SevenStreets is a bit of a sucker, ahem, for horror stuff. We were once at a midnight Halloween double bill of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist at the London Road ODEON where, despite our partner nearly vomiting at what was referred to as the ‘meat-hook incident’, the immediate environs at 1AM on a saturday night were rather more frightening.

A decade on, moving a hundred yards down the road, we were at a showing of Hammer’s take on Dracula last night – a wonderfully inventing night taking place at the neo-classical St George’s Hall and making rather more effort with the ambience that sticking some plastic fangs into the mouths of pimply minimum wagers.

As part of the Jameson Cult Film tour, the north entrance and Concert Hall were decked out in appropriately spooky fashion, while a number of actors menaced guests with aplomb.

Free cocktails were also greatly enjoyed, particularly by SevenStreets, though we’re not sure whether the lack of any hangover this morning was due to the lack of booze therein or the smoothness of the whiskey. Let’s go for the latter, eh?

The Terence Fisher film – scripted by horror ledge Jimmy Sangster and featuring the combined and significant talents of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Michael Gough – is, of course, excellent and the Hall lent a gothic bent by all the atmospheric additions.

Free film nights, and horror films, can be problematic in the sense that audiences are frequently restless and nonplussed watching a film they may not have much interest in; whereas horror films seem to bring out a witless nervous laughter in more delicate souls.

As a peerless curmudgeon SevenStreets is annoyed by both of these things, but the imbecility of a few failed to spoil our enjoyment.

With the free booze, a superb use of a wonderful venue, a rare chance to see a horror classic on the big screen – note to Liverpool cinemas, more of this please! – and the great attention to detail, Jameson’s Cult Film Club felt like a rare treat in Liverpool, and we’re not just saying that cos we sucked the bar dry.