Bradford horror film festival proves a big hit (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Fans flock to Fantastic Films Weekend at National Media Museum

9:26am Monday 13th June 2011 in News By James Rush

Tony Earnshaw as a zombie

Horror, science fiction and fantasy fans from across the UK flocked to Bradford for the tenth Fantastic Films Weekend.

Organisers said the festival at the National Media Museum has been the most successful in its ten-year history.

The annual event attracts guests and audiences from across the country, with highlights this year including talks with Hammer Horror film director Peter Sasdy, stage director and film-maker Sir Jonathan Miller and cultural guru Professor Sir Christopher Frayling.

Festival director Tony Earnshaw said: “Pass sales are up, the numbers of people coming through are up and the reaction from people has been tremendous.”

Films from the canon of horror and fantasy, such as The Exorcist, sat side by side with cult “trash” movies, including C.H.U.D and the most up-to-date shockers, such as Hobo With a Shotgun.

Mr Earnshaw said: “We have had a lot of people coming up from London and coming down from Scotland and over the Pennines.

“A lot of it is down to social networking – there has been a lot of traffic on Facebook and Twitter and I think partly that is down to the programme and people getting excited about the programme. But it is also partly down to the guests – anybody connected with Hammer gets a good reception.

“Pretty much every big city does a horror festival, but this one is slightly different because it is in the museum and it covers horror, science fiction and fantasy.

“Given the ongoing success of the event, I would love to see it continue to grow.”

• Read the full story Monday’s T&A