Mauvais Tours

The return of genre cinema to Tours

Mauvais Tours is a genre cinema festival born from the desire to revive the spirit of Mauvais Genre, a former festival in Tours dedicated to fantasy cinema. Driven by a passionate association, Mauvais Tours has set itself the mission to "bring a wind of imagination" to the city's dark rooms, with a program that mixes previews, cult classics, themed nights, hallucinatory events, and hidden gems of genre cinema.

A program between chills and wonder

The festival unfolds over four days each October and offers a rich and varied program:

• Feature film previews: discovery of new horror, fantasy, and science fiction films
• Short film competition: selection of short films from around the world exploring the territories of imagination
• Themed nights: marathon evenings around a theme, such as the "Nuit Maléfique" in partnership with Shadowz
• Masterclasses: meetings with directors and genre professionals, such as Alexandre Aja
• Cine-concerts: film screenings accompanied by live music
• Workshops and exhibitions: practical special effects, makeup, horror writing

The festival team has devised an original system for classifying films by level of fright, similar to chili peppers, allowing spectators to choose their screenings according to their tolerance for thrills.

Three emblematic venues of Tours' cultural life

Mauvais Tours takes over several venues in Tours for its screenings and events:

• Cinémas Studio: historic art-house cinema in Tours, 2 rue des Ursulines
• Le Bateau Ivre: cooperative bookstore and committed cultural venue
• L'Olympia cinema: complementary cinema hall to expand the screening offerings

A festival driven by a passion for the genre

Behind Mauvais Tours is a team of volunteers and professionals united by their passion for genre cinema. The festival benefits from the support of partners such as the platform Shadowz, specializing in horror and genre cinema, and is part of a national network of festivals dedicated to imagination. The atmosphere is both terrifying and friendly, attracting genre aficionados as well as the curious eager to discover different cinema.