In our opinion Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser‘s chattering cenobite) is one of the nicest men in horror so we just had to go and see his one man show I Am Monsters as it opened 2019’s London Horror Festival at Islington’s Pleasance Theatre.
With a run time of around an hour we had just about enough time to join Nicholas on a trip from childhood and the corrective surgery on his jaw to becoming a movie monster and a Marvel comic writer, with the odd dramatic reading thrown in. From cowering behind the sofa watching Dr. Who to discovering the safe haven of books on Greek and Norse mythology in the school library and Aurora glow in the dark model kits we discover how he grew to identify with the monsters as the heroes at the mercy of the mob of ordinary folk. Humorous anecdotes about coping with full face cenobite make-up on and around the Hellraiser movie sets are tempered with memories discovering his own sexuality and the then contemporary demonization of gay people by the Thatcher government and the climate of genuine fear and uncertainty that it engendered for the gay community.
Vince is an engaging and often very funny performer who grasped the audience’s attention from the very start of the show right up to until its conclusion leaving us with the very real question of who the real monsters are.
A polished performance that is both witty and tragic, but ultimately uplifting we give I Am Monsters a 666/666.
I Am Monsters runs until Thursday 10 October at the Pleasance Main House. The Pleasance is at Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF. Nearest tube is Caledonian Road on the Piccadilly Line.Tickets and information here
The London Horror Festival runs until 2 November info and tickets here
The Horror Hothouse 
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