A film fan is using his own collection of thousands of movies to launch a new cult cinema club in Carlisle.

The vast library inside Paul Donaldson's home cinema has inspired him to open it out to fellow film fans and he's now fulfilling a dream of offering cult movie classics to the public.

His collection is crammed with hundreds of Blu-Ray discs, thousands of DVDs and his precious collection of VHS videos, his first film love.

The Carlisle Cult Cinema Club launched last month at Harraby Community Theatre with a showing of The Evil Dead, the 1981 supernatural horror classic which is among Paul's top five favourite films.

Screening films at the theatre is a nostalgic nod back to Paul's childhood and first film influences, visiting video shops in Harraby where he grew up.

Paul, a 42-year-old delivery driver, said: "I'm a massive cult film geek but huge film fan in general.

"It all started when I was a child and I would go into the video stores in Harraby where I lived. I used to visit M&M's [video shop] in Central Avenue every day, I think they must've been sick of me going in. I pop into the video shop on Eldon Drive too. I would visit all the shops in town too with my dad Stan.

"I remember my first VHS I bought was the original Dawn of the Dead, it is still one of my favourites today. That period, the 70s, 80s, 90s was a golden time for cult movies especially because of the VHS boom and they are the kinds of films that wouldn't get made now."

He added: "I've always wanted to show some of these films, the forgotten ones, the cinema trash and treasures."

"It is nice to be showing them at Harraby, it's where I grew up and where my love of film began and all my influences were there."

Paul, who is married with a young daughter, is also planning to screen black comedy Withnail and I on June 16, close to the 30th anniversary of its US release. Its Cumbrian backdrop continues to draw fans to the county.

He has also secured a date - October 28 - to mark Halloween by showing some of his Creep Show collection.

Carlisle Cult Cinema Club's next film - Shogun Assassin - is being screened tonight.

Tickets for all screenings are available on the door.

PANEL

Paul's five favourite films

* Evil Dead and the original Dawn of the Dead - "can't pick between them, they started it all for me"

* Singing in the Rain - "one of the best films ever made"

* The Godfather - a heavyweight movie

* 1977 Italian horror flick Suspiria - remake is currently being produced featuring Kick-Ass actress Chloe Grace Moretz