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Home-made horror

Nearly 100 people packed into the newly-refurbished Printworks on Claremont to view the 2012 Hastings Film Challenge, this year with a theme of “Terror vs. Horror”. In a blatant attempt to establish himself as HOT’s film critic Richard Hull braved the zombies and luvvies to bring this report.

So very H&SL – “Bring your own seat” they said, so I took my yoga bolster but I needn’t have worried about keeping my back straight. There was more than enough to make me sit up and take notice as we were subjected to the full range of takes on the terror/horror theme.

Still from 'The Brian That Wouldn't Sleep'

Still from 'The Brain That Wouldn't Sleep'

For those still unaware, the Challenge (now in its seventh year) requires film makers to produce a short film in only five days; the films are then judged and a prize awarded for The People’s Choice as chosen by the audience. This year that accolade went deservedly to The Demon Tree directed by Amy Turner and it was also the judges’ choice of Best Film. With easily the best script of the evening, this mockumentary (of director and cast discussing their new horror flick) cleverly demolished the preening vanity of young male Hollywood arrivistes.

My invented prize of Most Resourceful Production went to Bev Francis’ stop-animation film What Happens When You Die, shot entirely on her daughter’s broken iPhone with a cast of characters painted onto eggs – raw eggs, as became evident when each met their untimely end.

Still from 'The Ghouls of Bohemia'

Still from 'The Ghouls of Bohemia'

The evening’s other offerings were equally exemplary of what is becoming known as The Hastings School of film making – quirky, keenly-observed and way ahead of the avant-garde. Worthy of mention was John Clube’s very slick production of The Brain That Wouldn’t Sleep; and Anuffa Film’s The Ghouls of Bohemia which was not actually an entry in the Challenge but had one of the best lines of the night: “The ghost of John Logie Baird’s television still lives on in this house”.

For further details see http://www.hastingsfilmchallenge.com

And see The Ghouls of Bohemia here.

 

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Posted 11:12 Wednesday, Sep 26, 2012 In: Film

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