Every parent bears a grave burden of responsibility: if a child reaches their teenage years without knowing the answer to 'Who ya gonna call?', not only are they in danger of receiving an unwanted ectoplasm glooping, but pop culture heritage has suffered a gross indignity. Ready and waiting to remedy your parenting problems is Future Cinema, Secret Cinema's slightly less aloof little sister. Waving its magic wand over the paranormal caper Ghostbusters, it's enchanting touch is in evidence before you even step through the Troxy's gilded, Art Deco doors. The most glorious melange of 80s paraphernalia bobs from Bank to Limehouse: scrunchies, leggings, bouffants and shoulder pads large enough to do some serious damage to Zoul's eyes before the Ghostbusters even arrive.
If you've yet to experience the joys of Future Cinema, imagine being dunked head first into your favourite guilty pleasure; hollered at by a Dr. Venkman lookalike striding through a miniature New York, to the sounds of synth pop and the smells of hotdogs. This exciting company blends intimate moments of character improvisation, set and costume design with nonpareil accuracy, sights, smells and sounds brimming with movie magic and family fun. The idea of 'family fun' may well be a cliche, and often one which seems to be an idealistic pipe dream, but if you can find a weekend activity that will appeal more to every single member of the family, I will happily eat my shell suit.
From impressive set pieces, splatting green goo down the walls of a swanky building (Ghostbusters cottoned on to the juvenile thrills of green slime before Nickolodeon, Goosebumps or Get Your Own Back- so you know you're sliming with the best), to the interactive screenings for paranormal activity, and the gin-laced slushies to keep the child inside happy, Future Cinema cultivates its immersive experience with sassy panache, stylish flair and sparkling efficiency. The auditorium positively fizzes with film fervour, satiating even the most ferocious of celluloid appetites. For those with a slightly shorter attention span, however - and I look now to those with a taste for E-numbers and a predilection for Justin Bieber's side sweep - the laid-back, multi-sensory nature of Future Cinema enables seat fidgeters to wander and explore if boredom sets in.
Ghostbusters, unlike it's family-friendly predecessor Bugsy Malone, is certainly more suited to the tweens and teens; a notoriously tricky market and almost impossible to engage with family fare. Fun 80s fashion, songs that might even feature on their own iPods, and a perpetual feeling of insouciant New York cool contributes to a teen-friendly atmosphere. Afternoon matinees are scheduled until Christmas, which are geared up specifically for under eighteens, although the evening shows cultivate a decidedly 12A atmosphere which shouldn't put you off braving a late night. Forget taking the family to another generic Hollywood movie, with emaciated stars, ill-conceived concepts and condiments that break the bank. You'd have to be mad to go within spitting distance of a multiplex with this enchanting world of all-encompassing cine-magic on offer... now, who ya gonna call?