Within the shadows of Camden, down by Mornington Crescent tube station, there’s a sleepy little parade of retailers on Eversholt Avenue. It has a few barbers, a cycle and restore store, two magnificence salons, a long-established Japanese restaurant, a barbecue place and, in fact, a department of Costa espresso.
Except you’re strolling to Euston or heading to Koko, it’s not a vacation spot per se. It’s an atypical London avenue lined with a number of Victorian buildings. Nestled close to the tip is quantity 245, a cavernous little restaurant that runs deep into its basement. Misplaced Souls is the world’s solely vampire pizzeria.
It opened in 2017 beneath the title Misplaced Boys by the use of tribute to The Misplaced Boys horror film. Then, distributors Warner Bros got here calling and so they needed to change it. Misplaced Souls is nonetheless decked out in and dedicated to The Misplaced Boys memorabilia, with a whole bunch of references to the 1987 cult basic, together with a poster signed by the forged. It nods, too, to The Exorcist, which the restaurant’s proprietor Pete Clucas first watched when he was six.
Pete grew up watching scary films in a video store in Liverpool run by his a lot older brother. His job there was to rewind the tapes. He moved to Islington when he was 17 and now resides in Margate. A self-identified “misplaced soul” and “spooky child”, his devotion to the darkish trigger runs deep. He has masterminded a singular supernatural lair for London’s ghouls and goths.
It’s not nearly very light-tasting black charcoal-based pizzas with balsamic pentagrams, or the Misplaced Boys themed cocktails. There’s one referred to as Solely Noodles, Michael. See under.
There are additionally a pink velvet-lined coffin for the undead, vampires within the hallway and a scary child doll trapped within the window bars. Among the finest bits is the lethal humorous graffiti within the loos, (instigated by the proprietor, “Yer ma’s acquired a baldy head”) revealing the dark-hearted reciprocal humour of the restaurant patrons.
Misplaced Souls works as a result of all people is in on the joke. Goth and metallic tunes full the ambiance and you’ll anticipate to listen to Tim Capello and his sax throughout your meal.
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I’ve been to Misplaced Souls many instances earlier than, each earlier than and since a stunning arson assault decimated the place and melted all of the wiring. This time I’m taking two good buddies. Each have labored within the music trade for many years, however regardless of being very distinguished within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties, they’ve by no means understood the attract or sound of “goth” and so they’ve by no means seen The Misplaced Boys.
In contrast, I establish as a creature of the evening. Not less than, I did in my teenagers, and my teenagers have by no means left my soul. I watched The Misplaced Boys repeatedly with my finest pal Babs. We have been obsessed, may recite each line, and, madly, in Los Angeles in 2001, I had the great fortune to fulfill and spend a night with Kiefer Sutherland, one the celebrities of the film, doing precisely that.
Again within the right here and now, I’m wanting over the themed menu and my first buddy arrives chuckling at his strange environment. Then my second buddy arrives, his eye having caught a neon signal outdoors that reads, ‘The facility of slice compels you” (an Exorcist joke). He proceeds to ask me about this place I’ve booked, what the hell it’s, and is it Hell that he’s in. “It’s like a satanic Madam Tussauds in right here,” he says.
To boost our expertise, Concord, the Misplaced Souls entrance of home darkish queen, is at present accompanied by Rely Orlock, a particular visitor vampire visiting to honour their Dangerous Friday promotion. They’re greeting prospects at tables and my ‘Madam Tussauds’ pal appears wherever to keep away from eye contact with the Rely.
Orlock is an ideal mixture of humour and horror, concurrently unnerving and delighting all pizza-eating goths. Beneath the disguise is Lani Masks, a 22 year-old, self-taught and extremely artistic costumier from Lambeth who designs and makes his personal gear and works at Robert Allsopp.
Our Kiefer-inspired excessive power waiter, Rae, initially from Delaware, and who I’ve been served by earlier than, has been at Misplaced Souls for 5 years and is an skilled deliverer of the complete expertise. I fancy the Tower pizza, however am additionally tempted by the Coffin Dodger and Demise choices. One buddy is having the Santa Carla, and we chortle at Fangs for the Reminiscences. My different buddy asks for a “small chunk’, with a fast look round to verify Rely Orlock isn’t looming close to his neck.
The workers and repair are an enormous a part of the draw of the place. The restaurant’s recruitment adverts particularly hunt down misplaced souls in London, people who really feel they don’t belong elsewhere. “The choice communities have nowhere to name their very own that’s a restaurant,” Pete Clucas has stated. I discuss to Alice, upstairs mixing cocktails, who began in July and feels “now not misplaced, however discovered”.
Such is the ability of the slice. And Misplaced Souls’ distinctive pizzas actually are about one of the best in London. We’re given a free black, sugary, pink cherry jam Bombo Doughnut to complete, which is bloody scrumptious.
After a powerful debate about goth music (wherein I’m victorious – “You don’t need to beat me, you simply need to attempt to sustain”) we exit to the road. There’s a funeral parlour straight reverse. I hadn’t observed it on the best way in and I’m startled by its befitting location. I spin round, half anticipating Misplaced Souls to be gone, disappeared. Nevertheless it’s there. I nonetheless imagine.
Chilling addendum: In a later chat with Pete, I discover out that the basements of the funeral parlour and Misplaced Souls buildings meet one another beneath the center of the road. The parlour’s morgue and the Misplaced Souls cupboard space is separated solely by a brick wall.
Pete didn’t know this when he purchased the constructing: He tells me: “No one desires to be down there alone. I slept there as soon as. Creepy issues occur, stuff strikes and touches you.” No surprise the pizza is useless good.
