It is the late 1800s in an archaic institution in France, and sideshow owner Dr Haze buys the madhouse to present his new show to rival L’Operetta and soon-to-be dancehall of decadence the Moulin Rouge.

He liberates the lunatics and slaughters the evil wardens; and while France sleeps, the inmates run riot.

Gathered together by Dr Haze, they then become performers in his spectacular show called Bloodythirsty and Burlesque - but all is not well and an apocalyptic nightmare beckons.

Shock, surprises and bleak, black humour mix with witchdoctors, voodoo acrobats, a pickled person, bendy bodies, demon dwarfs, blood-curdling stunts and flying lunatics erupting from a tank of water into the roof of the auditorium suspended only from chains.

Live devil-driven rock n’ roll from the The Interceptors From Hell powers the whole weird circus along.

The Circus of Horrors pitches up at Margate Winter Gardens on Saturday, November 8, at 7.30pm

For ticket information contact the box office on 01843 292795/296111 and visit www.margatewintergardens.co.uk