And so it came to pass that, at last, I would make my way under a bleak, grey sky to The Filmhouse yet again for another feat of horror. Twice in the same year? Oh, the madness.
Strangely enough, my first experience with the horror festival here in Edinburgh was a fantastic one but not really the genuine article. FabFest 2010 was a filler because the usual premiere horror event wasn’t happening this year.
Then it was.
But only for one day and certainly not in it’s usual Springtime slot.
Adele Hartley is the woman to thank for all of those seeking their genre kicks in Edinburgh and, from my sample experienced on this one day, I can assure fans that they are in very capable hands (even if those hands put themselves at risk during terrible blender incidents resulting in stitches – an incident that when related to the audience at least set the tone for things to come). A programme that included some absolutely brilliant feature films with a wide array of impressive shorts, Dead By Dawn was a most delectable treat, even in truncated form.
And here is what I saw.
1) The Director’s Cut (2009)
2) Cropsey (2009)
3) 5150, Rue Des Ormes (2009)
4) Red Velvet (2009)
5) The Book Of Zombie (2010)
and, of course, here are the selection of short films too.
For horror fans, there is something inherently satisfying about a person/group of people helping you to take over a cinema for your own viewing pleasure and allowing you to join like-minded folk in enjoying the cream of the horrifying crop. Which is why I am already impatient for Dead by Dawn 2011, which will return to its fuller format.
Thanks to The Filmhouse staff yet again, everyone involved with Dead By Dawn, the rest of the audience members, Mollie King, Thomas Hefferon and, of course, Adele Hartley (Edinburgh’s very own princess of cinematic darkness).
