FrightFest’s New Blood Returns

frightfest new blood

For the fifth year, Arrow Video FrightFest will include the New Blood initiative, which encourages new talent to submit their scripts for the chance to take place in a special workshop with some top industry professionals.

Applications are open for 10 days from July 19th with potential participants asked to submit a 400-word proposal through the dedicated New Blood page on the FrightFest website and if selected, each writer is expected to submit the first ten pages of their script idea. The deadline is 28th July. All successful applicants will be notified by July 29th and then will be requested to send over their sample script pages. All participants are expected to pay for their own travel to, and accommodation in, London.

To apply: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/NEWBLOOD.html – please read the Terms and Conditions.

The New Blood networking and workshop event will be held on the morning of Thursday August 25th, the opening day of this year’s festival, in a Central London venue

To date, the scheme has delivered two new projects: Broadcast Signal Intrusion, written by Phil Drinkwater and Tim Woodall and directed by Jacob Gentry (The Signal) was produced by Greg Newman, Nicola Goelzhaeuser & Giles Edwards at Queensbury Pictures and premiered to enormous acclaim at FrightFest 2021, and The Change, written by Carina Rodney has been optioned by another acclaimed UK producer.

Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures said, “Having already achieved the initial aim of New Blood, with the discovery of the phenomenal script Broadcast Signal Intrusion from Phil and Tim, which then exceeded our wildest expectations as a finished feature, and another of our mentors falling for Carina’s *absolutely wild* The Change, we’re supremely confident that the cream of UK genre writing talent is out there, just waiting for the opportunity to wrench our collective gut with their visions of true terror.”

Greg Day, co-director of FrightFest added, “For FrightFest to be continuing to support and enable aspiring scriptwriters to have this opportunity is very gratifying, especially as Giles and Queensbury Pictures have proved that they really mean business and are not just playing industry lip-service. Good luck to the New Blood class of 2022.”

Arrow Video FrightFest 2022 takes place from Thursday, August 25th to Monday, August 29th at Cineworld, Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema.

Hex Studios’ LINGER Launches ‘Hellion Video’ Label

hex linger

The Scottish genre outfit Hex Studios, best known for cult horrors Lord of Tears and The Devil’s Machine, has announced its latest horror feature, the first in a new offshoot that seeks to champion unique voices in the genre. Titles under the Hellion Video label will feature hand-painted, VHS-inspired cover art, and present bold, original stories with an underground/experimental vibe that will set them apart from the mainstream.

Linger, the first film produced under the new banner, tells the story of the ‘Ghost Crew’, a small-time documentary team, as they unravel the chilling mystery of a notorious abandoned hospital and the tragic events that have taken place there. The locals say the place is cursed, that death will come to all who dare venture into its bleak halls. As the team closes in on the truth, they become targets for the dark forces at play, and a search for answers becomes a battle for survival.

Written by and starring Tom Staunton, and directed by Lawrie Brewster, Linger is a unique horror hybrid that blends the documentary style of Lake Mungo and Noroi the Curse with the haunting aesthetic of Scottish folk horror films like Lord of Tears and The Wicker Man.

Starring alongside Staunton are Megan Tremethick (The Lockdown Hauntings), Antony Strachan (Whiskey Galore), Gordie Holliday (The Devil’s Machine), Richard Pate, Nick Ford, Jon Vangdal Aamaas, and Alexander Zorn.

The filmmakers have just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the final stages of post-production and to support future projects under the Hellion Video label. An array of rewards are on offer, from Collector’s Edition Blu-rays to T-Shirts, books, and original artwork. The film, a co-production between Hex Studios and Needle’s Eye Productions for Hellion Video, is slated for release in December.