Rhys, who’s far cleverer than I am, it can all be done online now. We’ve had a number of feature films that have been picked up by film distributors after being shown here, but by far the biggest success story would be Marc Price, whose film Colin picked up a sales agent from our screening and then went on to be a big sensation in low-budget filmmaking. Even Martin Scorsese apparently watched it in a hotel room…we can’t help but to smile at the thought that we’ve had a tiny, tiny impact on Martin Scorsese’s life… NEB: I think the short film competition is one of the most exciting aspects of the festival because you get to see nascent talent starting out on what might become a long and illustrious film career! A short film can be incredibly powerful, and sometimes it’s a short film that can end up a favourite of the festival over all for me! It’s also satisfying to see the range of places our short films come from, some having relatively high budgets, others no budgets, as well as the different sort of filmmakers and backgrounds that we get to see.
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and gore; horror exists as an art form in so many ways and, by including it all in the price of a pass, we open people up to experience things that perhaps they may not have gone to otherwise. NEB: I think people appreciate a break from watching a screen, too… GS: Folks generally think it’s all about fear, but you always host light-hearted events too – like the mystery grindhouse, the pub quiz and the fancy dress party. For the uninitiated reader, tell us what part laughter has to play in a horror festival? GB: It’s all about having a good time! I think we’d all go a bit nuts (or bored) if we sat through six days of seeing people ripped apart by chainsaws, so we try our best to make the whole event work as a big communal experience. People laughing and having a good time is a way of making the best of having an audience, and sharing these fun moments with the same people over the course of the six days is important to get that sense of community that you mentioned earlier. Plus, what’s the point of going through the stress of putting together the festival if we can’t enjoy ourselves! NEB: Laughter is so important to a horror festival, in my opinion. In one way, it’s the welcome break from the horror itself – I think it’s easy to assume that horror fans want bleakness and gore all the time, but that’s not true. The mystery grindhouse screening is a wonderful way to cel-
ebrate the fact that much of our beloved genre is just a bit crap, and the pub quiz is likewise a celebration of the fact that we’re all a bunch of nerds who just really love what we love. I think also humour, much like horror itself, is a really powerful way of telling a story. I think that’s why so often some of our most popular films combine elements of comedy with horror – and it’s a very difficult task to make that combination work. GS: So, Abertoir 2012 is just around the corner, running from the 6-11th November. Tickets are still available. To help convince our readers to grab that credit card and pick up the phone, tell us about the films, guests and events that you are most excited about this year. GB: Well, among our guests this year, lovers of Italian horror can look forward to Catriona MacColl (star of the Fulci classics) who’s going to be making her way to Aberystwyth for screenings of two of her films on the big screen (The House by the Cemetery and The Beyond). Our opening film, The Shining, is particularly special as it’s the extended USA version which has never been released in the UK before 2012 (and also a film we’ve been dying to show for years!) But basically, if you’ve been reading about the new and exciting horror films, the chances are high that we’ll be showing you what you want. If you’re a fan of the classics, there’re some real gems for you (such as Vincent Price in the brand new digital 3D restoration of The Mad Magician) and if you want to share a beer with some of the talent behind the
GS: Abertoir is not just a film festival. Amongst other events, we’ve seen theatrical performances, art installations, debates and live music. What does this crossmedia programming give you as organisers and how do your audience respond to it? GB: It’s all about variety, and links back to our determination to show people there’s a lot more to horror than they think. It’s not all about blood
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