The Dead Northern Horror and Fantasy Festival is coming back in 2024 – Expect a huge line up of new feature films, classic feature films, short films from some of the worlds best up and coming horror film makers, Q&A’s, live music, awards and our signature HORROR THEMED LIVE EVENTS.
Dead Northern is a Film Festival that pushes the boundaries and puts the FESTIVAL in the Film Festival! VIP Weekend Passes, day passes and individual screening tickets are available.
Details of the full line up released August 2024, limited VIP tickets available at a discount until 31 May 2024.
Here’s your guide to every screening, event and dark delight at this years Dead Northern Horror and Fantasy Film Festival 2023!
Friday – 29th September
As you join the queue in to the city screen with your fellow horror lovers, check in at our front desk with Josh, Gareth and Dave and grab your festival pass.
Head through to the main lobby and pick up any provisions you need with Cath and the team at City Screen Picture house, and head up to Screen one for your first day of spooky screenings…
11:00am – Student Short Films
‘Swine’ – one of the brilliant short films you can see in this showcase
A King in Yellow -A brother attempts to bring his sister’s sense of hearing back by performing an occult ritual involving vinyl records.
…And Again, And Again – Opening right amidst the action, a knife wielding maniac pursues his terrified victim home. Bloodshed ensues, but things are far from what they appear to be…
Serpentine Petrol Product reel No.7 ”Skin Cream” – A snake oil salesman with the latest in beauty products: A skin cream that melts away your skin.
Swine – Witness the death of society as two powerful men, driven entirely by their greed, gorge themselves on pork and wine before revealing their true nature.
Ariane’s Baby – Ariane is a single and lonely woman who craves love after a history of abusive relationships. The birth of her child represents a chance to start everything anew and form her own happy family, but she worries about not being up to the task.
Morto Rossa – A dance school organizes a mysterious casting to select a dancer for a future show. Suzie, after passing the audition, will be chosen as the lucky one.
The Machine – Alexis is a college student in her early 20s. One night while gathering with her friends she takes interest in the pinball machine in the arcade room…
Lucid – Lucid follows a protagonist, Wes, who becomes obsessed with the concept of lucid dreaming and spirals into a chase for power in his sleep.
Yokai In My House – Miyako a girl in her 20’s inherits a house in Japan. Unbeknown to her it is haunted by the Mokumokuren. Will she survive the night or will she succumb to the same fate as her predecessor?
12:30pm – ISAAC (Feature film) -Sci-fi Horror – Northern Premier with Q&A
In the near future a company specialising in cellular meat trial its synthetic technology in a bid to create the perfect child. Nicholas and Sarah are guinea pigs to this trial and are provided with a seemingly healthy son, after losing their own child to a genetic disease. As their new son, Isaac, develops he becomes increasingly violent and dangerous, leaving the parents with no choice but to lock him away and keep him hidden while they try to uncover the truth as to what is driving him insane.
2:30pm – The Good Times (Mini Feature) – Post Apocalyptic Horror
Fantastic short feature film, made by brilliant local talent and filmed in and around York!
A young man lives alone in a dystopian future, trying to survive a post-apocalyptic world and his own conscience.
One bashful vicar… One haunted nudist camp… Prepare to get the willies. In this paranormal comedy from the makers of 2018 festival-hit Paul Is Dead, BAFTA-nominee Spencer Jones leads a star cast (alongside veteran actors from ‘Hot Fuzz’, ‘Game Of Thrones’ & ‘Spaced’) as Rev Howard Lee Jr, a bashful local vicar who is called upon to save a haunted nudist camp from the prudish poltergeist covering their privates.
4:00pm – Folk Horror and Mystery Short Films
Kicking off our Folk Horror themed afternoon is a mixture of eerie short films…
‘Find You Here’ Folkloric Horror set at an abandoned scare attraction
Kiddo – On a rickety bus trundling through wilting countryside, a mysterious older woman named ‘Kiddo’ and a cohort of overexcited teenagers meander towards Wonderland, a theme park like no other. Sinister secrets await as Kiddo and her compatriots face off with their hosts and draw closer to discovering the truth of their journey.
Creulon – High in the mountains above the sleepy town of Creulon, a charismatic Radio DJ and a malicious Serial Killer share a sinister connection.
No Such thing – An obsessed alcoholic and his reluctant grandson search the Mourne Mountains for the fabled Banshee. Synopsis: Decades after his Father’s death, Paddy’s search for the mythical ‘Banshee’ is unwavering. Conor loved his grandfather’s stories when he was a child, but now an adult, he’s tired of the camping trips and the unhealthy obsessions. As the two set off into the mountains, their real struggle isn’t a ghost story, but their own decayed relationship.
The Wyrm of Bwlch Pen Barras – Early one winter morning in the rural town of Rhuthun in North Wales, three men are called upon once again to carry out a terrible assignment on the Bwlch Pen Barras mountain pass. Shot on 16mm by cinematographer Sean Price Williams (Good Time, Her Smell) and featuring a score by Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan from The Super Furry Animals, The Wyrm of Bwlch Pen Barras is a Welsh language folk horror film about modern Wales, rooted in the country’s rich mythology.
The Lure – Late at night, a lone fisherman discovers he is not the only one hoping to hook something.
Find You Here – Find You Here is a gnarly piece of folkloric horror about what happens when a toxic couple find themselves at an abandoned scare event built on evil land. Will they survive the night?
My Dreams Have Been Dark of Late – A knight finds himself at the mercy of his armour.
BREAK
A chance to come out of the darkness and find nourishment before the second half of day one…
6:00pm – Folk Horror Panel (Hosted by London Horror Society)
One of the chats talks from Dead Northern 2022
Chris and the team from LHS will be joining us all weekend and bringing some special guests from across the film industry for a good old chat about Friday afternoons theme ‘ FOLK HORROR’.
7:00pm – Sins of the Father (Feature Film) – UK Premiere – Folk Horror
After the death of his father, Aden and his mother, Sarah, find themselves responsible for the sale of his family home – a place they thought they’d left behind. When Sarah’s friends arrive to help, the task seems almost manageable. However, as they clear out the house, they uncover secrets in Sarah’s past and the sinister nature of the cultivated community Aden was raised in…. And his father’s family is not so eager to let the sins of the past go unpunished.
9:00pm – The Wicker Man (50th Anniversary Screening)
One of the original trilogy of British Folk Horror films that established the sub genre, join us in a celebration of the iconic film on a very special anniversary.
The plot centres on the visit of a police officer, Sergeant Neil Howie, to the isolated Scottish island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism. The Wicker Man is well-regarded by critics. Film magazine Cinefantastique described it as “The Citizen Kane of horror movies”, and in 2004, Total Film magazine named The Wicker Man the sixth-greatest British film of all time. It also won the 1978 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. The final scene was number 45 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments, and during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, it was included as part of a sequence that celebrated British cinema. The film brought the wicker man into modern popular culture.
10.00pm – Till Late – Welcome Social with London Horror Society (Pitcher and Piano)
For those ready to party and meet some like minded horror folk, head just 30 seconds across the road to Pitcher and Piano where we welcome horror fans to the 2023 festival!
Whether you’re a seasoned horror aficionado or a curious newbie, at our indie horror mixer you’ll have the perfect opportunity to connect with friendly and talented people, and share your passion for all things spooky! The mixer will run from 10:00pm till late, giving you plenty of time to grab a drink, mingle and make new friends in the horror community.
Freshly bleary eyed from day 1, we’ll be welcoming you back to the City Screen (Bloody Mary in Hand) for day 2 of the fest!
11:00am – Satanic & Spooky Short Films
Opening Saturdays is a fantastic group of short films celebrating everything ghostly and demonic!
‘The Unquiet Dead’ jump scares and amazing practical effects in this scary short film!
La Nueva – Maria is the new teacher who arrives at an old religious school. On her first day, she will have to teach a group of rebellious kids who are part of a punishment class. An unexpected event will turn the classroom into a real hell.
Death Date – Boy Meets Girl on the Day of His Death
Fuse – An electrician finds himself stalked by a ghostly presence as he attends a night call at an elderly woman’s house.
Sylvie Made it – In hell, the dead work in call centers under the illusion of earning a place in heaven by satisfying the living. This is not worth the money for some, except when their loved ones suddenly disappear for heaven…
The Unquiet Dead – A therapist treats an unstable young woman who claims to be harassed by an assortment of malevolent spirits – who are demanding something from her.
Ghost Insurance – Stressed about the supernatural? Paul is selling ghost insurance policies, but one family isn’t convinced.
12:30pm – Haunted Ulster Live (Feature film) – Norther Premiere with Q&A – Paranormal Mockumentary
On Halloween night 1998, TV veteran Gerry Burns, teams up with popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly to investigate poltergeist activity in a haunted house in Belfast. A seance causes the broadcast to descend into chaos. When the youngest child is mysteriously abducted by an unseen force, the two presenters must face their greatest fears on live TV.
2:30pm – Creature & Body Horror Shorts
‘The Heritage’ sure to creepy an gross you out in equal measures
The Heritage – After growing up adopted, a man makes a gargantuan discovery when meeting his biological father.
Dead Skin – Disgruntled teenager Jess has an itch she just can’t scratch and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to be rid of it.
Wormies – In 1980s suburbia, a distant family is forced to come together when the Summer’s hottest new toy, a cute aquatic pet, mutates into a repulsive monster.
Dinghy – After barely making it ashore onto the English coastline, a refugee and the man who smuggled him seek safety after a treacherous channel crossing, both pursued by and summoned to a place of darkness.
Growing Horns – On the verge of adulthood, Alva is studying meat cutting at a butchering school. Alva is severely bullied and her fellow students turn her daily life into torment. To control at least one aspect of her life, Alva has stopped eating. As the bullying escalates and her hunger grows, Alva begins to lose control of herself and sees red.
Forever – Shani and Amar are two half-dead girls, being sex-trafficked with a high price tag. When the thugs transporting them head to get food, the pair are hungry too and escape. They dodge the men in the shadows, but with hunger and dawn rising something has to give.
4:00pm – Video Shop Tales of Terror (Feature film)- Northern Premiere – Anthology Horror
A sinister video shop holds the key to a collection of terrifying VHS related tales, told by a collective of the best UK indie horror filmmakers including MJ Dixon (Pandamonium), Michael Fausti (Exit), Andrew Elias (The Numbers), Tom Lee Rutter (Day of the Stranger), Sam Mason Bell (The Millenial Killer) & Alexander Churchyard (The Allotment). With fake trailers from Tony Mardon & Geoff Harmer.
Horror legends Dani Thompson (My Bloody Banjo), Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede II) join the cast, along with Martin W Payne (Monstrous Disunion), Hannah Paterson (Horrorscopes: Vol 1), Ayvianna Snow (Vampire Virus), Annabella Rich (Hacker), Chris Mills (Terror at Black Tree Forest), Cy Henty (Cleaver: Rise of the Killer Clown), Eve Oliver (Mask of Thorn), Charlie Bond (Powertool Cheerleaders vs The Boyband of the Screeching Dead), James Hamer-Morton (Dead Air) & Glyn Angell (Tales From the Great War).
BREAK
Saturday is all about pacing yourself so have a wonder around our Bizarre Bazaar marketplace in the City Screen basement and refresh your eyes for some unmissable evening events!
7.30pm- Spirits with Spirits (Live event) Sponsored by Sinners Gin
Back by popular demand Dead Northern’s resident ghost whisperer Paul Forster will be sharing some of York’s dark secrets and spooky stories and invite the audience to tell some of their own.
Partnered with a campfire cocktail courtesy of our sponsor Sinners Gin, who will have mixologists creating you delicious drinks throughout the spooky event.
9:00pm – How to Kill Monsters – Northern Premiere with Q&A (Feature film)
Our first ever fully sold out feature at the festival, and a brilliant gore fest to round of the second day of screenings!
The sole survivor of a blood-drenched massacre must team up with a rag-tag bunch of rookie cops and lawbreakers to fight off an invasion of monsters from another dimension. With a menagerie of monsters realised entirely with practical effects and buckets of fake blood and guts thrown in for good measure, HOW TO KILL MONSTERS will scratch the itch of horror fans craving a throwback popcorn horror movie that delivers thrills, kills and laughs in equal measure.
11:00pm – Awards party
Fresh out of the sold out screening and Q&A, VIPs and filmmakers will head down into the main lobby to celebrate all the amazing creators at this years festival for one hell of a party!
Awards, live music and lots of new horror pals made, you’ll stumble home after (just about) surviving day two of Dead Northern 2023.
Sunday – 1st October
For festival goers looking to recover from Saturday night or just fuel up, there will be some amazing brunch available to keep you going for the final day!
11:00am – Thriller Short Films
‘Shut’ a spine tingling short film screening as part of the thriller shorts
Suspense filled thrillers kick of our final day, and are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!
Caterpillar – Luke’s world is rocked when a stranger shows up claiming to be his partner. Luke descents into madness as he struggles to get the bottom of who the imposter is while also experiencing his own terrifying metamorphosis.
Shut – When Jonas visits his father after a long time, he’s shocked to find him in a confused state. Has his father’s mental state badly deteriorated or is something more sinister going on?
Morgue – Working the late shift at an old city morgue, the night porter passes the time playing pranks on the corpses. His usual party tricks come to an horrific end when after a delivery of eight new bodies earlier in the day, they vanish in the middle of a power cut…
Illusion – A delicious dinner, a stage, a magic show – what can go wrong? When Lisa accompanies the nice magician home after the show, she has to learn that some tricks are better not to be questioned.
The Family Man – Roger is the perfect Family man, but he keeps secrets , secrets that must be buried deep.
12:45pm – Dead Talks (Live Event)
Way back when we first started Dead Northern in 2020 we wanted to bring our own live horror podcast to the event, finally 4 years later we pilot ‘Dead Talks’.
Talks from industry professionals on spooky subjects, all will be revealed when you take your seat…
1:30pm – Dead on the Vine (Feature film) – Northern premiere with Q&A – Thriller
As two men leave a small rural town one of them has a seizure forcing the other to pull into the nearest place – A vineyard. The women owners are deep into prep for a make or break wine tasting but the men are welcomed in. But after recovering from his seizure one man throws a violent spanner into the works, leaving his friend and the women with choices that may destroy not only their business but themselves.
3:30pm – It be an Evil Moon (Feature film) – UK Premiere with Q&A – Werewolf horror
Brilliantly endearing feature from first time director Ben Etchells.
Set in the highlands of Scotland and Northern England, a disgraced scientist develops a hair growth formula derived from pickled wolfsbane which turns him into a bloodthirsty werewolf.
5:30pm – Music Videos
Fantastically disturbing ‘Flesh’ one of many brilliant northern submissions this year
Crooks Heart of Vengance – The story of a scientist inventing the key to eternal life. A couple of thugs steal his invention and leave him and his daughter for dead. In order to come back to life he sells his soul to the devil. Armed only with a heart of vengeance, and an Axe, he hunts down the crooks one by one. . . . They picked the wrong man to kill!!
Hoodie On – The fantasies of a serial killer. A car driver going fast on the highway. A murder has been committed.
Old Flames – A haunting portrayal of a recovering addict learning to live with her demons.
Subvisions – Flesh – Joshua is walking his dog into a dark tunnel and is attacked by a gang of carnivorous old people. They want his flesh.
The Windstorm
Candlestick Maker – Alien Chicks
BREAK
Almost reaching the end of Dead Northern 2023 and your final chance to enjoy the fantastic venue and city we call home for the weekend. Grab yourself some scran and then settle in for a brilliant final double feature!
7:00pm – Perfectly Good Moment (Feature film) – UK Premiere – Sci-fi Thriller
This psychosexual thriller asks the question: what happens when the things that make your relationship passionate and exciting are the same things that make it toxic? Ruby and David have been together on-and-off for 8 years, since she was 19 and he 34. Six months after Ruby last ran out on him, she has returned. Once the initial bliss of the reunion wears off, old toxic patterns re-emerge. Is David too demanding and controlling or is Ruby just too sensitive? Is Ruby as delicate and demure as she appears to be…or is there something more sinister behind the surface? Why did Ruby really come back? Perfectly Good Moment is Lauren Greenhall’s narrative directorial debut. It features Broadway star Stephen Carlile in his cinematic debut and Amanda Jane Stern (1 Angry Black Man, Lifetime’s Amish Witches). It marks Stern’s first feature screenwriting credit, and boasts an original score by Mdou Moctar’s Mikey Coltun.
8:30pm – Puzzle Box (Feature film) – UK Premiere – Found Footage Horror
Puzzle Box follows the story of a struggling drug addict, Kait (Boyé), and her younger sister, Olivia (Denne). Running from a violent incident in her past and not wanting to go back to rehab, Kait flees to a remote house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, where Olivia joins her to document the process. But they quickly find that the house isn’t what it seems and the internal layout is constantly changing, trapping them inside an inescapable puzzle box of a house. As they attempt to solve the mystery and find a way out, they discover there are far worse things in this house to be afraid of.
We hope you brought a spare pair of trousers… DN Alumni Jack Dignan returns with a punchy found footage horror leaving you terrified just before we send you back home on Sunday night!
Check out the full festival programme and get your tickets here!!
Gin and horror films – a combination as old as time, no? Well, at the Sinner’s Distillery, we make gin and happen to love horror films, so they work well together in our mind! Imagine then, when we got offered the chance to team up with the gang at Dead Northern, how could we say no? Adding our little slice of hell to their horror film Mecca was a no-brainer. Sinner’s Gin was born out of a want to polarise audiences with our adoration of rock music and demonic imagery, and because we’re big horror buffs ourselves, it was a marriage made South of Heaven!
We’re Tom & Alex, the team behind Sinner’s Gin! Come say hi at the Dead Northern Film Festival in September, we’ll be hanging around all weekend flogging merch, taking orders for bottles of alcohol, and talking all things from Yorkshire Tea to the Terrifier franchise.
So, what is Sinner’s Gin? Sinner’s is a London Dry Gin, which amazingly doesn’t mean it is made in London! For those unfamiliar, a London Dry Gin means it is made traditionally in a pot still, with the predominant ingredient in the botanical mixture being juniper berries. Aka, a proper gin (but one that doesn’t taste like paint stripper). Coming from sunny Wakefield (read: some dive in West Yorkshire), we had to bring a little bit more than just a traditional flavour palate to our concoction, which is why we used a few botanicals to hail where we’re from.
Liquorice root is a traditional botanical in gin, and we use it in tribute to our nearby town of Pontefract (think Pontefract cakes). Liquorice adds a notable sweetness to gin, and adds viscosity to the liquid, giving it a lovely mouth feel.
Ginger and a ginger peppercorn called Grains of Paradise, are used by us to add a bit of depth and peppery heat to the gin. This is in tribute to Yorkshire being the place where ginger beer was first created many moons back in the 1700’s – bet you didn’t know that one!
Finally, we always joke that Wakefield is famous for 2 things – the maximum-security prison that holds Britain’s most dangerous criminals, and less interestingly, forced rhubarb, grown in the winter. We’re part of what is known as the Rhubarb Triangle, and so we had to incorporate a good whack of that pink goodness into our gin. It makes Sinner’s a little sweet, a bit sharp, and really delicious!
So, what about the bottle? We enlisted a well-known tattoo artist from Leeds to help craft the attitude on display. The bottle will always grab your attention on a shelf, but the taste will keep it. We put a blank canvas in front of Simon, gave him the brand name, and said “we don’t want to be in a Tesco. Make it outrageous.”
A few weeks later, he stuck Baphomet, a deity of hell, on the front of the bottle and the F-word on the back – can’t ask for much more outrageous than that, can you? We knew we were onto something when the 8th generation Master Distiller we designed our recipe with, who was going to produce our first batch while we were setting up, turned around and said to us that unless we changed the branding, he would refuse to distil for us. Rock and Roll!
Sinner’s works exceptionally well in most gin cocktails too! The reason being that we pack so many citrus notes in, that normally go undercover in a G&T, cloaked by the allure of delicious rhubarb, but come out swinging with the right love and attention, as do the ginger and cinnamon when called upon in heavier situations like a Negroni. We often have fun creating brand new cocktails, and we will be for the York event in September, but a crowd pleaser we crafted some time back was our gin-based tribute to the classic Lynchburg Lemonade cocktail, named after Lynchburg, Tennessee – the home of the Jack Daniels distillery. Instead, we lovingly named ours after an area of Wakefield reputable for widespread graffiti and adoration for cheap booze. Here’s how to make the Lupset Lemonade:
Ingredients:
50ml Sinner’s Gin, or another contemporary London Dry Gin. (Think Fifty Pounds or Monkey 47)
25ml Cointreau
25ml fresh lemon juice
Grapefruit Bitters (or your favourite alternative)
Citrus of choice to garnish
Lemonade to top up
Method:
The best way to start is by garnishing your glass. Firstly, give a couple of good shakes of grapefruit bitters into a glass and give it an upside-down twirl to encourage maximum coverage of your vessel. Angostura bitters work fine, and it is more traditional for the bourbon cocktail we based this off, but the smell of clove can be a bit overpowering if you’re heavy handed, so we recommend citrus-based or even rhubarb bitters should you feel inclined!
Then stack ice cubes and your favourite citrus slices into the glassware – you can make it as artistic as you like! We typically use lemon and lime to encourage the Sinner’s gin to start singing, but orange or grapefruit are excellent too.
In a cocktail shaker, pour your gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice, top up with as much ice seems sensible, pop your top on and give it all you’ve got! We find that shaking with fresh lemon juice works best, you oxidise some of the oilier compounds, and it takes the right edge off everything being just too strong. Stirring works nicely if you’re not confident with a cocktail shaker, but try them side by side and you’ll understand what we mean.
Strain the cocktail shaker and pour into your glass, about 70-80% full. Then top up with a classic lemonade to taste. Feel free to garnish with whatever you like to wow your guests, some candied rhubarb and dried orange works nicely, but the result should be a real sucker punch of sweet citrus, with a refreshing tang from the lemon juice and the bitters. Crucially here, the gin isn’t the notable star, because it forces everything else into the spotlight. The orange peel and rhubarb we pack into Sinner’s pushes the Cointreau onto the palate, with the coriander seed and liquorice root adding a delicate lemon sweetness to the cocktail.
Feel free to experiment and make this little sip of enticement your own though! We’ve made it with blood orange juice in the past, as the picture below, and it worked exceptionally with the more bitter notes in there than the traditional lemon.
Stay hydrated you reprobates; we’ll see you in September!
Join us on Saturday 19th August at 6pm for a special Troma film event, featuring the viewing of two exceptional films, My Bloody Banjo and Eating Miss Campbell – both directed by a great local talent, Liam Regan. After a successful tour in the U.S. with Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Enterprises (The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke Em High), Liam is excited to be hosting this one off double bill screening. This is a must see event for horror and B movie fans alike!
Only 50 tickets available for this special event!!
The screening will also be accompanied by:
Q&A with director Liam Regan after both screenings
Signing and photo ops from director & lead actor Lyndsey Craine
Chance to win Troma merch and props
Exclusive recorded intro by Lloyd Kaufman (EMC producer and creator of the Toxic Avenger)
And MORE surprises!
Food and drinks available from SPARK traders and bars
On-site toilets available including accessible facilities
Air conditioned venue space
LIMITED TICKET AVAILABLE, SO BOOK YOUR SPOT NOW!
STRICTLY 18+ EVENT so please bring ID
WARNING: These movies are not for the faint hearted or easily offended!
*T&C’s By purchasing the ticket for this event, you consent to receive occasional promotional emails from sparkyork.org. You can unsubscribe at any time
Whether you’re a fresh fresh-faced youngster who’s just turned 18, new to the horror genre or a veteran fan who decided to venture from the comfort of their couch. There’s a chance you’ve never been to a horror film festival, so we’ve put together this short guide on what to expect.
At Dead Northern, we have our own unique way of doing things, but there are themes and experiences that are common to all film festivals (horror or otherwise). So whichever event you choose you’ll find a great place for fans and filmmakers alike to come together and celebrate their love of all things spooky and showcase some of the best and most unique horror films from around the world. You’ll often find special guests, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, costume contests, and other exciting activities.
Here’s what you can expect at a horror film festival:
Screenings The focus of any horror film festival will be its line-up of movie screenings so expect to see some truly terrifying movies. You’ll get to see new releases, classic favourites, and a host of shorts from up-and-coming filmmakers.
One thing that makes horror film festivals so exciting is their variety of films. Whether it’s slasher flicks, psychological thrillers, or supernatural tales, there will be something for everyone at these events. You can also expect to find some lesser-known independent films that don’t normally get much attention in mainstream media outlets. Many festivals also include short programs or themed blocks that focus on specific subgenres such as zombie films or creature features. There’s usually something new and unexpected each year!
Panels & Events Many horror film festivals also include panel discussions with filmmakers, actors, and other experts in the industry. This is a great opportunity for fans to interact directly with their favourite creators and gain insight into how they make their movies come alive on screen. Other events may include Q&As with cast members or costume contests where attendees can show off their best ghoulish looks! Don’t forget to bring a pen and a programme as the end of a Q&A can be the perfect opportunity to get some celebrity signatures.
Q&A with Charlie Adlard at ThoughtBubble 2022
Special Guests
Many horror film festivals feature special guests from the world of filmmaking who provide unique insight into their work and experiences with making scary movies. These guests often include directors, writers, actors, producers, and other industry professionals who have made significant contributions to the genre over the years.
You may also find that these special guests are there for the duration of the festival, so keep that pen and programme handy for signatures.
Just remember that because someone is famous, they’re still human beings. So, treat them with respect, no one wants a pen shoved in their face and they don’t owe you a signature.
Fun Activities & Events
Most horror film festivals go beyond just screening movies by offering fun activities like costume contests, trivia nights, scavenger hunts, escape rooms, haunted houses, and more! This is a great way for attendees to take part in some extra entertainment while celebrating their favourite genre.
At Dead Northern, we’ve hosted a Séance (pretty sure that’s a first), campfire ghost stories with the audience and A horror-themed Prom just to name a few.
Spirits with Spirits – Telling Ghost stories with audience participation
Merchandise Horror movie buffs know that merchandise is an important part of fandom culture which makes it no surprise that many horror film festivals have vendors selling memorabilia like posters, t-shirts, DVDs, collectables and more at their events. It’s always fun browsing through these booths filled with spooky goodies! Check out our Dead Northern Signature merch here or go to our Etsy page for more horror-related merch click here
Friends & Community
Like most things in life, doing them in the company of others only enhances the experience. So, if you’ve got like-minded friends book together and come as a group.
If not, it doesn’t matter if you come on your own. You’re in a cinema, and you’re going to be watching movies and likely sitting next to a stranger for days, so just say “Hi”. Ask any film festival regular and they’ll be able to point to at least one close friend they made from attending an event. And don’t worry about being shy, if one of the Dead Northern team sees you floating around on your own, we’ll come and chat with you. It’s all part of Northern hospitality!
Old and new Friends at Waxy O’conners Frightfest 2022
Networking
There’s a time and a place to be throwing business cards out like a magician, and the festival isn’t one of them. That said festivals are a hive of industry talent so talk to people (outside the screenings!). You never know, the next person you talk to may just be the scriptwriter you’ve been looking for.
Networking at Dead Northern 2022
Parties
When the movies stop the parties start! Every film festival will have a party of some sort. At Dead Northern expect live entertainment, live music, awards, and a bar that’s open ‘til the early hours. This part we love. Dead Northern was born from a beer festival, we like a party.
After party and awards at Dead Northern 2022
Atmosphere
Last but not least – don’t forget about the atmosphere when attending a horror festival! Expect lots of cosplayers dressed up in costumes inspired by characters from your favourite scary movies along with plenty of decorations throughout the venue set just the right mood for some frightful fun! Overall, if you love horror films then attending a local or international festival should definitely be on your bucket list this year! There are so many amazing experiences waiting just around the corner – all you need to do is take that first step towards discovering them yourself…
We can’t wait to meet you at one of our events but it’s only fair to give a shout-out to the other festivals scaring people up and down the country – Check out our post about the other horror film festivals in the UK.
If you’ve decided you’re going to join us at one of our events make sure to read our top ten ways to survive a horror film festival.
Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange.Special Screening Event – 4 April, 7.30pm, Odeon Harrogate.
Harrogate Film Society are hosting a special screening of Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed 1972 film Clockwork Orange on Monday 4 April at the Harrogate Odeon. The evening’s entertainment will also include a screening of a new documentary- Tick Tock Tolchock– about Kubrick’s collaboration with Anthony Burgess the author of the original novel, as well as other later collaborations. There will be a book stall at the screening operated by local independent bookseller Imagined Things, providing opportunities to acquire a copy of A Clockwork Orange. Other Burgess titles and books about Burgess and Kubrick will also be available.
Published in Great Britain in 1962, A Clockwork Orange would help secure Anthony Burgess’s position as one of the country’s foremost novelists. Initial sales were not encouraging but the book became popular within counter-culture circles of artists and writers in the US and UK. When Kubrick began filming Clockwork Orange, he was already regarded in Hollywood both as an auteur and box office gold. In productions including Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick had combined aesthetic originality, technical brilliance and commercial success. He brought all of this expertise to what would prove to be a highly controversial film.
The new documentary,Tick Tock Tolchock, explores Burgess’s development as a writer and looks at where Clockwork Orange sits within the careers of both Burgess and Kubrick. The film also considers the controversies raised by the release of Clockwork Orange and offers a new perspective on the original film, fifty years after its release.
Doors open at 7pm and the screenings start at 7.30pm . Tickets £5 on the door. HFS members FREE.
Paul Forster has invited Josh and Gareth from Dead Northern to experience Harrogate’s first Ghost walk! And given that Harrogate is the spiritual home (pun intended) to the Dead Northern Horror Film Festival we thought it would be rude not to take him up on that offer.
First things first, it’s Winter, in North Yorkshire! At the best of times, that would mean some pretty brutal weather but on this particular night, Mother Nature decided to put on a real show for us! With weather warnings across the United Kingdom, and especially harsh for the North of England, right where we are.
Whilst most folk would look out the window and opt to stay in the warm and stick on a movie, we put on our big boy pants (and took some spares), coats & scarves, and set out into the dark, cold, windy Harrogate evening. Telling ourselves that nature’s special effects of howling winds, freezing rain, and creaking trees are just going to add to the atmosphere.
Paul Forster Harrogate Ghost Walk
The Ghost tour starts at 20:15 outside the Royal Pump Room Museum, and it doesn’t take long before Paul has us engaged in stories both paranormal, historical, and comical. Now, we don’t want to include any spoilers as we 100% recommend that you experience the Ghost Walk for yourselves. So we won’t include any more of the specific locations but the Ghost tour stays in Harrogate town Centre.
Like it says on the tin, this is a WALK and the tour is a decent track around town. Harrogate does have a few hills so we recommend a decent pair of shoes and wrap up warm if you’re joining in the winter months.
If you’re a visitor the walk doubles up as a fantastic tour of Harrogate as well as a spooky adventure. If you’re a local, the Ghost Walk contains a great deal of history about the town! Do you know where the jail was?
This isn’t just a walk around town with a guide yelling anecdotal yarns about otherworldly experiences though. The tour contains as much lesser know history of Harrogate as it does the supernatural. It’s obvious that Paul has done his research and this is a tour with purpose and direction, so if your find yourself wondering why you have stopped outside a building, you can be certain that it is because it’s haunted.
Paul Forster – Harrogate Ghost Walk
The Ghost stories themselves are interesting, engaging, and unique to Harrogate. This is a refreshing change, given that we’re so close to York, a city that is known globally for Ghosts and the paranormal and tends to steal the limelight.
It’s also worth noting that if you’ve got any ghost stories of your own do let Paul know, he loves to listen to the audience as much as talk, and if your story is from Harrogate who knows your story may become part of the tour!
Whilst we didn’t see any Ghost this time. We’ll definitely be back, this is one of Harrogate’s best and most unique events and we thoroughly recommend it.
Paul Forster – Harrogate Ghost Walk
For more information:
We’ve even got an interview with Paul Forster which you can read here.
We love Ghost here at Dead Northern and when we found out that our hometown of Harrogate now had its very own Ghost tour we had to find out more. So we tracked down the guide of the Harrogate Ghost walk Paul Forster, and took him out for a pint, because, who doesn’t like a local beer and a good old chinwag about the paranormal.
Q. You’re an entertainer by trade and the Harrogate Ghost walk isn’t your only performance can you give our readers some more details on who you are and what you do?
P. I trained as an actor and worked professionally as one on stage and for the radio for years. I also dabbled in close-up magic but I always found it to feel like a bunch of ‘tricks’. Then I found out about mind-reading which I believe is more personal and engaging as a performance. I started working as a mind reader out of my pure love of entertaining others. I have been making people smile and laugh at weddings, parties, and corporate events all across the UK. It’s always a thrill for me to leave people knowing I gave them a unique and entertaining experience at an event.
On a darker note, I also perform Victorian seances at some of the most haunted places around the UK. This recreation of a traditional parlour show aims to educate, entertain and scare the hell out of you in equal measure. My shows are all heavily researched, well-written, and rehearsed. I always attempt to take a real moment from history, something tragic, sinister, or simply interesting and use the story and characters to create a truly unique dark piece of theatre.
So creating a ghost walk felt like a natural progression. Combining my training as an actor, my research and writing skills along with my love for the paranormal.
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Q. Harrogate is more known for afternoon Tea and Spa water rather than Ghosts and the otherworldly, what inspired you to produce a Ghost walk?
P. I grew up in a haunted house, strange things often happened and I couldn’t explain them away. I would always seek out a rational explanation but when I often couldn’t I assumed something else was going on. When I visit another town, city, or country, I always seek out a ghost walk. I find it is a fascinating way of getting to know the area as well as the history, plus they’re mostly always a bit of fun and very engaging.
When I moved to Harrogate I found there to be no ghost walk. I thought that perhaps Harrogate wasn’t that haunted, but I was very wrong. It has taken me 6 years to get myself into a position whereby I could launch my ghost walk. I wasn’t working on it the whole time, other projects got in the way and the COVID hit me just as I was about to launch it.
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Q. The ghost walk takes you on a fantastic tour of Harrogate, and provides as much historical insight into the town as it does the paranormal, where did you find all of your information?
P. I have worked in the museum sector for a number of years and as such, I have a love for history and am a skilled researcher. I bought and read a lot of local history books, this allowed me to seek out some of the oldest buildings, or discover the former usage of some of them. I found a lot of the hotels were requisitioned by the army during World War II to be used as field hospitals, so naturally one can assume that these places could potentially be haunted. I spoke to staff and the locals and found that I was right. I started digging and interviewing people to find a wealth of spooky tales.
I put an advert out on Facebook and the local paper ran an article asking for people to come forward with their own ghost stories and I was inundated with a lot of haunted happenings. I have the local people of Harrogate to thank for a lot of my stories.
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Q. What sort of reactions do you get when conducting research about a location?
P. I mainly get two reactions, the first is that businesses do not want to be associated with ghosts. This could be for a number of reasons like personal views on the subject matter, or that they don’t want to scare customers away. Secondly and mostly I get a lot of people sharing some wonderful tales of creepy stories and hauntings.
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Q. The tour is entirely outdoors, have you spoken to any owners of the locations about doing an indoor event?
P. The original intention was to finish the walk inside a haunted location but due to the pandemic, I decided against this. I don’t think you need to be inside a building to fully immerse yourself in the story. The aim of my ghost walk is to provide a great story and some history in an entertaining fashion whilst encouraging people to visit the places in question in their own time. I get. A lot of local people exclaim that they’ve not been in half of the pubs, bars, or hotels we discuss on the walk. So I would hope that these people not only learn something new about their town but also visit some of the new locations we discover on the walk.
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Q. Have you or any of your audience experienced anything paranormal whilst on the Ghost Walk?
P. This is an interesting question, as I believe that only the individual can answer that. What is paranormal to you may have a rational explanation to someone else. However… there was a photograph taken by a guest on one walk whereby it looks as though the light cast from a street lamp creates a face in some sort of mist which is hanging in the air. I assume the mist is caused by someone’s breath as it was a cold night but I cannot explain the face.
There was a young lady and her mum who were staying in the incredibly beautiful and incredibly haunted Crown Hotel who posted a review of the walk the next day. Along with some kind words about the walk, she went on to say that during the night, their suitcases were knocked over in the dead of night, with no explanation of how it could have happened.
Finally, at the end of every walk, we conducted a spirit bell session. This is an old Victorian method of communing with the dead. You ask a spirit a question and hope to receive one ring for a ‘YES’ answer and two rings for a ‘NO’. We carry out this experiment outside of the famously haunted Harrogate Theatre and we have had mixed reactions. On some occasions, the bell has rung and provided answers for every question, on some nights nothing at all happens and although this is disappointing it does demonstrate that the spirits are in control.
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Q. When Dead Northern joined you on the Ghost walk, we also experienced storm Arwen, and the joys of ice-cold torrential rain, wind, and sleet. We think that just added to the atmosphere, but it’s obviously not everyone’s cup of tea. When is your favourite time to do the tour?
P. Having only run the Harrogate ghost walk since October 2020, I haven’t had much experience of performing it at other times of the year. However, I would say that a cold, dark evening (with no rain) would be the best time for any ghost walk. I am looking forward to hosting the walk during the summer months as the weather will be much improved but I do wonder if the lighter nights may affect the spooky atmosphere, we shall have to wait and see.
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Q. Harrogate’s a big town are there any places that you would have liked to get on the walk but had to leave out?
P. There are loads of stories from further afield. I include three of my favourite on the tour which includes the former Granby hotel, The Cedar Court Hotel, and Ripley Castle, the latter of the three having the most ghost stories. But there are some great tales which have taken place on the moors, such as a couple of farmers who were working late one night on the tops at Blubber houses. It was a dark night and a low mist descended without warning. Their field of view went down to a mere few feet. They decided to stay put where they were rather than risk injury walking in the dense fog. A few minutes passed when they heard what sounded like footsteps marching. Then from out of the mist came an army, a literal army of men dressed in old-fashioned clothing and armor marching over the moors. The two men stood on and watched as the soldiers marched along paying them no heed, their legs below the knee were beneath the ground. The army along with horse-mounted soldiers disappeared into the dark night air. I don’t include this story in the walk but I intend on changing the stories on the walk so that people who have already experienced the walk can come back again for some new tales.
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Q. You’ve mentioned some of your other performances, what have you got coming up in the future?
P. I have a few Victorian séance evenings planned throughout next year which utilise real hauntiques, or haunted antiques. An object which has a spirit attached to them and a spooky tale to tell. I am really looking forward to an event with you guys, ‘My Bloody Valentine, The Seance.’ I have something really special lined up for this, a tale of true love lasting beyond the grave! I have tracked down a couple of incredibly haunted pieces and can’t wait to see what happens on the night. With the event taking place at The Crown Hotel, I am sure that we will experience some unexplainable events. The hotel is very haunted and the room we are hosting the event is known to have some ghostly activity from time to time.
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Dead Northern has been on the Harrogate ghost walk, and we can confirm it is awesome.
For our full take on the ghost, walk click here
We recommend experiencing the Harrogate Ghost Walk for yourselves.
For more information about the Harrogate Ghost Walk go to https://www.harrogateghostwalk.com/
Get Tickets for Haunted Harrogate’s Ghost Walk at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/harrogate-ghost-walk
Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Churchill Theatre Bromley
Thursday 30th September – Saturday 4th December 2021
Full casting has been announced for the thrilling new touring production of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Taking on the role of Ichabod Crane is Sam Jackson (Skins, E4; Beautiful Thing, National Tour) alongside Rose Quentin (York Witches Society, MSR Media), Lewis Cope (Vera, ITV; Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall) and Tommy Sim’aan (As You Like It, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; Doctors, BBC). They will join the previously announced Wendi Peters and Bill Ward.
Adapted by acclaimed playwright Philip Meeks (Murder, Margaret and Me; Harpy), and under the direction of by Jake Smith (The Hound of the Baskervilles; A Christmas Carol; I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard), the premiere production seeks to unleash terror on the stage. The ghoulish and edge-of-the-seat experience will tour theatres across the UK from September.
An exciting creative team will resurrect the Headless Horseman and bring the Hollow to life, with jaw-dropping illusions by Filipe J. Carvalho (Back To The Future The Musical; Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things), design by Amy Watts, choreography by Chris Cuming, lighting by Jason Addison and sound design by Sam Glossop. Transforming the American Dream into the American Gothic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a heart-pounding visual masterpiece revitalising the classic text for new audiences.
With Hallowmas fast approaching, Sleepy Hollow simmers with anticipation. Arriving as the new teacher, Ichabod Crane finds himself embroiled in the secrets and unsettling traditions of the locals. However, all is not as it seems. When disturbing events overwhelm the small town, he finds himself swept up in a dangerous mystery which leaves him doubting his own sanity.
Producer Katherine Senior of Tilted Wig Productions comments, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set to be an epic piece of theatre, combining a stellar cast with a fantastic script and theatrical illusions that will blow your mind! It’s incredibly exciting to be creating new work once again for the regions, as we’ve been planning this production for some time. We are thrilled to be heading back on the road and cannot wait to visit local theatres with this show.
Notes to Editors Show The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Running time 2 hours, approx.
Age guidance 12+
Original concept Washington Irving
Adapted by Philip Meeks
Director Jake Smith
Cast Wendi Peters, Bill Ward, Sam Jackson, Rose Quentin, Lewis Cope and Tommy Sim’aan
Designer Amy Watts
Lighting Designer Jason Addison
Sound Designer Sam Glossop
Movement Chris Cuming
Illusions Director Filipe J. Carvalho
Producers Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Churchill Theatre Bromley
Performance Dates
30th September – 2ndOctober Churchill Theatre Bromley
A fertilizer used in a rich gated community becomes the source of a genetic mutation that transforms its residents into zombies. Can a teenager and his baby sister break free from the quarantined island before turning into grass?
