In just under a couple of months now, it’ll be time for Abertoir, the Welsh horror festival that has become an annual pilgrimage for me and a growing legion of horror fiends. I’ve had the great privilege to be asked to address the Aber crowd over the past few years, and will also be returning this time for a – hopefully – spirited debate on the essence of true horror. Now a six day extravaganza, running from 6th-11th of November, the festival features not just a packed programme of big screen horror – both new and vintage – but also wide range of other events, from macabre plays and chilling art installations, to spooky special guests and terrifying talks. When you add that this is all for under sixty quid, then it’s easy to see why it’s become one of the best-loved events on the circuit. For further details on this year’s event, consult the festival site http://www.abertoir.co.uk/ It’s the atmosphere that really makes Abertoir, though, a convivial week buried in the best the horror genre has to offer in the best of company. This is due, in no small part, to the sterling efforts of the festival’s fiendish organiser, Gaz, who, whilst very busy putting the final touches to this year’s programme, took a few minutes out to discuss our shared love of all things dark and horrible…
Are horror fans born or made? When did you first know you were a horror fiend – was there a specific film, book or suchlike that first set you on the path?
I think horror fans are made. Personally my parents have no idea why I enjoy horror as I’m the only one in our family that does! I think it’s certainly something that you pick up at some point. For me it probably stemmed from my love of science fiction and the harmless B-Movies that frequently played on TV, things such as It Came from Outer Space, The Day the Earth Caught Fire and so on. It’s a natural progression for sci-fi and horror to cross over, look at Star Trek The Wrath of Khan for example – creatures going inside ears, dead people hanging from the ceiling – all wrapped up in a cosy Star Trek blanket.
My first real horror film was The Bride of Frankenstein. I had failed miserably to figure out how to set the timer on our new-fangled VCR and it only recorded the last 20 minutes. But what an amazing 20 minutes! I was hooked after that. From the B-movies and classic Universal monster movies, through to the Vincent Price / Roger Corman films, Hammer and then eventually to the more mainstream horror. This love and respect for the classics is certainly reflected in Abertoir’s programming; we’ve tried to show people how fantastic and influential these earlier horror movies can be.
Horror’s always been a bit disreputable – I know you’ve had problems in the past with filmmakers who didn’t want to be associated with the term so turned down Abertoir. Do you think a bad reputation can also be a good thing? Is it part of horror’s unique charm?
If people don’t want to be associated with us because we’re a horror festival, it shows a level of ignorance that is all too common in this world. Our audience are very highly educated, very lovely people who have respectable jobs in all kinds of industries. Most appallingly, we were rejected a very good supernatural film the other year because the distributor was looking for “a more upmarket” audience, which deeply hurt us. I think this is inherent in the lack of understanding from people who are not horror fans. For example there are a lot of very talented academics who take horror seriously and publish all kinds of articles and books on it; horror is a very interesting genre and academic study on it in particular produces far deeper and more interesting theories than other genre studies.
I would say horror itself having a bad reputation isn’t really a good thing when you’re trying to convince people that there’s a lot of merit to the genre. Try getting funding for a horror festival, compared to a festival on art or culture… There’s a lot of stigma that horror fans just love to see people tied up in basements or being chased around the woods but as you know that’s just one tiny – albeit saturated – aspect of the horror world. In our programming, we always present some of the most thought-provoking and intelligent films that we can find. Maybe we’re fussy – we turn down so many films ourselves for not being inventive or challenging – but it’s important to show the world what the horror genre really is capable of. Even Lloyd Kaufman commented that he felt Abertoir’s audiences were among the most intelligent he had met!
Where did this bad reputation come from? I’m sure if Mary Shelly had written Frankenstein today it would have been dismissed off-hand, yet now you can find it in the classics section of any bookstore. It’s a culmination of saturation from certain horror sub-genres, offensive stereotyping of fans, and the incessant moral panic that permeates through the media. The sooner we can show that horror is a serious genre, the better. Again, that’s why we love having talks and presentations in our festival, to give substance, history and depth to what is a very interesting genre.
And us horror fans consume far more beer than fans of period drama, so we support the economy too…
You’ve had some amazing guests over the years. Have you ever been faced with any particularly peculiar requests from your galaxy of horror luminaries?
All of our guests have been absolutely fantastic! They’ve not been at all nightmarish or diva-like as you do hear from other festivals, and frankly we’re not interested in people like that. Our guests are warm, genuine and here because of the same reason we are, because we love it!
Abertoir’s adopted Vincent Price as its official mascot. What’s so special about this particular actor that makes him so iconic?
I grew up watching Vincent Price and even from a very young age his performances have been captivating. I would say his appeal comes from the fact that as well as associating himself with some fabulous films, it’s refreshing to see an actor enjoying himself so much in his roles! So on our very first festival seven years ago, we played one of Vincent’s movies, and we’ve been playing his films every year since! We were delighted when his daughter Victoria allowed us name him our official patron (saint) and to know that he would have approved very much of what we’re doing here!
One of the reasons I love horror is that I even enjoy bad horror films. If I’m honest I sometimes prefer the stinkers! Abertoir’s regularly screens a camp so-bad-it’s-brilliant classic – do you have any zero budget gems you’d particularly like to recommend to true connoisseurs of crap?
The horror film genre occupies an interesting place in that it’s one of the few genres where people also seek out films to watch based on how bad they are, and not how good. It’s an interesting question that has indeed been studied academically, and we’re more than happy to continue to fuel the fire; the list is endless! I would say, if you want a really good chuckle, my favourites are Pieces and Burial Ground. Wonderful disasters of filmmaking that are so incredibly funny on all the wrong levels! The latter being particularly memorable for its child star – played by a grown man – making incestuous overtures to his mother and proclaiming her “cloth smells of death”. WTF? Unmissable!
Finally, is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to this year? Any survival tips for festival virgins braving Abertoir for the first time in 2012?
I’m actually looking forward to seeing everyone again! It’s great that we have people coming back every year, and it’s nice seeing familiar faces! At the end of it all, the audiences are why we put on the festival and seeing everyone having a good time is why we go through the stress of organising it every year!
As for survival tips for festival virgins, I’d say go with the flow. We don’t offer multiple choices for films, it’s more of a set menu. Let us worry about planning your day: just turn up, follow the schedule, and have a good time! We don’t save the best for the weekend either, we’re six days long and if you can, join us for the whole event. It’s certainly well worth it and by the end you’ll have met loads more like-minded people, made some very good friends, and will be booking time off work for next year!
Oh, Pro Plus and hangover remedies are also advisable……
