Southend-on-Sea: 'We are the horror version of Cannes'

For years, this festival has showcased independent films next to the sea, attracted people from afar and has a casino nearby. Cannes? Not quite, this is the Horror-on-Sea festival in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex.

"Strangely enough," says festival director Paul Cotgrove, "when I first put the idea for this festival together, I was used to going to Cannes.

"It was the the independent films part of Cannes that I wanted to bring to Southend.

"I wanted it to be somewhere where film-makers, actors and actresses could meet the fans.

"Where I am standing looks out over the Thames Estuary and when the bar closes at the hotel we are using, people head off to the casino to carry on networking."

This year, Horror-on-Sea, which started, appropriately, on Friday 13, is celebrating its 10th year.

Held in the ballroom of the Park Inn Hotel, the festival is screening such titles as Powertool Cheerleaders vs The Boy Band of the Screeching Dead to A Ship of Madness: Deeper and Higher with Pazucus.

"It has gone up another level this year," Mr Cotgrove says. "When it started last week we had about 40 horror fans in at 10:00 GMT and it has just blown up since then.

"It is wonderful - every year it just gets bigger and bigger."

Attendees have come from across both the UK and the globe.

One of the directors flew over from Italy to meet up with his girlfriend, who had flown in from the United States, to introduce his short film.

Others have come from places including Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, and Scotland.

Meeting fellow independent film-makers is one of the most important parts of the festival, says Mr Cotgrove, whose 2000 short film Green Fingers starred well-known horror actress Ingrid Pitt.

"Horror-on-Sea has always been a home for the independent film-makers.

"Networking is really a big part of it. We've got a couple of horror actresses who are in so many of the films because of that networking.

"We once had a bunch of nutcases who came on a Friday with something of a film-making challenge.

"They made and edited the film while they were here and we showed it on the last day. It was quite a good film too."

Among this year's highlights is the world premiere of Video Shop Tales of Terror, in which a sinister video rental store is a portal to six short horror films.

The film was, says Mr Cotgrove, inspired by the festival's own fake video shop in the foyer.

So what does it take to make the cut for a festival showing?

"I always think about the audience," says Mr Cotgrove. "Some of the films submitted are very rough around the edges and some of them are a bit amateurish.

"But as long as it entertains the audience and gives them a giggle or a scream then it has a good chance."

The festival ends on Sunday at midnight.