DEATH will be returning to Stratford’s Guild Chapel on Halloween.
The historic chapel, on the corner of Church Street and Chapel Lane, will host a screening of Ingmar Bergman’s classic The Seventh Seal on Wednesday October 31.
The 1957 film is set in Denmark during the Black Death, and tells of the journey of a medieval knight who encounters Death and makes a bargain. His fate will be determined by a game of chess.
The image of Death is central to the Guild Chapel’s medieval past. Wall paintings dating back half a century are preserved in detail. Images of Death and the afterlife served as stark reminder to its medieval congregation of the importance of living a good life.
The film will be screened on a projector set just below the chapel’s largest and most ornate painting – an image of the ‘Doom’ – showing good souls going to heaven while doomed souls are tortured and fed into the mouth of hell.
Chapel volunteer co-ordinator Pippa Brook said: “We can’t imagine anywhere more atmospheric to screen such a cinematic classic on Hallows’ Eve.”
All proceeds will support the Guild Chapel and the ongoing conservation of its medieval paintings and past.
Tickets cost £15, and are available from Stratford Playhouse on 01789 333 990, in person from the theatre’s Rother Street box office.
Visit www.guildchapel.org.uk for further details.
