 6+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
Model a Monster
Thu 29 Oct | 2pm - 4.30pm
Learn some techniques for sculpting in clay and create a character inspired by legendary creatures, gargoyles, folk tales and your own imagination.
Age guidance: 6+
Find out more and book your places here>>>
Create a Spooky Zine
Sat 31 Oct | 10.30am - 1pm
Join us for a hauntingly fun spooky zine making workshop and craft eerie, atmospheric mini magazines perfect for Halloween or any other ghostly occasion.
Age guidance: 6+
Find out more and book your tickets here>>>
There's something for everyone here at Exeter Phoenix! You can find our full programme of events here>>>