© London FrightFest Ltd. 2000-2007

5th September 2005.

It is almost a month since FrightFest 2005 and it is time to look back at the big event. Our first year in our new home, the Odeon West and everything went swimmingly. Alan has already told Penguin Books how much you like his Rough Guide to Horror Movies. Paul is working on his Hi-Di-Hi routine. And Ian is taking elocution lessons. We looked like a proper film festival. That's the one overriding feeling we got from this year's FrightFest event. It was very much a leap in the dark going into the Odeon West End for us all. But it was the right thing to do for so many reasons. We attracted the sponsorship we needed to be able to lay on the Dead Day extravaganza. And surely seeing George Romero on that stage was the major highlight in our entire six-year history? We had the space and a proper bar area to congregate in - although it was heartening to see so many people milling around outside just like the old days. From the screening, sound and air-conditioned points of view the venue was by far the better option albeit the issues over the seating losing comfort as each hour passed by. But what cinema anywhere isn't going to have a downside. Err; the wooden seats in Fantasporto anybody!

Frankly FrightFest this year was a monumental undertaking for us. Everything got ratcheted up on the organisation side but we hope that didn't show, compromise our accessibility or the feeling of community that is so important to us. The disastrous/hilarious Hideo Nakata link-up, (Stephanie, can you ever forgive us?) the FrightFest short clapometer competition and the last quiz round proved that nowhere is better than FrightFest for witty, informed audience participation. Regarding the quiz next year it will just be the fun spoken round. Likewise, the notice board; it was a good idea but too small to work.

Can we just clear up a few post-mortem points we see cropping up on the forum. Alan knows Anatoly Fradis, the producer of both Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and its sequel Rave to the Grave. Obviously he asked for the movies but because Fradis has not sold them yet to the UK declined because of print piracy concerns. More Night Watch-type security anybody!

Can we also clear up the whole film vs. DVD argument? Every title shown on Saturday August 27 either didn't exist on film anyway (Do You Like Hitchcock?, Dead Meat, Wild Country, The Roost) or could only be shown that way because of distributor contracts (Neighbor 13, 2001 Maniacs). We had to hire all the top of the range equipment to show these at vast expense so any argument about it being a cheap cost option on our parts is nonsense. Next year the Odeon will have all this equipment installed as regulation. So no more show reels in black and white. Regarding Boo, we finally found out why the print in Germany was not given permission to be sent out to us. Producer David Allen suffered a heart attack just as he was about to okay its shipment. We send him our best wishes for a swift recovery. And thanks to UIP for letting us have Red Eye at the 11th hour. It proved to me the right pick-me-up at the right time.

Like Alan and Paul squabbling incessantly over the merits of some of the films that get into our line up (Alan hated Marebito but because it was winning countless awards thought it should be shown), we know each title will have its fans and detractors. That's as it should be and what it's all about. You can all at least say you seen Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist even though it was probably the slowest film programmed. Okay, Day of the Dead 2: Contagium anybody?

Short of a broken mirror and toilet seat (the latter proudly displayed in their main office), the Odeon staff couldn't have been more accommodating of the event. Yes we know they completely lost the early plot over our ticket popularity but they certainly made up for it over the weekend. They have already asked us to come back next year. And we will. Especially as we now know not what to do and much as what to build on. As always your support will be crucial in helping us keep FrightFest at the fantasy horror forefront.

We are heading off to Brighton on 26th November for a FrightFest Presents event at the Duke of York's Cinema and we may be off to Glasgow in February for a FrightFest Presents day as part of the Glasgow International Film Festival.

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Until the next time.