Have you ever been to Whitby? You really should. It’s a hauntingly picturesque British coastal town steeped in romance and vampire mythos. Whitby is where Count Dracula first landed in England. Science fact! Albeit a fact tainted very slightly by virtue of being utter fiction. Whitby is also the home of jet – not the Tom Cruise-infested superplane, but that wonderful black sparkling gemstone that Victorians draped themselves with to signify mourning. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Whitby is also where my seafaring friends live, which is why if you look very closely at the Whitby scenes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you’ll notice their sturdy little yellow dinghy bobbing on the distant waves.

Hammer! Horror! Films! Halloween!

The Bram Stoker International Film Festival is an annual event, one of the largest UK-based genre film festivals where horror fans and vampire lovers gather to congregate every pre-Halloween. Whitby is no stranger to vampire-loving tourists, and the whole town has opened its doors to the concept of a yearly Bram Stoker festival. As a result, the weekend of 14-17 October (before the 31st so you can still get your Halloween fix) will see Whitby transformed into a profusion of Victoriana, vampire balls, Hammer Horror films and more unusual entertainment for rum coveys than you can shake a stick at, even if the stick is battery-operated and vibrates. No, not that kind of stick. Dirty. I meant another, entirely hypothetical stick.

Halloween film festivals - Bram Stoker International Film Festival

This year’s Bram Stoker International Film Festival offers a sumptuous feast of fangs ‘n’ film. What can you expect in BSIFF 2010?

Bram Stoker International Film Festival 2010

Indulge in over 40 Hammer Horror films
Witness one of the world’s largest Hammer Horror exhibitions
Readings and lectures and meetups galore
Never-seen-before photos, classic film artwork and film posters
Special guest: Emily Booth (horror pin-up girl)
Special guest: Robin Hardy (Director of The Wicker Man. The first Wicker Man. We don’t talk of the second).
Special guest: Shane Briant (star of cult Hammer films Demons of the Mind and Frankenstein & the Monster from Hell making his first UK appearance in 20 years)

Saturday Night at the Hammer Horror Film Festival

Saturday night is the social highlight of the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. The legendary Vampires’ Ball takes place at the Whitby Pavilion. Visitors and locals don their vampire personae to indulge in a vast range of entertainments including burlesque acts, illusionists and the haunting Millenium Choir. The best-dressed vampires will be rewarded with stunning pieces of Whitby inspired hand crafted jewellery from W Hamond, Whitby’s original Jet Shop.

If you like horror films, love film festivals and think Hammer Horror is a good thing, get thyself a yellow dinghy and paddle your way to Whitby on the October 14 weekend. Fun!

Check out more info on this Halloween film festival