Barbara Crampton, Rick Wakeman, James Cosmo, Toyah Willcox, Neil Marshall and Bernard Rose amongst dazzling array of guests set to re-animate FrightFest

Scream Queen legend Barbara Crampton is Film4 FrightFest’s special guest icon, appearing in no less than four films in this year’s line-up. She stars in WE ARE STILL HERE, ROAD GAMES and SUN CHOKE plus makes a cameo appearance in TALES OF HALLOWEEN. Not only will Barbara be introducing all her films, she’ll also be talking about her amazing career during a special interview event, hosted by Alan Jones, on Sun 30 Aug, 9.15pm. 

She said today: To say that I am overjoyed, excited and eager to attend FrightFest as a guest is putting it mildly. This festival has been on my radar for some time and to be included and have four films screening is a welcome nightmare from which I hope never to wake”.

FrightFest also celebrates the prolific and enduring artist Graham Humphreys, who will be talking about his career designing posters in the DRAWING BLOOD event on Sun 30 Aug, 7pm. Another special event to look forward to is Film4’s own Catherine Bray, who will be hosting a DIY FILMMAKING panel discussion on Sun 30 Aug, 11.15am.

FrightFest is also delighted to host British writer/director Bernard Rose. The director of the highly acclaimed cult horrors PAPERHOUSE and CANDYMAN makes a triumphant return to the fear forefront with his FRANKENSTEIN reboot.

There will be a stellar line-up for both the opening and closing films. In attendance for CHERRY TREE will be director David Keating and leading cast members Anna Walton, Naomi Battrick, Sam Hazeldine, Patrick Gibson and Minnie Phipps. For TALES OF HALLOWEEN there will be three of its directors – FrightFest veteran Neil Marshall, Axelle Carolyn and Mike Mendez.

The eclectic mix of guests also includes AAAAAAAAH! debut director & actor Steve Oram and his co-stars rock legend Toyah Willcox, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Noel Fielding and Alice Lowe; Director Corin Hardy will be taking time out of prepping his reboot of THE CROW to present THE HALLOW; director, and ‘Emmerdale’ soap opera legend, Dominic Brunt, will be there with his latest thriller BAIT, alongside leading cast members Joanne Mitchell and Rula Lenska and Paul Hyett will be introducing the world premiere of his creature feature HOWL with cast members including Rosie Day and Ed Speelers. We also have HAWK THE SLAYER director Terry Marcel with star Ray Charleson and composer Rick Wakeman and for CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, Brian Clemens sons, Sam and George Clemens, will attend, alongside Hammer Horror legend Caroline Munro.

Directors will be out in force this year. Joining us in the main screens are NINA FOREVER directors Ben and Chris Blaine, CURVE director Iain Softley, ROAD GAMES director Abner Pastoll,  DEATHGASM director/writer Jason Lei Howden, JERUZALEM directors Doran and Yoav Paz, NIGHT FARE director Julien Seri, SOME KIND OF HATE director Adam Egypt Mortimer, THE DIABOLICAL director Alistair Legrand and WE ARE STILL HERE director Ted Geoghegan.

Given the expansion of the Discovery Strand it’s no surprise there are a record number of directors supporting their films. These include SUMMER CAMP director Alberto Marini, Director Valentin Javier Diment, who will be coming from Argentina to present THE ROTTEN LINK and Nathan Ambrosioni, the 14-year-old French director of HOSTILE, who, legally won’t be allowed to watch his own movie.

Let’s hear it too for directors Mark Murphy (AWAITING), Adam Levins (ESTRANGED), Russell Freidenberg (WINDWALKERS), Liam Regan (BANJO) Jaron Henrie-McCrea (CURTAIN), Benjamin J Cresciman (SUN CHOKE) Ruth Platt (THE LESSON) Eugene McGing (THE UNFOLDING), April Mullen (FARHOPE TOWER), John Fallon (THE SHELTER) and Paul Goodwin (FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000AD), who is attending alongside regular FrightFest guest, producer Sean Hogan.

There’ll be other familiar faces too…HANGMAN director Adam Mason is back, alongside MOST LIKELY TO DIE director Anthony DiBlasi, NEVER LET GO director Howard Ford and WORRY DOLLS director Padraig Reynolds.

The stars of the films are here in their charismatic numbers (with more to be confirmed) and include Diana Vickers (AWAITING), Abigail Hardingham and Cian Barry (NINA FOREVER), Andrew Simpson (ROAD GAMES), James Cosmo, Amy Manson and Nora-Jane Noone (ESTRANGED), J.LaRose and Castille Landon (WIND WALKERS), Laurence R. Harvey and Dan Palmer (BANJO), Angela Dixon (NEVER LET GO), Robert Hands, Evan Bendall, Martin Pryca and Michaela Prchalova (THE LESSON) and GODDESS OF LOVE star, co-writer and producer Alexis Kendra.

Key producers and writers attending include DEATHGASM producer Sarah Howden, producers Junyoung Jang and Guillaume Benski (ROAD GAMES), producer Shaked Berenson (JERUZALEM), WIND WALKERS producers Strath Hamilton, Marcy Hamilton, Heather Rae and Dori Sperko, CURTAIN producer/co-writer Carys Edwards, III producer Frank Ellrich, THE SHELTER Exec Producer Berge Garabedian and CONTRACTED: PHASE 2 writer Craig Walendziak.

Festival promo trailer: http://youtu.be/VVN7WRjOrVs

Single tickets cost £13.25 and go on sale Sat 25 July at noon and will only be available online at: https://live.advancedticketing.co.uk/k?v=frightfest

Screens 5, 6 & 7 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Screens 3 & 8.  The Discovery at The Prince Charles cinema strand will be in Screen 1.

For full programme details go to: www.frightfest.co.uk