Halifax Ghost Story Festival November 17-18, 2012

Another hugely successful Ghost Story Festival was held again this year at Dean Clough, Halifax.

The festival kicked off on Saturday morning with a lively and insightful discussion about the Ghost Story after M. R. James. Panelists included Joel Lane, Ramsey Campbell, Reggie Oliver and Ray Russell.

Ramsey Campbell, Ray Russell, Joel Lane and Reggie Oliver

 
This was followed after lunch by Dr Jonathan Miller being interviewed by Tony Earnshaw, particularly about his 1968 adaptation for television of M. R. James' Whistle and I'll Come to You, which was shown on a big screeen immediately afterwards. I don't know whether it was a result of the interview or the film being projected onto a big screen, but I have never before enjoyed this adaptation so much. After having originally watched this on TV when it was first broadcast, it was an amazing experience to watch it again in the company of its producer and director!

Tony Earnshaw interviews Dr Jonathan Miller

Following this we moved downstairs into the Viaduct Cafe where Reggie Oliver read one of his stories from Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, A Piece of Elsewhere, where his abilities as an actor were amply displayed by his use of regional accents for his characters. Chris Priestley followed with a lively reading of his story The Demon Bench End. Both were superbly narrated and greatly appreciated by the packed audience. 

Reggie Oliver reads A Piece of Elsewhere

Chris Priestly reads The Demon Bench End

Following a break the evening restarted with psychic entertainer, Max Raven, who carried out some remarkable mentalist feats, during which I think he probably involved the entire audience at one time or another. 

Max Raven

Sunday opened with an informative and lengthy interview with producer/director Lawrence Gordon Clark by Tony Earnshaw. Lawrence Gordon Clark was, of course, responsible for creating the marvelous Ghost Stories for Christmas in the 1970s. This was followed by big screen viewings of M. R. James' The Stalls of Barchester (1971) and The Signal Man by Charles Dickens (1976). 

Lawrence Gordon Clark being interviewed by Tony Earnshaw

A couple of short independent films, Vespers and The Wailing Well, wound up the festival, which finished around 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Lin and I enjoyed this festival tremendously, and it was a great opportunity to meet up and talk with old friends (though there was not really time with such a packed schedule to meet everyone). It was also a great opportunity to buy some really interesting books from the bookshop on site, which was mainly stocked with Tartarus Press and PS Publishing. Already having a large pile of books still to be read, I restricted myself to a copy of Mark Morris's Long Shadows, Nightmare Light, while Lin bought a Tartarus Press collection of William Fryer Harvey's The Double Eye.

The good news is that it seems virtually certain another festival will be held next year. I look forward to it!

Special thanks should go to Dani Grijak and her team for organising this event and for her enthusiasm for it.

Thai Ghost Movies - The Ghost of Mae Nak

Having made a start of watching Thai ghost/horror movies, last night we took a stab at The Ghost of Mae Nak. I'm glad that I watched Nang Nak first as this was a sequel set in modern times. Its plot was much more complicated than the earlier film and, moving from the rural setting of Nang Nak, this is based in present day Bangkok. It's a much more violent movie, with influences from sources such as The Omen in a series of bizarre deaths that befall those who fall foul of the ghost. One man, a thief, mirroring the famous sheet of glass decapitation scene in the Omen films, is diced not by one but by two sheets in a spectacularly gruesome comeuppance. The scenes of Bangkok itself are fascinating, especially in its backstreets and older areas, that contrast so vividly with its ultra modern skyscrapers. As in all the Thai movies I've seen recently the photography is superb. Unlike Nang Nak, the chief focus of this film is on the horror and violence, and I must admit I prefer the earlier film. Nor is the ghost as chilling as in Shutter, where it's seen less but more effectively. Still, a well done horror film with quite some meat to its bones.

Thai Ghost Movies - Shutter and Nang Nak

Watched two tremendously good Thai ghost movies this weekend. I never before realised just how good Thai films could be. These were a revelation, not only in their technical prowess (which was second to none) but also in the depth and sincerity of their story-telling.

Shutter is the more modern of the two, and is a tale of ghostly revenge, though not the one you may initially think it is going to be about. It also has one of the most chilling photos I have ever seen in a film.

Nang Nak is set in the recent past and is based on a Thai legend about a devoted and faithful wife who, even after her death, waits for the return of her husband from the war. It is chillingly beautiful with a unique sadness.

The Woman in Black -1989 TV Dramatisation

As a result of temporarily not having cable (till Virgin get round to replacing our box with one that actually works!) we watched the 1989 TV production of The Woman in Black on the computer last night. What an incredibly brilliant dramatisation (by Nigel Kneale) this was! I haven't seen the new Hammer version yet, but if that is only half as good I'd be satisfied. This TV adaptation is the second first rate ghost story we've watched this week, after the equally marvellous The Awakening.

Although, coming through Youtube, the picture quality was far from what you would expect via DVD, it was still more than well worth watching. One scene actually sent an ice cold shiver up my spine!

Halifax Ghost Story Festival - 12 November 2011

Anyone who read my write up in either Prism or here about last year's Ghost Story Festival in Halifax may be interested to know there's to be another one this year in November.


Check out details of it on the Tartarus Press blog.

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival - 29th - 31st October 2010 - A Report

The weather was blustery by the time we arrived late on Friday afternoon at Dean Clough, which is on the edge of Halifax, and parked outside our hotel for the weekend. The Travel Lodge is at the far end of the enormous mill complex, a five minute stroll to where the festival was being held. Fortunately, overnight the weather improved to become fine and bright, if slightly cold, ideally suited for what we had come for.

Our first introduction to the weekend's events was a thirty minute ghost story, Lily Rose by Canadian playwright Aurora de Pena in the gloomily atmospheric Viaduct Theatre, which is literally inside an old, brick-built viaduct with a cobblestone floor. There then followed a kaleidoscopic series of 60-second plays pioneered by Screaming Media Productions, using minimal props and sets, enhanced by the superb choreography of the actors. Lily Rose was a chilling vignette, involving three principle actors. The 60-second plays, each following immediately after the previous one, had barely a pause in between. The overall impression was one of almost delerious horror and all credit must go the the troupe of actors who took part in it for their stamina. A good start to the weekend's events.

After this we went to the nearby Viaduct Cafe Bar, which became a kind of focal point for the festival, where we enjoyed a couple of glasses of house red before retiring for the night.

The following day (Saturday) started at 11 am with a session organised by Tartarus Press. This included a fascinating talk by Mark Valentine on the Yorkshire ghost story writer W. F. Harvey, author of The Beast with Five Fingers, and an illustrated lecture by Gail-Nina Anderson, "The Ghost in the Grave", which followed the curious links between Dante Gabriel Rosette's famous paintings of his wife and so many other well known icons. The session finished with Reggie Oliver's customarily masterful reading of one of his stories, this time Minos or Rhadamanthos, which is to be published shortly by Tartarus Press and recently appeared in The Seventh Black Book of Horror.

There followed a lunch break, after which writers Mark Morris, Nicholas Royle and Conrad Williams read one of their own ghost stories and Stephen Volk showed a clip from his ITV series, Afterlife, as well as giving a brief talk about this and the problems of getting genre fiction on screen.

Following another break, Jeremy Dyson, who has a new West End production running at the moment called "Ghost Stories", read Robert Aickman's The Inner Room, which Tartarus Press have published as a slim softcover limited edition specially for the festival. As you would expect from a professional of Jeremy Dyson's calibre, this was a brilliant experience, though how he managed this reading without pausing for a drink I don't know! There followed a discussion between him and Ray Russell about Robert Aickman, of whom they are both keen fans. After this we were entertained with a rare screening of Aickman's The Cicerones, written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and starring Mark Gatiss.  

Fortunately we had already pre-booked a meal in the cafe bar before the next event, and could barely believe how delicious the pumpkin soup, assorted breads, cheese and fruit were. A good preparation for  Spirits with the Spirits. This involved actors Fine Time Fontayne and Sandra Hunt reading five horror stories, including The Monkey's Paw, inbetween breaks for the audience to sample different drinks.

After this, at around midnight, we finally made our way once again back through the deserted mill complex to our hotel, a pleasantly eerie experience, enhanced by the lights that shone up the tall, stone-built walls.

Luckily, the clocks went back that night so we got an extra hour in bed, before having to pack our bags and dump them in our car before going to Sunday's events. These started with the Annapurna Indian Dance: After Life, which was a retelling of Hindu myths in the Viaduct Theatre. The costumes and vigour of the performances were impressive, as were the brief explanations provided of the symbolic meaning behind them.  

The main event for us on Sunday, though, was the afternoon's screenings of M. R. James' "Ghost Stories for Christmas" from the 1970s. Their director, Lawrence Gordon Clark, was there to be interviewed about them by film critic and author Tony Earnshaw.  This was definitely one of the event's highlights, as were the big screen showings of Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and A Warning to the Curious. There should also have been a screening of The Ash Tree, but unfortunately there was a fault with the copy and that had to be dropped.

And then it was over and we had to set off home. It had been a fantastic weekend, though, and one which we thoroughly enjoyed, both in the events we were able to see and in the various people we met. We would like to add that the staff at Dean Clough were exceptional and we would like to give special thanks to Terry, the front desk receptionist who went out of her way to be helpful.

We hope that another event like this will be held next year at Dean Clough. From Gail-Nina Anderson we understand there is every chance one will, though probably later in the year as a Winter Ghost Story Festival. If it is, we'll be there!

Gail-Nina Anderson delivering an illustrated

 talk on "The Ghost in the Grave"

Mark Morris reads one of his rare ghost stories.

Jeremy Dyson with Ray Russell

Fine Time Fontaine and Sandra Hunt during the reading of five ghost stories, including The Monkey's Paw

The Viaduct Theatre beneath Dean Clough and, literally, inside a viaduct.

Part of the Indian Hindu dance performance

Halifax Ghost Story Festival - Halloween

It's only a few day away before we're off to Halifax for a weekend of ghosts and ghouls at Dean Clough.

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival.

I'll be posting pictures and a write-up of the event as soon as we get back, and do a piece about it for the next issue of Prism.

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival - 29th - 31st October 2010

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival

We've now booked into the Travelodge at Dean Clough for the weekend. It's not only an event we wouldn't want to miss, but it's also our wedding anniversary too. So this is a treat to ourselves.

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival - October 29th-31st, 2010

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival takes place over three days at the end of October. Some of the participants include Mark Valentine (Tartarus Press), Mark Morris, Stephen Volk, Conrad Williams, Nicholas Royle, and Chris Priestley, etc.

One of the highlights for me is Sunday when the following M. R. James adaptations will be screened:

Afternoon sessions

In The Crossley Gallery

The Ghost Stories of MR James: from Print to Film

2pm-6.15pm (screenings and interview)

Victorian writer and scholar MR James devoted his life to writing ghost stories, creating atmospheric and macarbre tales which set the benchmark for the genre (and which sometimes displayed James’s very dark sense of humour). The Stalls of Barchester was the first of James’s short stories to be adapted as part of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas strand between 1971 and 1978. This Sunday’s four hour homage looks at the work of key director Lawrence Gordon Clark, who filmed that very first adaptation and whose work is revered to this day.
Tickets: £7 all-day film pass

In The Crossley Gallery

Triple Bill: Classic Films from the MR James Ghost Story for Christmas Series

2pm-3.45pm

Three of Lawrence Gordon Clark’s landmark MR James films: a powerful, evocative blend of pre-digital film skills, superb acting and masterly direction.
All-day film pass: only £7

Triple Bill:

The Ash Tree

Dir. Lawrence Gordon Clark GB 1975. 32 mins (adv PG)

Edward Petherbridge, Preston Lockwood, Barbara Ewing, Lalla Ward, Lucy Griffiths, David Pugh

Edward Petherbridge delivers a brilliantly restrained turn as Sir Richard Fell, the new squire of Castringham Hall. In this rarely-screened MR James adaptation, the sins of the father (or in this case, the great-uncle) are visited on a new generation. Soon after his arrival at Castringham Hall, Sir Richard is plagued by visions of the past, and strange noises emanate from the old ash tree outside his bedroom window. It is said that MR James’ own terror of spiders could have been the inspiration for this sinister tale.

Lost Hearts

Dir. Lawrence Gordon Clark GB 1973. 35 mins (adv PG)

Simon Gipps-Kent, Joseph O’Connor, James Mellor, Christopher Davis, Michelle Foster

An orphan is sent to live with his elderly, well-to-do cousin, only to discover that this ancient relative is a predatory madman with a secret life that involves the search for immortality. Clark’s faithful re-telling of James’s short story is a gruesome little gem, and powerfully delivered.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas

Dir. Lawrence Gordon Clark GB 1974. 37 mins (adv PG)

Michael Bryant, John Herrington, Paul Lavers, Frank Mills, Peggy Aitchison, Sheila Dunn, Anne Blake, Viriginia Balfour

A professor follows clues left in a university library during his search for the lost treasure of alchemist Abbot Thomas. However, the professor’s greed, combined with his skepticism about the supernatural, prove to be his downfall when he fails to heed any warnings about the treasure’s mysterious guardian. This cautionary tale boasts glossy production values and some brilliantly executed shocks. Moreover the closing moments provide some of the most effective chills of the whole Ghost Story for Christmas series
All-day film pass: only £7