Stoke-on-Trent Film Theatre

15/07/2026

Effi o Blaenau (15)
Sat 18 and Thu 23 Jul, 7.45pm
A vrant coming of age story, based on Gary Owen’s hit play Iphigenia in Splott, set against the wide open landscapes of North Wales in director Marc Evans' cinematic interpretation.

The film follows Effi, a young woman desperate to escape a town where the pubs are closed, the jobs have vanished and her grandmother works night shifts in the local chip shop just to get by.

A chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub with injured soldier Lee briefly opens a door to something better. For a moment, Effi glimpses a life she never imagined. The reality that follows is far tougher.

🎟🔗 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk
📍 Film Theatre, Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY.

14/07/2026

Obsession (18), Fri 17 Jul, 7.45pm.
In a moment of weakness, 'Bear' (Michael Johnston), makes a wish on a “One Wish Willow” toy, asking for his crush, co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette), to love him more than anyone. As the wish takes hold, her attentive affection begins to morph into something frighteningly intense, and the film slides from tender awkwardness into a slow, unnerving spiral of paranoia and vengeance.

Rather than relying on jump scares (although they're not in short supply), the film builds its power through atmosphere, moral ambiguity, an incredible soundscape, and the unsettling question of what happens when desire overrides consent. It’s a lean, haunting tale that lingers - an intimate horror story about the danger of getting exactly what you wish for.

🎟 🔗 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk
📍 Film Theatre, Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY.

13/07/2026

Retro Vault returns this Thursday with The Greasy Strangler (18)!
16 July, 7.45pm.

A weird and completely unforgettable dark comedy, this cult favourite is unlike anything you've seen before. Don't miss one of the strangest nights you'll ever have at the cinema.

Bar and Box Office open from 7pm.

🎟🔗 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk

12/07/2026

Screening this week...

The Greasy Strangler (18)
Thu 16 Jul, 7.45pm
Big Ronnie and his son Brayden's dubious L.A. disco walking tour takes a bizarre turn when romance, rivalry, and a mysterious grease-covered killer collide. Celebrated as a modern cult classic, this screening is part of our monthly Retro Vault night celebrating iconic movies.

Obsession (12A)
Fri 17 Jul, 7.45pm
An emotionally charged psychological horror. In a moment of weakness, 'Bear' makes a wish on a “One Wish Willow” toy, asking for his crush, co-worker Nikki, to love him more than anyone. As the wish takes hold, her attentive affection begins to morph into something frighteningly intense.

Effi O Blaenau (12A)
Sat 18 and Thu 23 Jul, 7.45pm
Based on Gary Owen’s hit play Iphigenia in Splott. Effi, a young woman who is desperate to escape a town where the pubs are closed and the jobs have vanished. A chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub with injured soldier Lee briefly opens a door to something better.

Tickets and info 🔗 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk

09/07/2026

🌞 Too hot outside? We've got the perfect escape... we have air conditioning! ❄️🎬

Take a break from the heat and enjoy a couple of hours in our cool, air-conditioned auditorium while watching a great film on the big screen.

This is what's coming up over the next few days...

Backrooms: Everything Must Go (15)
Tonight, Thu 9 Jul, 7.45pm

Madfabulous (12A)
Fri 10 & Sat 11 Jul, 7.45pm

The Greasy Strangler (18)
Thu 16 Jul, 7.45pm

🎟️ www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk

09/07/2026

Madfabulous (12A)
Fri & Sat 10 Jul, 7.45pm. When the flamboyant Henry Paget arrives in 1890's North Wales to claim his aristocratic inheritance, his theatrical flair and defiant eccentricities send shockwaves through the upper-class elite, much to the amusement of the local townspeople.

Inspired by a true story, Madfabulous is a riotous celebration of otherness, led by fearless, fabulous performances from a top British cast.

Tickets and info 🔗 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk
📍 Film Theatre, Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY.

08/07/2026

Backrooms: Everything Must Go (15)
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Thu 9 July, 7.45pm at the Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent.

Backrooms will be presented at in its ‘Asynch Day’ extended Everything Must Go form, with a fifteen-minute epilogue after the main credits. This coda expands the film’s uncanny mythology and the temporal and spatial distortions, to redefine the Backrooms disquieting ideas and sense of dread. After a therapist’s patient vanishes into a dimension beyond reality, she is compelled to follow him into the unknown in this eerie psychological thriller. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Clark, a troubled man wrestling with unresolved trauma, who stumbles upon a hidden extra-dimensional maze beneath a furniture store; an endless sprawl of humming, fluorescent corridors where an unseen entity stalks the shadows.

Book tickets at www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk

06/07/2026

Are you ready for an unforgettable cinematic experience?

Retro Vault at the Film Theatre presents: THE GREASY STRANGLER (18)
🗓️ Thursday 16 July, 7.45pm

Big Ronnie and his son Brayden's dubious L.A. disco walking tour takes a bizarre turn when romance, rivalry, and a mysterious grease-covered killer collide.

Celebrated as a modern cult classic, The Greasy Strangler's lo-fi aesthetic, neon-soaked visuals, and bizarre synth score give it an unmistakable identity.

For one night only, brace yourself for a film that refuses to behave—an unapologetically odd, gleefully grotesque celebration of cinema at its most defiantly off-kilter.

🎥 Arrive early for our DVD Swap Box! Bring along any unwanted DVDs to swap for something new, and browse our poster sale before the film.

🎟 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk or buy on the door from 7pm.

📍Film Theatre, Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY.

British director Jim Hosking’s almost indescribable debut feature h...

05/07/2026

What's on this week..

Backrooms: Everything Must Go (15) Thursday 9 July, 7.45pm

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Clark, a troubled man wrestling with unresolved trauma, who stumbles upon a hidden extra-dimensional maze beneath a furniture store; an endless sprawl of humming, fluorescent corridors where an unseen entity stalks the shadows.

Madfabulous (12A)
Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July, 7.45pm

When the flamboyant Henry Paget arrives in 1890's North Wales to claim his aristocratic inheritance, his theatrical flair and defiant eccentricities send shockwaves through the upper-class elite, much to the amusement of the local townspeople.

🎟 www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk
📍 Film Theatre, Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY.

30/06/2026

Tuner (15), Fri 3 & Sat 4 July, 7.45pm.
Leo Woodall stars as Niki, whose extraordinary hearing makes him invaluable—not just for tuning Steinways, but for opening safes.

Blending romance, drama, and the taut suspense of a heist thriller, Tuner also stars Dustin Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno and Lior Raz.

www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk

📍 Film Theatre, The Wade Centre, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY