A new horror-themed arcade opens in Manchester's Northern Quarter this weekend, promising to be the UK's 'largest horror-themed retail experience'. The Killmonster Underground Markets, on Church Street opposite Afflecks Palace, is a network of rooms featuring immersive sets, independent retailers, and a horror-themed café serving Unhappy Meals.
Opening with Spookapalooza
The markets officially open on Saturday, October 16, with the 'Spookapalooza' event, featuring pop-up traders, creepy games such as Jeepers Peepers (similar to hook-a-duck with eyeballs and blood), and guest visitors including Caroline Munro, who starred in various Hammer Horror films and as a Bond Girl in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Killmonster Underground Markets is the brainchild of Daniel Mortell, who has previously run stalls in Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and Afflecks Palace. He explains that with Afflecks' blessing he wanted to open a shop that encapsulated all things gothic, horror, and alternative.
A labyrinth of themed rooms
Taking over the former Breakout site on Church Street, Daniel has created a space for horror fans. “It’s an underground labyrinth with around 6,000 square feet of space,” he explained ahead of the opening. “It’s split into different themed rooms, we’ve got a zombie room, murder zones, one that looks like a hotel room, one that looks like a bloodied kitchen.”
“We’ve decorated it with different props. At the front door we have Count Campula, who is our pink Dracula, there’s a seven-foot Frankenstein and we’ve got skeletons coming out of our ears.”
The market builds upon Daniel's own business, Kawaii Killmonster, but there will be other stalls run by independent traders. He said: “In the markets we’ve got three of our own stores, one of them is the biggest horror store in the UK, Kawaii Killmonster, and that will be permanent. There’s also a huge sci-fi store and a mediaeval mystery store.”
“When you first come in there’s the Killmonster Café, a horror-themed cafe serving up Unhappy Meals which come with black chicken nuggets, spooky fries, a spooky toy and an eyeball. We’ll have themed non-alcoholic cocktails and slushies, and we’ve also got the widest range of Monster in the world, so everything is themed.”
Community and future plans
The opening day will see Spookapalooza take place, and Daniel hopes to host it as a monthly event. “We’ll have dozens of traders on site, as well as special guests Chloe Eves, a voice actor for different anime and the horror-themed video game Dead by Daylight; and Caroline Munro, who is the original horror icon, having starred with Christopher Lee in the Dracula film.”
“We’ve got 50 golden tickets available to get an autograph from Caroline for free, as she does charge for photos and autographs. There’ll also be lots of creepy games, including Amity Attacks, which is a tribute to Jaws, and Satan’s Grotto, a version of Santa’s Grotto. It does sound a lot scarier than it is, it is family friend and there will be presents suitable for children.”
For Daniel, setting up Killmonster came after his life took a drastic turn. “I’m autistic but I didn’t realise I was until I was 39, five years ago. I found out after making an attempt on my own life, I had been working myself into the ground, running my own business in recruitment, everything was falling apart,” he said.
“I couldn’t make sense of the world. I was diagnosed with depression when I woke up in hospital but I didn’t agree with that. So I went and got the right diagnosis and decided to do all the things I’m passionate about instead and escaped the rat race.”
“I started to invest my time and energy into things that made me happy, and to engage with similar people. We’ve got a huge autistic following and most of my staff are neurodiverse, so we’ve built a community. So it’s not just about horror, it’s about a community.”
Looking ahead, Daniel has plans for Killmonster Underground Markets, which will be open seven days. “We’re at the beginning of the journey,” he said. “We’ve got a few things booked in like children’s spooky cooking classes. We’re also working with an influencer to make neurodivergent queer women's space so they can run events.”
“The markets will always be horror-themed and alternative. In some ways it’s similar to Afflecks but we will be more on the gothic side. There will be permanent traders along with space for pop-ups and community events.”
