This is why Halifax staff think a projectionist that burned to death is haunting the ATIK

Staff at the Atik nightclub are convinced the former cinema is haunted – by the ghost of a projectionist who burned to death during a horror film showing 70 years ago.

Raymond Farrar was just 25-years-old when he perished while an audience of 600 people watched the film ‘The Ghost Of Frankenstein’, which came out in 1942.

But the movie-goers were unaware that a blaze had broken out upstairs in the building, which opened in 1913.

Reporting the incident on April 9 1948, The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian said an audience saw a flash of red rip through the film before the reel cut out and they realised the building – then simply called The Picture House – was on fire.

Attempts to rescue Mr Farrar, who was the father of a seven-week-old baby, were in vain.

Previous staff at the club in Halifax town centre said the “ghost” had tousled hair and dressed in black trousers and a crumpled white shirt.

Atik Halifax general manager, Adrian Broadhead, said: “There’s definitely been some ghostly goings on around here.

“I’ve been in rooms before and felt a presence but turned around and there’s no-one there.

“Hand driers sometimes turn on and off and we’ve heard loud banging noises on a number of occasions, which sound just like the ladies toilet entrance door in Vinyl opening and closing, but whenever we investigate there is never anyone there nor any reasonable explanation….so we put it down to Raymond.

“My assistant manager will always call out ‘Hello Raymond’ whenever this happens, just to ease his nervousness but he’s not heard any sort of response….yet!”