Prepare to be spooked out of your skin as Spook Screen Festival returns to Cork

This year’s season of goodwill is about to get a little scary as the annual Spook Screen Festival returns to Cork city for another year.

The festival, which celebrates the horror and fantasy genre, kicks off on Friday, December 6, and runs for three days across three Cork venues.

Stephen Broekhuizen is one of the festival organisers, and he says the team are excited to use Civic House Trust as one of their venues this year.

“Civic House Trust is one of the oldest houses in Cork, and it has a lot of history, so that will add to the atmosphere of our horror films,” he said.

“They are also brilliant supporters of the arts, so it is great they have embraced Spook Screen.”

The festival programme is predominantly made up of short films but includes some features. This year, the festival opens in the Pav on Friday with a special screening of the classic feature film Fright Night, a vampire flick from 1985, and closes on Sunday night with the 2015 horror film The Witch, which will play at the Kino.

This year, the programme includes 95 films, which Broekhuizen says consists of a new category.

“As well as our international films, we have four programmes of Irish-made shorts, and for the first time, we have a programme of Irish student shorts, which are horror films made entirely in Ireland by students.

“It is great to see the horror scene starting to pick up in Ireland and be able to support new talent through the festival.”

Broekhuizen notes that although there isn’t a theme throughout the programme, the entries are much creepier than in previous years.

“There are a lot of creepier films than we are used to seeing at the festival, and there is a massive jump in the number of horror films being made in Ireland compared to previous years, which is great,” he said.

“We had so many Irish submissions this year that we couldn’t show them all, but it says a lot for the future of Irish horror films.”

Broekhuizen says that Damian McCarthy, whose Cork-set Oddity was one of the biggest horror hits of the year, is inspiring a new generation of Irish filmmakers. “When film students talk about horror and Irish filmmaking, many talk about how much Damian’s work has influenced them. He is a brilliant filmmaker; being from Cork is a bonus.”

The festival will also premiere Burnt Flowers, a new film by writer-director Michael Fausti, who has a long history with the festival.

“Michael has shown several of his films with us over the years. He is a brilliant filmmaker, and we are thrilled he has chosen to premiere Burnt Flowers on Saturday night in Civic Trust,” said Broekhuizen

Many filmmakers return to Spook Screen yearly, and Broekhuizen says the team’s dedication to horror makes the festival so appealing.

“The nice thing about filmmakers who return is that they know we created Spook Screen because we love horror,” he said.

“We aren’t a festival that adds in a horror strand to have another programme; we have a huge interest in horror and do this for the love of the genre rather than to make money from it.”

“They know they can come back, and we will ensure they play in front of the right audience.

“Sometimes, you go to festivals that are not geared towards horror, and they don’t always get the right audience for a horror film, but coming to Cork, they know they will get the right audience, people who enjoy and get horror.”

Broekhuizen explains that their approach and ethos make Spook Screen appealing to film-makers.

“We’re not in this to make money,” he said. “We don’t make any money. It’s completely non-profit.

“For us, it is all about the films and the filmmakers. It is a nice way for filmmakers to meet up.

“The screenings end early enough so people can chat, drink, and meet other filmmakers. We finish with an award ceremony to mark the best films in the festival, and all the winners, especially the ones who travel from around the world to Cork, really appreciate getting the chance to be involved with a festival that is made for and by horror fans.”

Tickets for all Friday, Saturday, and Sunday films are free, but must be booked in advance as space is limited.

This year, there is an additional feature which takes place the day after Spook Screen ends. A Hell Of A Difference is a new horror comedy from Deep Red Productions in Cork, written and directed by Broekhuizen and fellow Spook Screen organiser Emmet O’Brien.

The film was shot in Cork over six days with a tiny budget, and Broekhuizen is delighted to say that Arc Cinema is supporting it.

“The film had its world premiere as part of the IndieCork film festival, where it was screened to a sold-out audience at the Arc cinema,” he said.

“Given the fantastic response, the Arc is bringing the film back for one night on Monday, December 9 at 8:50, and tickets are available through the Arc Cork through the Arc Cork website.”

The film follows Hannah, who goads her friends into summoning a demon, but ends up with a demon in training who needs help to earn his devil horns.

The film stars local actors, including Ciaran Bermingham, Michael Keane, and Mark Atkin, who starred in The Hobbit and Krampus.

Spook Screen runs from December 6 to 8. For tickets and information, head to www.eventbrite.ie.