Abertoir Horror Festival Bites Back
Abertoir Horror Festival returns for its 19th year, with a theme centred on killer animals and vengeful nature.
Taking place at Aberystwyth Arts Centre this November, demand for tickets has been so high that the festival has expanded to a bigger auditorium– complete with an even bigger screen.
“We’ve been truly blown away by the support for this year’s event,” said Festival Director, Gaz Bailey, “and we’re grateful to have been able to move to a bigger auditorium so we can accommodate even more audience members this year.”
Welsh premieres at the festival include Dead Talents Society, a hilarious and acclaimed ghost film from Taiwan; Seeds, the directorial debut from Indigenous Canadian filmmaker Kaniehtiio Horn; and the UK premiere of Decibel, which explores the potential horror of AI technology.
A highlight of this year’s festival is the return of renowned Italian composer and musician Fabio Frizzi and his band, who’ll be performing his live, composer’s cut version of the iconic soundtrack to Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters.
The film will screen with all the original dialogue and bone-crunching sound effects that make the film so loved by fans around the world, but the score, expanded into a brand new experience, will be played live by Frizzi and The Frizzi2Fulci Band alongside it.
The rest of the classic film line-up at this year’s Abertoir explores the natural horror theme, and includes Phase IV, the sole directorial credit for iconic designer Saul Bass; Grizzly, a supposed Jaws rip-off which replaces the shark with a bear; and Godzilla vs. Hedorah, one of them most horrific films in the franchise’s 70-year history.
“We started thinking about the nature horror theme back before last year’s festival,” Nia Edwards-Behi, Festival Co-director explained. “We’re hoping that through a mix of fun and more serious films and events, people will have the chance to reflect on this pressing theme.”
Other guests include author Robin Ince, who will be presenting some of his favourite animal pulp fiction books, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the publication of James Herbert’s Rats, and Aberystwyth University’s Professor Joanne Hamilton will bring science to the fiction, guiding the audience through the terrifying world of parasites.
Other films include Exorcismo, a documentary about Spanish film freedom after the death of General Franco; New Zealand comedy-horror Grafted, starring 3 Body Problem’s Jess Hong; Frankie Freako, a charming throwback to 80s ‘puppet’ horror films; acclaimed Argentinian chiller The Wailing; and a mystery bad film, presented by comedians Nicko and Joe.
The final programme is live now and can be found on the festival website (schedule subject to change). Full details of the online catch-up Abertoir Choice Cuts programme, taking place 23-24 November, will be announced very soon. Festival passes can be bought from Aberystwyth Arts Centre, as can individual tickets for Fabio Frizzi’s live performance. Single film tickets will be available soon.
