London Fortean Society

Moral panic, myth, and the macabre: Video nasties in the 1980s and beyond. Thursday 21 November 2024 6.30 pm doors. 7 pm start.  £10 / £7 Concessions Advance Booking Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn London Fortean Email List When the widespread introduction of the VHS cassette changed the face of home entertainment in the early 1980s, it wasn’t long before video rental store shelves were filled with lurid tapes promising orgies of sex, violence, and terror. In this talk, authors David Kerekes and Jennifer Wallis explore how the panic over ‘video nasties’ developed: prompting raids and arrests, implicating films in real-life murder cases, and targeting film dealers, distributors, and viewers. They will ask how far policies and campaigns directed at video nasties — not forgetting the marketing of these films — created a mystique and mythology of their own, as fans sought out every tape on the famed video nasty ‘list’ produced by the Director of Public P

When the future is uncertain, people often turn to occult and cosmic guidance through methods such as astrology, Tarot cards, phrenology, and other forms of truth-seeking. Join us for an in-depth exploration of predicting the future through magic and not-quite-science. Saturday 16 November 2024 10.30 am doors. 11 am - 5 pm £18 / £13 Concessions Advance Booking Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn London Fortean Email List Confirmed talks. More to follow.  Kelly-Ann Maddox – Using The Tarot Kelly-Ann Maddox is an award-winning professional Tarot reader, witchcraft mentor, and author. Her approach to the Tarot focuses on enhancing mental well-being, encouraging spiritual evolution, and addressing real-world challenges. In her talk, she will explore the value of Tarot as a tool for navigating life’s obstacles and as a powerful magical instrument. Prepare to be inspired and motivated, with new ideas on how to use your Tarot deck to achieve personal growth. Jen C