The HELL TOR FESTIVAL is a celebration of Devon’s heritage of horrors, celebrated by screenings, special guests and lectures on the magical and the macabre. Each year we choose a theme to focus upon. For our inaugural weekend we looked at ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ and the legends that led to its creation. This year…it’s Vampires!
Directed by Sue Thorpe of Carrion Events, with creative direction by Ashley Thorpe of Carrion Films (Borley Rectory, Woodlands dark & days bewitched, BBC’s Uncanny) the festival hopes to inspire interest and collaboration via a range of films, industry panels and practical workshops. Apart from bringing the best of film and genre talent to the South West, the festival also aims to give fledgling filmmakers the chance to not only showcase their work but meet people from their chosen industry and guide them towards future development.
Based at the award winning arts centre The Exeter Phoenix, the festival launched in 2019 and featured such guests as Jonathan Rigby, Stephen Volk, Nicholas Vince, Dominic Brunt, Lisi Russell and featured a presentation by Anna Howarth of Usborne publishing on the beloved ‘World of the Unknown’ series.
This years event features a very special ‘Ladies of Hammer horror’ Q & A and signing with Caroline Munro and Madeline Smith hosted by Jonathan Rigby alongside screenings of a couple of Hammer classics, Kim Newman discussing both his Anno Dracula series and the vampire on film, Jonathan Rigby and James Swanton (Lot No 249, The First Omen, Inside No 9) on the history of actors who have donned the Dracula cape, Mark Norman on folklorist Sabine Baring-Gould and the Westcountry links to the creation of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, a 25th anniversary screening of Jake West’s ‘Razor Blade Smile’ with director Q & A, Marc Morris from Nucleus films, writing the supernatural with Dr Rachel Knightley and much more!
This year the festival is reaching out to Westcountry filmmakers to submit short films with a folk horror or supernatural twist to be screened before our main events and as part of a special short film panel.
This years festival is sponsored by The Cellar Club (Talking Pictures TV) Severin Films and The Exeter Cavern with additional support by the BFI / South West Film Hub.
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE VIA EXETER PHOENIX.
Submit short films: https://filmfreeway.com/HellTorFestival
For more information visit https://carrionfilms.co.uk/helltorfestival/
Or check the festival FB : https://www.facebook.com/HellTorFestival
