Altitude, out 18 October

Frightfest 2021

A man of many talents, passports and identities arrives at England’s broken heart, a haunted midlands town that has collapsed to a black hole of dreams, only to find that this new territory is as at least as strange and dangerous as he is.

Alan Moore (Watchmen, V For Vendetta, From Hell) should definitely not work for the Northampton Tourist Board (or maybe he should?) if this vision of his hometown is anything to go by. A magical, dark and seedy place, one of the characters describes it as the heart of darkness, and on the evidence here, that’s not far off.

Written by Moore and directed by Mitch Jenkins (as was their 2014 anthology Show Pieces) we follow Fletcher Dennis (Tom Burke, Strike) – in a shocking fright wig – who is trying to track down a stolen artefact. So far, so clear, and then everything goes a bit… Moore! Nobody is who they say they are, hidden motives are revealed, and characters indulge in bizarre nightclub dreams where acts like crooner Herbert Sherbert (complete with Hitler moustache) entertain the crowd and a woman attacks a man with a pineapple.

Imagine Royston Vasey (The League of Gentlemen) had a twin town, and that town would be Moore’s Northampton, by way of Twin Peaks. Everyone speaks witty, pun-filled dialogue, delivered in a deadpan manner. Even Moore turns up, a moon-faced, deceased comedian who invades your dreams, and there’s also a nice turn from Julian Bleach (Doctor Who) as a hospital porter, and whose vampire name is Orloff.

At just under two hours it’s a little long, and your chances of working out the plot are minimal, you just have to sit back and let the pande-Moore-dium ensue. This will either amuse you and hold your attention or you’ll be switching off after ten minutes.

Verdict: Moore fans will lap up this crazy, colourful circus – and I had a lot of fun with it. The uninitiated are just as likely to be irritated and wonder what on Earth they’re watching. 7/10

Nick Joy